XE500 Elliptical
15
Footpads
Through research performed with a leading sports scientist and physical rehabilitation expert,
Spirit engineering has developed a breakthrough in pedal design. No other elliptical, at any price,
offers these unique features. The history of elliptical use over the past few years tells us that many
users suffer from numb toes while working out on elliptical trainers. Many other users complain of
ankle, Achilles tendon, knee and/or hip pain. While researching a solution to these common
problems Spirit engineers consulted Richard DeKok, P.T., M.T.C., of St. Bernards Industrial
Rehabilitation Center in Jonesboro Arkansas.
Together we identified the inherent problem in elliptical designs and developed solutions to solve
the problems. What we found is that when you use an elliptical you tend to push outward during
the power stroke and not just straight back. This causes stress on the outer part of the foot and
throws off the natural alignment of the joints. The second problem we found is that many people
tend to stay up on the ball of their foot during the elliptical motion. Our solutions were simple but
effective:
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The first solution was to add a 2-degree inward angle to the footpads. This might sound
simple but what it achieves is not. Riding an elliptical, no matter how close together the
pedals may be, puts the users musculoskeletal system out of neutral alignment. Adding the
2-degree angle positions the user back into a neutral alignment which eases the over
stressing of the outer ankles, knees and hips.
•
The second solution was to make the foot pedal adjustable to the user s style of pedaling
the elliptical. We achieved this by adding an adjustment that allows the angle of the footpad
to be changed. There are three positions available with a simple pull-pin adjustment
located under the footpads. The lowest position will set the footpads at zero (0) degrees, or
flat, at the bottom of the elliptical stroke. The second position sets the footpad to five (5)
degrees and the top position sets the footpads to ten (10) degrees.
Because everybody is different, and there are as many styles to pedal an elliptical as there
are people, we found there is no one angle that fit every user. Some users would be up on
the balls of their feet, resulting in numb toes, so we decided to let the user adjust the back
of the foot pad upward to support the heel, taking the pressure off of the nerves in the balls
of the feet and the Achilles tendon. The result was no more numb toes. Some users are
uncomfortable at this angle so for them we designed in three different adjustable angles so
they could find one that feels best for them.
A great side benefit of the adjustable footpad angle is that you end up working different
muscle groups. At the highest angle you will work the quadriceps more. At the lowest angle
you work the hamstrings and glutes harder.
Incline
The XE500 has an incline ramp feature that allows you to simulate walking uphill. There are 20
distinct incline levels.
Features
