If KRANKING is the answer…

by

then what’s the question?

How can we help this blogger to find a workout which wont cause more knee pain? (oooh & you can do yer act of kindness at the same time!)

Has anyone out there kranked before (krunked? been kranked?)?

Ive been mulling a post on this for a while, waited, and bingbangboom there was an article on it in the New Yorker (my first “crap. this must be ENTIRELY played out already” clue.).

Essentially, it’s arm spinning brought to you by Johnny G the creator of, well, LEG Spinning.

Using a krankcycle (I know. classic.), a stationary hand cycle that utilizes an adjustable, variable-resistance mechanism, it’s a way to workout focusing solely on upper body cardiovascular training.

Classes are already offered at Reebok Sports Club/NY and, supposedly, shall be spreading like the proverbial wildfire across the USA.

Such a neat invention for people who CANT use their legs for cardio training (be it short term or a permanent state) but the fact it’s touted as, essentially, a way to rest your legs but NOT have to take a day off of cardio?

we all know what I think about that: just take a day off.

You MUST (rimshot!).

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Comments

  1. don’t know much about it 🙂 I have knee pain sometimes too and I take it slower on my workouts. I am hoping as the weight gets less, the knees will be better.

  2. I say swim. Have you ever heard of a swimmer being benched for an injury?

    It feels great, is a great cardiovascular workout, and is 100% low impact. And all you need is a swimsuit and goggles (and a swimcap if your hair might get in your face or you want to protect it from chlorine).

  3. I’m certifiable. I mean A certiFIED Johnny G instructor. Just heard about this last week though. Hmmm. Dunno. I do have a friend in a wheelchair after a motorcycle accident. I know people in his situation would benefit from this. I prefer to leave my arm work to the iron though.

  4. Well….that is an interesting device. I’m with Sassy – iron for the arms. But, if your legs are a problem…maybe this is an answer. I’m not sold on it, that’s for sure. I’m tempted to say it’s a fad…but hey, that’s just me…

  5. Well I love *crunking* but it can be hard on your knees. Yeah soulja boy! I have tried kranking but I giggled – prolly too much to get a real workout. My fave low-impact activities? Swimming, the elliptical and walking. I’m sooooo original:)

  7. Hahahaha – the Bag Lady gets that kind of exercise when she’s cranking on the trailer jack to lower (or raise) it to hook it up to the truck. And there’s the resistance part to it too, ’cause the freakin’ thing is usually rusty, and you’re trying to raise the whole front end of the stock trailer……

    Is this a yet another case of “gym imitating life”?

  8. “Only those with a sense of humor need apply”

    That looks like incredible fun. But then again, so does that mechanical bull thing at the bar down the road (the one with the sawdust on the floor to cover the bloodstain). Don’t see me riding THAT, though, do ya?

    (I would though. I totally would, as long as I trusted the person on the controls and they weren’t too drunk. Even my husband cannot be trusted with too many margaritas in him)

  9. It never ceases to amaze me how the fitness world continually steals ideas from the rehabilitation/physical therapy world.
    LOL
    That is what’s called a U.B.E. Upper Body Exerciser.
    It’s used for shoulder, elbow,wrist,hand injuries as well as the intended purpose of those Krankcyler’s.
    LOL
    Too funny.

  10. I don’t know about kranking but I have a current hamstring injury that has forced me to lay low on running (cycling seems to be OK, though). It’s been a great excuse to hit the pool hard and I’ve made some incredible gains on swimming by not kicking much for a change. Using a pull buoy to completely immobilize the legs could also still provide some awesome upper body cardio.

  11. Used to be people would just DO more in their everyday lives to be fit without thinking about fitness at all. Mixing by hand, hanging up laundry, mowing with a hand mower raking leaves, not blowing them, grassclippers (remember them). All these timesavers we’re using are driving us to gimmicks like this. Even if I was immobilized I’d rather use the weights. (Which BTW, I did today, Carla ~~ THREE sets)

  12. Swimming is supposed to be great for those with knee problems – just avoid the breast stroke, because the kick that goes with that can aggravate knee pain. At least that’s what my doc said.

    Since I’m in the same boat now, I’ve looked at that krank thing, and even though I’m missing cardio like I never thought possible, I’m not sure that’s the answer. A couple more months of this, though, and I’ll probably try it out.

  14. I’ve never done it, but I’ve seen it taught by Johnny G himself. From the looks of it, it was one heck of a workout. Although, from what I’ve heard, most people still prefer spinning because there’s more variation and your legs have bigger muscles and can withstand more therby allowing you to workout longer without feeling like you’re about to catch on fire. But if you can’t use your legs, then heck, it’s fantastic.

  15. When I was having knee issues, I mixed in the elliptical trainer and a walking DVD (walking outside is great, too). Swimming is a great idea, but obviously not a preference (or accessible) for everyone.

    However, I was reading Dieting Ninja’s blog, and apparently walking is bad on her knee, too. So to go along with her dilemma of whether or not to lift weights when trying to lose weight, I say, do a circuit of weights. It only takes a pair of dumbbells and if you do the sets close enough together you can get your heart pumping (ever seen The Biggest Loser- they do lots of cardio weight-lifting). A great way to burn calories and not aggravate your knee!

  16. hahahahahah….I’m sorry…but I feel like the promo video for this should be a rap video (with all the girls pumpin up and down)…….

  17. Actually, my sister does that… well, I’m not sure THAT exactly, but she uses something with pedals with her arms. Very similar though. She can’t walk, but she seems to really like it, already lost 15 lbs with it.

  18. Maybe it is too close to bedtime but this just looks silly to me! I guess if I couldn’t use my legs it would be a wonderful alternative, but since I can I think I will stick with a different form of cardio.

  20. They have an upper body exerciser at our gym (we have a number of rehabbers there.. stroke, wheelchair, etc.). Some of the trainers encourage all their clients to do time on these. I never have; but after my foot surgery last year, I contemplated it.

  21. I HATE swimming but am slowly being converted thanks to my shin splints forcing me into the pool. Yeah its quite boring and the other people in the pool are very much In The Way, but my arms look HOT! I’m going to try a pull-buoy next time.

    TA (aka The Finned One) x

  22. Yes, just to be original, I am going to say swimming. I would also try the elliptical (though I hate this beast with a passion) and maybe stationary bike.

  23. I am sure it is great for you… but seems uncomfortable…does it make your workout more powerful because your arms are elevated?

  24. I would say it totally depends on what type of knee pain/injury you have.

    I have tendonitis and to answer the emailers question, yes, losing weight has helped tremendously.

    Again, depending on the type of pain and what you are able to do, I have found that strengthening the surrounding muscles has helped to keep pressure off the knee and prevent further injury. Things that work the quads, glutes and calfs…wall squats, those beloved lunges, leg press, calf raises, the list goes on.

    Hope you feel better, knee pain is just awful.

  25. For someone who has MORE than her share of knee problems, I thought I would put my two sense out there. I have never done the krank (been kranked? Gotten Kranked?…) because my gym does not have one. But because of this, I did a WHOLE LOT of rowing. When I wasn’t even allowed to swim, I could still row. I would basically row with just one leg. I put the other in the strap but didn’t let it bend much at all. I was able to get a work out and some tone back muscles doing this. It was really hard to build up my endurance and to feel comfortable on the machine but after a short while, I was doing about 45 minutes a day on the machine.

    I would obviously also recommend swimming if you can. I personally am still in physical therapy for my knee and it has been a long long long very windy road to get where I am now, and the place I feel the strongest is definitely in the pool.

    If it is something as easy as just resting and letting it heal, then do that! I know it mentally is really hard to stop working out if you are someone who finds relaxation and comfort in working out but in the long run, taking care of your body is the smartest thing. I tore my hamstring (in the same leg) a few years back and all I had to do was rest it and it would have healed. Silly me just couldn’t do that and turned a minor injury into something that took MONTHS to heal.

    sweetsandsweats.wordpress.com

  26. I haven’t had knee problems (knock knock, that was my desk) but I have heel and ankle problems. Low impact things like swimming are ideal. Also, SEATED ROW!!!! What was that again? SEATED ROW!!!!

    Miz, would love to do a guest blog on my tri training

  27. WOW! I think that looks awesome and I’d love to try it. Maybe you can get them to do a freebie where they fly one lucky Mizfit out to New York, put them up in a four-star hotel for a week, and let them give this crazy workout a ‘spin’!

    I really love that it gives an opportunity for people with limited use of their legs to get ALLLLL the many physical, mental, and psychological benefits of exercise.

    For the blogger, from what she wrote I don’t know if this would be too painful for her, but cycling is supposed to be a good low-impact alternative to running. I’m focusing on cycling and walking right now with my knee injury, and am considering adding the dreaded swimming (I’m so slow and flailing that I feel really self-conscious at first, but once I get used to it I enjoy it. Really, I promise!)

  28. Well thanks to my crappy joints I feel your pain, especially in the knees…my right one to be more exact. Thankfully I did live with a pretty smart personal trainer for a year and he had me doing light weights with the machines in order to build up the little muscles around the joint…for cardio when walking and the elliptical were too much we did boxing believe it or not. Of course I did all the hitting and he the receiving. The stance is stationary and pretty simple back & forth…it was all cardio using the core and upper body. Ahhh I miss my old roomie…I could sure use a nice hit session.

  29. I have never kranked. (But I’m immature enough that I giggled when I wrote that. Hee.)

    But if your knees are hurting?

    Pilates, pilates, pilates. And yoga, yoga, yoga. Lots and lots and lots.

    Seriously. I ruptured 2 discs in my back, blew out the PCL in my left knee (not the ACL, which is the normal one – I like to be original – :P), ground down 80% of the cartilage in my right knee, and about 60% in my left knee. (Thank you, ballet! :P)

    BUT. If I do Pilates and/or yoga regularly? Dude, I can go RUNNING with no pain. (Running without a regular routine of Pilates and/or yoga lasts about .0527 minutes before I’m DONE.) And I should mention that because of the Pilates & yoga? I didn’t need surgery on ANY of those injuries. Yeah. I’m a badass. (*snort* NOT.)

    Pilates, pilates, pilates. Yoga, yoga, yoga.

    Om.

  30. Oh, and I know Pilates and yoga aren’t cardio, but if you want to be able to keep doing whatever cardio you love that jacked up your knees . . . did I mention Pilates and yoga? 😉

    (Although some types of yoga DEFINITELY give you a cardio workout – and not just the sweaty kinds, but other more traditional kinds, too. I stopped running for about 4 months, and just did yoga – a kind that felt relatively easy, no less – and when I started running again, I was FASTER. A LOT. Blew me away.)

  33. Kranking by Johnny G… He is at it again and this time i think he has nailed it. This thing is so great. I got a chance to try it down in San Diego and San Fran. Both times it was incredible. Not just the workout, but the energy which the program brings. Its like he did with spinning. He took something TOTALLY boring and added life and words and just made it come to life. I am a spin buff and am in great shape. I did kranking for 15 minutes and it wiped me out. The workout is great folks. I have also seen it blended in with spin classes to make a DU-Atholon type of class. But really, great for older people, rehab athletes with knee issues, hip problems, etc.. The upper body workouts are tough and this machine makes it fun…. peace

  35. The Krankcycles are basically at only a few test sites
    in the States. They are being mass marketed globally
    (maybe for just the fitness industry) in January so if you
    are interested tell your gym to look into it at the above website.
    The cycles are different from the UBE because the
    arms on the cycle can move independently or
    together for more of a variety in training. You can sit
    or stand and you have an instuctor motivating you the whole time!!
    This compliments swimming it doen’t compete with it.

    A variety of training options is what fitness is all about.
    What works for you!

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