Things have been going so well! You’ve been exercising regularly, eating right, and building serious momentum towards your pursuit of being your best healthy self. Then, one of your worst nightmares becomes a reality: a dreaded ACL injury. Sometimes skipping exercise all together because of an ACL injury sounds like a good idea. You don’t want to hurt yourself further, right? But, by not finding a way to continue exercising in some capacity with an ACL injury, you actually could be doing your body more harm than good.
While the most critical window for recovery from an ACL injury comes immediately after the injury with surgery and intensive physical therapy, it’s important to keep your fitness levels up both pre and post surgery. Even if you just focus on maintenance mode! There are lots of ways you can safely get your fitness levels on with using Excy as an Upper Body Ergometer (UBE) or upper body cycle while you’re nursing and protecting your ACL injury, but still burn plenty of calories, tone your muscles, and lift your spirits!
While many of our early enthusiasts use Excy as an UBE in their quest for arm-toning workouts and to cross train between arms and legs, we’ve had multiple customers use Excy as a UBE with a torn ACL (see our Reviews page at Excy.Reviews). Excy can be an amazing grueling or light upper body exercise for individuals with limited lower-body function from injury or chronic pain while sitting in a comfortable chair, on the floor, or on a table surface.
The benefits of upper body ergometers have largely gone unknown and are underutilized. However, a study published in the October 2010 issue of the “Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research” found that the arm crank, or bike, was as effective at measuring physical fitness as a bicycling ergometer. Not only was this great news for people who are temporarily or permanently disabled, but it also demonstrated that an upper body rotational exercise can be a fast power workout for the upper body and core, and a great way to retain cardiovascular fitness when our legs can’t be used or need a rest.
In Excy, we have created an exciting upper body rotational and arm-cranking experience that we believe will open up a new opportunity to get people excited about upper-body cardiovascular and strength conditioning. Now, upper body rotational exercise isn’t new. The first arm-cranking machine was patented 73 years ago. What we’ve done with Excy is reimagine the upper body ergometer for today’s busy way of life, as well as integrate the concepts of a recumbent bike to offer a solid cross-training alternative that can add variety to any fitness routine at home, work, or on the go. We’ve also added modern training with a mobile coaching interval training application.
See how Excy works on the floor as a UBE:
Lightweight, compact, and transportable, Excy weighs 10 pounds and offers 30 pounds of bi-directional resistance for spinning, cranking, pushing, and pulling with arms and legs. The welded steel and aluminum frame, powder-coated finish, and chrome plating round out a rugged and durable design that will withstand extensive use in the busiest settings at home, work, or on the go. A large carry handle makes it easy to transport and it folds easily for storage. Plus, it’s just downright fun, doesn’t require planning, and you can’t beat the convenience.
You can also work directly with your physical therapist or orthopedic surgeon to explore ways to use Excy post rehabilitation to start strengthening your legs again after such limited use since Excy also works as a recumbent exercise bike.
Always consult your doctor before beginning a new exercise.
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