Octane Fitness Zero Runner test

Last week I got an invitation to test out the Octane Fitness Zero Runner.  Have you heard of it?  It's an awesome new running/fitness machine they developed to simulate running with no impact.  Check it out:

Zero Runner

I tested this one over at American Home Fitness in Sterling Heights.

7 locations in the Detroit area

One of their employees, Dean, showed me the ropes on how to use it.  I also got a chance to meet the President of American Home Fitness, Eric Swanson.  These guys know their machines and also run too so they know runners.

Dean showing me how to use the machine

The Zero Runner is somewhat like an elliptical except, in this case, you can move your legs the way your actual stride is and not limited to whatever the machine does.  This allows you to run just as you do on the street - but with no impact on your body.

You put you feet in the pedals and first start to lift your legs up and down to get a feel for the machine.  It's not as easy as it looks and takes a little getting used to but, once you have the hang of it, it's very simple to use.  Just because it is no impact does not mean that it's no effort.  I only tried it for a short time and quickly built up a sweat.  You will get a good workout from the machine.

As you can see, the machine allows your legs to move the way you move.  One of my concerns was that my foot would move out of that pedal but they don't move at all.

Footing is very easy

The machine operates on 4 AA batteries and there's virtually nothing to service on the machine.  I love that about it since you don't need to worry about expensive maintenance or adjustments.

The machine will also connect with your iPad too and you can use their app to see how you are running.  The company has an ideal stride that you can shoot for to get the most out of the machine but it's really up to you to run the stride you want since it's all you making it move (unlike a treadmill).  I was pretty much there at 95% just using it the first time and it was nice to have feedback on the app.  I imagine that it would become second nature to use after you have used it for numerous workouts.

You can also just use it with the machine itself and it will give you stats like stride length, pace, distance, heart rate (can connect to your monitor wirelessly), calories burned and workout time.  Pretty much what your running watch will give you as well.

Easy display with Ipad connection too

Because you cannot really create hills on this (although that would be incredible), you can simulate harder running by adjusting the difficulty on the machine.  It gives the same effect because it's harder to run as you increase it.  I could really tell the difference as you moved it harder and actually felt more like I was running outside at harder levels.  One thing I did wish was different would be the ability to run without holding onto the handles.  There is just not a way to do that.  I think having that would make it feel much more like running.

The unit is also very quite so you can use it at all hours without waking up people.  I imagine it's nice when in front of the TV too since you don't need to have the volume up so loud like you do on a treadmill.

The machine also comes with resistance bands so that you can connect them to the machine and get a full body workout.  It's a fairly heavy unit (about 200 lbs) so you won't have to worry about it moving on you.  That's a nice feature to have especially if you don't have anything else in your home gym.

Adjustable difficulty

I really enjoyed learning about the machine and trying it out.  As most of you know, I'm not a big treadmill fan and I run outside 98% of the time.  This is a machine, however, that I can certainly see the benefits to and using more frequently to ease the impact I have from running outside.  If you are in the Detroit area, you can see it at American Home Fitness or stop by your local fitness store and see if they carry it to try it out.

Me testing it out

Interested in learning more?

Go to the Octane Fitness website.

MSRP is $3,299 but you can find them on sale at your local dealer.

Have a Great Day and....Keep Running!!!!

Disclosure:  I was not compensated for this post.  I was just curious how this machine worked.  All opinions are my own.