Treadmill or eliptical?

[Sgermain1126]

I'm an avid runner (3-4 miles a day) but I keep getting shin splints . I sprint at an average of 9.0. I'm looking to tone a lot in lower back and sides. I was told that the eliptical is really good for this and less taxing on your body than running on a treadmill. Would the eliptical really help tone lower back?

[Boss Man]

Possibly it could, but I would say it's debateable.

You'd have more luck with the lower back doing things like Deadlifts and Good Mornings.

However this can cause some muscle gain, so you must temper this with abdominal conditioning to avoid potential imablances in the core.

In regard to Deadlifts and Good Mornings, either one of htose should provide some kind of abdominal stimulation, but some direct stuff like Planks, Roman Chairs, Leg Raises, Reverse Crunches etc, could be a worthwhile inclusion.

[jessielynn85]

Hi back in the day when i was training for a marathon i got a lot of splints i started swimming a couple miles 3 times a week and took running down to 2 or 3 times a week and it really helped me

[Boss Man]

Sin splints are often if not always caused by heel striking when running, if the person modifies their running action, to one that prevents this occuring, they should be able to overcome shin splints and have a happier running based life .