Richmond’s new, state-of-the-art fitness equipment, the AlterG treadmill, is playing a significant role in the recovery of star midfielder Nathan Foley and other Tiger players currently in the rehab. group, during the early phase of pre-season training.
A key component of the AlterG treadmill is its capacity to lighten the players’ bodyweight, when they’re using it, decreasing the impact on their joints.
The purchase of the AlterG was made possible through Richmond’s Fighting Tiger Fund (FTF), which has raised $6 million, allowing the Club to reduce its debt and invest back into the football department.
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“Nathan Foley can feel that he’s progressing a little bit quicker than where he was, because he can gradually increase his bodyweight, even at a walking pace on the AlterG,” said Richmond’s new elite Performance Manager, Peter Burge.
Burge added that the AlterG gives injured players a “head start”, to get them back to full-training, and then playing, sooner.
“It can unload you to a different bodyweight. If someone is 100 kilos, we can run them on there at 80 kilos or 90 kilos, or 90 per cent of their bodyweight,” Burge said.
Foley, who partially ruptured his Achilles tendon during a training session back in July, has been using the AlterG since it arrived in the Club’s gym three weeks ago.
“This will be really handy for me, coming back from an Achilles. It’s quite a slow process to get full weight bearing again and walking properly,” Foley said.
“I started walking on it at 20 per cent bodyweight, so for me, that’s about 16 kilos I was walking with. I’ve increased that and I’m currently (walking) at 65 per cent body weight.
“It’s helped me to start to walk a bit better and start the rehab process.”
Some of the Club’s older players will also reap the benefits of the AlterG, as part of their post-game recovery next season.
“It’s not just purely for rehab, we actually will use it for probably some of our older players post-game, to help their recovery and just to unload their bodies a little bit,” Burge said.
Burge also paid tribute to the supporters’ contributions to the Fighting Tiger Fund, which had made the purchase of the AlterG possible.
Watch the video above to hear Burge and Foley talk about the AlterG.
