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Threadmill Question

starseed777
starseed777 Posts: 221 Member
edited March 4 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone, I am relatively new to the gym. I use the threadmill for cardio. I just read somewhere that holding onto the heart rate monitor bars while walking on the threadmill lowers one's calorie burn. I am wondering if this is true. I don't want to be mistaken about my calorie burn. Thank you for your time.

Replies

  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
    I have a high quality treadmill at home. I wear a heart rate monitor to track my calorie burn. . . and yet, holding onto the bar makes a difference in the calorie burn. If I swing my arms or better yet, move them vigorously over my head, my heart rate skyrockets. Through trial and error I have found that it's better to keep the incline lower so I don't have to hang on.

    BTW: treadmill. . . root word is "tread" meaning walk.
  • VelveteenArabian
    VelveteenArabian Posts: 758 Member
    It will affect your calorie burn but the machine is going to only be guessing anyway. For the most accuracy, buy a heart rate monitor with a chest strap and use it. Your own heart rate monitor will allow you to configure your stats so that it can be more accurate.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    yes, holding onto the rails lowers the amount of effort. but if you can hold onto the bars, you're probably walking, and if you're walking, the calories are easy enough to figure out without the inflated lies that the treadmill was going to tell you anyway.
  • starseed777
    starseed777 Posts: 221 Member
    Thanks for the response. I figured that I was doing something wrong when I saw the gym enthusiasts NOT holding on to the bars.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    It will affect your calorie burn but the machine is going to only be guessing anyway. For the most accuracy, buy a heart rate monitor with a chest strap and use it. Your own heart rate monitor will allow you to configure your stats so that it can be more accurate.

    If one is using a commercial treadmill that allows you to input weight, and you are walking, and not using handrail support, the calorie count on the treadmill will be more accurate than a HRM. Especially since a) most people have avg to mediocre HRMs and b) even more people don't have their HRMs set up correctly.
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