holding hand weights on treadmill

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ohiojovigirl
ohiojovigirl Posts: 9
in Fitness and Exercise
how can I account for holding the weights while on the treadmill? or can i?

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  • tuckervc
    tuckervc Posts: 30
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    I have wondered about this. I use them some myself and didn't know if it counts or even makes a difference.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    .... Why would you hold weights in your hand while on the treadmill?
  • Prisme
    Prisme Posts: 65 Member
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    I saw the same thing the other day at my gym. She was trying to hold very heavy weights and run but was stumbling and banging into the side rails on the treadmill. I was beside her and scared she was going to drop the weight on my machine! She tried for a couple minutes but couldn't balance and gave up and left.
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
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    Meh, whatever works for you. I'd recommend ditching the hand weights and slapping on a weighted vest instead. Doesn't screw with your motions and balance.

    ETA: as to how to account for it...I don't know that you really can, with any degree of accuracy.
  • JenMc14
    JenMc14 Posts: 2,389 Member
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    Ditch the handweights. You could cause injury. If you really want to add weight, go for the vest as suggested or even a full backpack.

    http://www.pbs.org/americaswalking/gear/gearusing.html
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/150373-sports-injuries-caused-with-the-use-of-hand-weights/
  • viajera99
    viajera99 Posts: 252 Member
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    Actually it's quite easy-- just calculate your energy expenditure as if it was an increase of your total body weight.

    Which of course begs the question: Why? If you want a better w/o, increase the speed or increase the incline. MUCH safer.
  • ohiojovigirl
    ohiojovigirl Posts: 9
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    thanks. they are just 5lbs while I get back into my routine. i don't have the money to obtain a vest and i only use them when Im at a slow, warm up pace.

    P.S. If you don't have something nice to ask or say, then don't ask or say it.
  • VanessaHeartsMasr
    VanessaHeartsMasr Posts: 727
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    Ditch the handweights. You could cause injury. If you really want to add weight, go for the vest as suggested or even a full backpack.

    http://www.pbs.org/americaswalking/gear/gearusing.html
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/150373-sports-injuries-caused-with-the-use-of-hand-weights/

    Oh, so that's why the guy in front of me was wearing a backpack the other day. I thought he just had nowhere to store his stuff or something. Lol.
  • vorgas
    vorgas Posts: 741 Member
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    What does a treadmill really work? Your legs.* Adding speed/incline only adds additional effort to what? Your legs. And a vest? Mostly your legs.

    What would carrying dumbbells also work? Grip strength, forearms, biceps, triceps, delts, traps, etc. Same as carrying heavy grocery bags home from the store. In other words, functional strength.

    Hard to understand why anybody would want to do that, huh?

    As to calculating the extra burn, there's two options

    1) Add the extra weight to your own when you enter it on the treadmill, and use it's calculations.
    2) If you are actually doing arm exercises while walking, such as bicep curls, overhead presses, etc, then add light circuit training to your walking results.


    * Yes, pedants, I know that walking fast adds arm swing which works some arm muscles. But it's not significant.
  • svarcy
    svarcy Posts: 3
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    Don't post on a public forum if you don't want to hear peoples opinions that may offend you. Personally I think if I saw someone carrying dumbbells on a treadmill it would look quite funny. Ditch the dumbbells, focus on smashing a good cardio session and focus on smashing a good weights session, separately.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    What does a treadmill really work? Your legs.* Adding speed/incline only adds additional effort to what? Your legs. And a vest? Mostly your legs.

    What would carrying dumbbells also work? Grip strength, forearms, biceps, triceps, delts, traps, etc. Same as carrying heavy grocery bags home from the store. In other words, functional strength.

    Hard to understand why anybody would want to do that, huh?

    As to calculating the extra burn, there's two options

    1) Add the extra weight to your own when you enter it on the treadmill, and use it's calculations.
    2) If you are actually doing arm exercises while walking, such as bicep curls, overhead presses, etc, then add light circuit training to your walking results.


    * Yes, pedants, I know that walking fast adds arm swing which works some arm muscles. But it's not significant.

    Nah.
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
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    Ditch the handweights. You could cause injury. If you really want to add weight, go for the vest as suggested or even a full backpack.


    This. If you're trying to give your arms a workout too, do weights separately. It's much safer and will be much more effective as you can concentrate more fully on the task in hand. If you're just adding the weight to increase the effectiveness on the cardio workout, wear a weighted vest or backpack or as others have said, go faster and/or use a higher incline.
  • Sujit8383
    Sujit8383 Posts: 726 Member
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    better keep inclination at highest level, u will burn more.......:smile:
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    What does a treadmill really work? Your legs.* Adding speed/incline only adds additional effort to what? Your legs. And a vest? Mostly your legs.

    What would carrying dumbbells also work? Grip strength, forearms, biceps, triceps, delts, traps, etc. Same as carrying heavy grocery bags home from the store. In other words, functional strength.

    Hard to understand why anybody would want to do that, huh?

    As to calculating the extra burn, there's two options

    1) Add the extra weight to your own when you enter it on the treadmill, and use it's calculations.
    2) If you are actually doing arm exercises while walking, such as bicep curls, overhead presses, etc, then add light circuit training to your walking results.


    * Yes, pedants, I know that walking fast adds arm swing which works some arm muscles. But it's not significant.

    The point of the treadmill is that it works your heart. That's what cardio does. It doesn't work your leg muscles to any significant degree.
  • kkaci5
    kkaci5 Posts: 59 Member
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    I'm using handweights on the treadmill -- I do a lot of cardio at home that combines toning and cardio. Because I'm limited to the amount of running I can do right now, and I find just walking very boring, a keep a pair of 3 lb. weights in the cup holders and during slower intervals do my upper body routine. I don't account for it . It makes the time fly by.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    I'm using handweights on the treadmill -- I do a lot of cardio at home that combines toning and cardio. Because I'm limited to the amount of running I can do right now, and I find just walking very boring, a keep a pair of 3 lb. weights in the cup holders and during slower intervals do my upper body routine. I don't account for it . It makes the time fly by.

    There's no such thing as toning. Holding those weights does absolutely nothing for you.

    People, the point of cardio is to stress the ability of your heart to deliver oxygen to your body tissues, and therefore make your heart and lungs more efficient at it. Running and walking on a treadmill does not stress your muscles; if it did, marathon runners would have quads the size of barrels. They don't.

    Do cardio when you do cardio. Do strength training at a different time.

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