Treadmills --- why do people hold on to the rails?

brahmergirl

I notice regular looking people (not old or overweight people) holding on to the rails while walking on the treadmill. Why do they do that? Doesn't even look like they're walking fast either.

What's the the point of walking if you need a rail to hold on to? There's no rails in the real world.

The fastest I can walk on a treadmill, before I have to start running, is 4.4 mph. I don't need to hold on to anything either.

I don't hold them, generally, but will often balance myself on them. The reason is because my center of balance is usually off and unlike with the ground, this is a machine that IS moving that if you lose balance you can really screw yourself up and fall. Which is rather unpleasant. I also can't run, but that's because of my knee.

Meeee too! I have one leg that is 1/2" shorter than the other and I have to have them sometimes for balance....Especially true about the treadmill keeps going so when you lose your balance in the real world, you fall in place, on a treadmill, it catapults you off the back end into the elipticals behind you!

FuchsiaKF

Why must anyone judge my workout? It's mine, not yours. Really I don't give a flying flip what you're doing, can you give me the same courtesy?
As to why, when I use the treadmill I hold on, it's quite simple...I have no sense of balance and having been the victim of my own stupidity once by not holding on and finding myself doing the splits on a moving belt I now HOLD on! (Extremely painful, very embarrassing, not to mention fairly unsightly as well!)
Gah, I sure get tired of people who feel it's perfectly acceptable to judge me.

jennifershoo

if you re targeting the 110/120 heartbeats a minute its easier to do while holding on and not increasing heart rate with arm movement.- if you ve trained hard to increase muscle size it would be pointless to wipe out gains and use the treadmill as the rest do ...

:huh: wut?

steffiejoe

So i don':laugh: t lose my balance and fall!!

Dynamis600

Another case of Richard Craniums on this forum. Would Be nice if everyone was supportive of one another instead of critical.

Oh duh! this is not the support thread, silly me. (looks for rolls eyes smilie).

ktliu

I used to do the rail holding simply because I was carrying too much weight, and not enough quad muscles to stabilize my weight, With leg presses up to 300+ lbs, now I'm running at 5mph. vs holding onto the handrail and long striding at 4.2mph.

CannibalisticVegetarian

I'll admit... *dramatic pause* I... am a holder. I'll hold the rails if I'm high-inclining and going at a somewhat fast rate. I'm clumsy... like... "I often find myself tripping over my own two feet while walking a straight line' clumsy. There were close encounters on previous occasions on the treadmill. Some have seen me smack into the elliptical machine or bump my head on the pulldown bar... but falling on a treadmill? That's embarrassing enough to make you a legend. Or ..y'know at best earn you a nickname like 'Slips'.

Running doesn't call for holding though.

CarmenSRT

So, to see how much personal truth there was to the "You burn fewer calories when you hold on" meme I did an experiment yesterday. Got on the 'mill and instead of holding on decided to hold my arms at 90 degree angles and move them back and forth like power walkers do instead of fingertips on the bars to ensure balance. Kept incline at 6 and speed the same as usual so I compared like effort.

Found out a couple of things. First, if I use an anti-fogging agent on my eyeglasses and wear them while milling my balance is better. I was still a bit wobbly, but not dangerously so. Second, I was robbed! No greater calorie burn, despite not holding on. For me, the old saw does not hold true. YMMV

RGv2

Why must anyone judge my workout? It's mine, not yours. Really I don't give a flying flip what you're doing, can you give me the same courtesy?
As to why, when I use the treadmill I hold on, it's quite simple...I have no sense of balance and having been the victim of my own stupidity once by not holding on and finding myself doing the splits on a moving belt I now HOLD on! (Extremely painful, very embarrassing, not to mention fairly unsightly as well!)
Gah, I sure get tired of people who feel it's perfectly acceptable to judge me.

Why are threads like this always perceived as judgment? The judgment card is always played here, it's kind of laughable.

When you work out 8 inches away from someone (such as on a treadmill), you're going to notice when someone does something different, OP asked. Get over it.