Treamill advice- serious

cjowell
cjowell Posts: 41 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I know some people post stupid questions that make them sound like morons but I am really wanting to improve and want advice.

One of my goals is to jog/run a 5k and I am willing to be patient and work hard for it. What I am having trouble with is jogging or even walking on a treadmill without holding on. I don't run straight and feel like I am losing my balance. I know that I probably should just run outside but at times that is not an option.

I have been working on walking without holding on (I am being serious, I practice by increasing the speed and focusing only on what I am doing) and am getting better. Does anyone have any advice on what I can do to get comfortable on a treadmill?
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Replies

  • canadiandee
    canadiandee Posts: 196 Member
    LOL. I have this problem, too. I've been on the treadmill regularly (3-4 times per week) for more than 3 months and I'm still a little panicky about letting go.
  • JUDDDing
    JUDDDing Posts: 1,367 Member
    Give yourselves time - I'd bet within a week or 2 you get comfortable. I was like this the first few times too.

    If there are rails - stay up by the rails for awhile.
  • JUDDDing
    JUDDDing Posts: 1,367 Member
    I should probably mention - I still bounce off the rails sometimes. :) It just doesn't bother me any more.
  • jfauci
    jfauci Posts: 531 Member
    Just give it some time. I actually find it easier to run on a treadmill rather than walk. I loose my balance when walking, but I'm fine running. Just keep doing it and you will see that it gets easier.
  • mommy1126
    mommy1126 Posts: 146 Member
    Lol, I have the exact same problem as you! I am terrified of shooting off the end of the stupid treadmill like a bouncy ball if I let go. Sorry, I can't help with advice, but sure hope someone else can!
    I switched to the elliptical instead of the treadmill, simply because I cannot physically shoot off the end of it : ).
  • icimani
    icimani Posts: 1,454 Member
    I had that problem too - I still hold on if I'm taking a drink, playing with settings etc. Give it some time, maybe just hold on with one hand for a while. Yes, you get more of a workout and it's more like natural walking if you swing your arms, but a treadmill can be a dangerous machine if you aren't paying attention so go slow and only let go when you're comfortable.
  • clopez1987
    clopez1987 Posts: 54 Member
    i used to have the same problem, i just stopped thinking about it, i noticed that after i stopped thinking about falling or the fact i felt my feet were tangling together or going to the sides, i worked out so much comfortable, i just keep looking straight and focus on the music, i can even jog now! :) good luck
  • majoki
    majoki Posts: 151 Member
    It may also help to have something straight in front of you to focus on. I remember I used to run /walk into the side rails at the gym when I'd watch a tv that was off to the side (I'd start moving towards the tv haha).
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,749 Member
    Just look straight ahead and do your thing. I find if I look to the side I'm more apt to start to walk or run in that direction and I have a second of panic and flailing arms as I try to grab on and not fall down.

    I hold on when I'm walking at a steep incline at a fast pace but for the most part I just keep my eyes front and do my thing. Maybe you need to slow the TM down a little bit to get used to the movement without holding on?
  • cjh022
    cjh022 Posts: 88 Member
    I still bounce off the rails, front and sides! If I drift too far back or really veer off I'll grab on to steady myself but I make the rails work to hold me on! :laugh: I'm glad that I'm always alone in my apartment's gym I'm sure I look like the ball in a pinball machine sometimes. So you are not alone, just keep working towards it and it will improve, but I think most anyone swerves sometimes!
  • LeanButNotMean44
    LeanButNotMean44 Posts: 852 Member
    Just keep at it and it will happen! Practice makes perfect! :smile:
  • stephaniemejia1671
    stephaniemejia1671 Posts: 482 Member
    Focus. Posture and a moderate setting. I don't run I just put it to a setting where it's just fast walking lol. Look straight ahead to get your balance in and just roll with it. Don't let the machine run you, you run the machine into the ground!
  • kingkoopaluv
    kingkoopaluv Posts: 147 Member
    Just let go, your body will know what to do....I think? But realistically Walk/Jog/Run outside when weather permits, you will much happier with your progress and less bored.
  • wikitbikit
    wikitbikit Posts: 518 Member
    Go slower. When you're comfortable, go a little bit faster. I understand you may feel like you're not getting much of a workout if you're only going, say, 2.4 mph, but you actually are still burning calories! You will get more comfortable in no time and you will be going faster and you'll feel comfortable and confident. Additionally, you will have a real sense of progress, which will help you stick with it.

    Seriously, go slower.
  • Fit_Vixen1
    Fit_Vixen1 Posts: 419
    The very first time I used a treadmill, I had to hold on too. I felt dizzy and like I was walking all over the place. The more you do it the better you get. Start off slow, when you're comfortable at that speed, move it a little faster.

    That first time I tried the treadmill, after I got down, lol, that was more challenging than being on the treadmill.

    Good luck & you'll get there.
  • creech6317
    creech6317 Posts: 869 Member
    I had that problem for a while. I worked up to not holding on by slowly taking more of my hand off of the bars, see if you can just rest your fingertips on the rails, that way it will help with your feeling of being unbalanced, but doesn't take away from the workout.
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
    Putting the treadmill on an incline, even if it is just a 1 or 2, will help with your balance. Plus it feels more natural to me than on a 0 incline.
  • Healthy_fresh_start
    Healthy_fresh_start Posts: 183 Member
    i have litterally got mine out today! never used it, i had a 2 second go after setting it up and could not let go at all haha!! was so close to putting it away again as i felt so silly. so glad you posted this!!
  • thinjude
    thinjude Posts: 4 Member
    When walking, it is often much easier to touch the rails.. nothing wrong in this.
    When you do take your hands off (start one at a time) move you arm/s in a strong striding movement, don't leave them by your side, or relaxed - this really helps.
    Try and "stand tall" shoulders back, using your core (stomach ) muscles which will give you more strength to stay straight
    Holding rails is better than not doing it all, so keep it up!
  • morningmud
    morningmud Posts: 477 Member
    I can't do the home treadmills after getting used to the much wider gym treadmills. I tried running on my moms and stepped on the side, almost face-planted. The home ones are just so damn narrow! I had to really focus on 1 spot straight ahead to even feel safe walking on it.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Yes, I agree with what others have said .....it takes time to get comfortable.

    After awhile I didn't need to hang on, but still had to "check" myself from time to time by putting my fingers on the arm rails.... simply touching them helped me .... I don't know .... focus maybe.
  • originalkazila
    originalkazila Posts: 200
    Nothing wrong with hanging onto the rails - that is why they are there after all. Hang on and practice looking straight ahead until you can walk normally, then take small breaks with your hands off the rail. If it makes you feel better - most treadmills have a emergency stop break away clip. Get too far away it pulls and stops the machine. :)

    Stay with it! You'll be a pro in no time.
  • garciabnm
    garciabnm Posts: 138
    I still bounce off the rails, front and sides! If I drift too far back or really veer off I'll grab on to steady myself but I make the rails work to hold me on! :laugh: I'm glad that I'm always alone in my apartment's gym I'm sure I look like the ball in a pinball machine sometimes. So you are not alone, just keep working towards it and it will improve, but I think most anyone swerves sometimes!
    Sounds like you and i have the same problem..we run like phoebe on friends..lol
  • Maggie821
    Maggie821 Posts: 55 Member
    The best advice I can give you is to slow down your pace; perhaps not worry so much about the 5K until you can walk with confidence, without holding on. If you are serious about running/jogging, I would recommend that you go to a running store that has a treadmill and have them do a "test walk" to see if you need different shoes. The wrong shoes can lead to balance issue, overcompensation and future injuries.

    Last, be proud of yourself that you are moving your body. Stand tall, stare straight ahead and focus on keeping your hips facing forward! You'll rock it before long!
  • lil_pulp
    lil_pulp Posts: 701 Member
    Go slower. When you're comfortable, go a little bit faster. I understand you may feel like you're not getting much of a workout if you're only going, say, 2.4 mph, but you actually are still burning calories! You will get more comfortable in no time and you will be going faster and you'll feel comfortable and confident. Additionally, you will have a real sense of progress, which will help you stick with it.

    Seriously, go slower.

    This!

    And I disagree with the people who say don't worry about holding on. It's a better workout (and more natural for your body) to walk/run without holding onto a bar.
  • saminmio
    saminmio Posts: 44 Member
    I don't run on the treadmill but I do walk. The funny thing is as long as I keep my eyes on one spot I do great but when I look around my balance goes haywire. Could that be part of your problem?
  • savbentley
    savbentley Posts: 103
    If you're going to stick with the treadmill, focusing on one spot is helpful.

    I highly suggest the elliptical though. It's easier to incorporate your arms in the workout, it's just as difficult, and it's easier on your joints.

    Another reason treadmills aren't optimal is because you aren't required to propel yourself forward. The treadmill running under you does that work for you. It's kind of just pounding your legs down in a repetitive motion. Elliptical require you to actually push yourself forward just like if you were running outside (as in it doesn't move for you) so you burn more and get a more effective workout. :)
  • dakotawitch
    dakotawitch Posts: 190 Member
    I hold on when I'm on my treadmill, but that's because the heartrate sensors are on the handrails :). One thing that helps is to pay attention to your form. I have a tendency to lean forward and hang on for dear life at first, so I instead start the tread slow, then focus on moving my shoulders away from my ears and my shoulderblades down my back (a yoga technique) and also dropping my tailbone. These are very subtle movements but they move me over my center of gravity. I find that I'm more stable -- so that my hands are resting firmly on the heartrate sensors but not gripping the rails in a death grip -- and that I am able to go longer, faster, and without running out of breath.

    It takes some time to get the hang of it, but it really does help.
  • justicer68
    justicer68 Posts: 1,223

    I hold on when I'm walking at a steep incline at a fast pace but for the most part I just keep my eyes front and do my thing. Maybe you need to slow the TM down a little bit to get used to the movement without holding on?

    I have to do the same thing when I am walking at an incline - which is most of the time. But I have noticed that when I attempt to run I don't have to hold on and when I am going at a slower pace. You will get it in time. I do have to straddle it to drink some water though. I can't walk and drink at the same time. That is asking for trouble, I am a clutz by nature. :laugh:
  • SMarie10
    SMarie10 Posts: 956 Member
    I've been using the treadmill for a few years now, and I still hang on. I never got to the point where I felt comfortable without using the rails.. I know this isn't the best way to do it, but it's better than sitting on the couch. I do try to balance my workout by using all the cardio available - so I work 20 on the treadmill, 20 on elliptical and 15 on the bike - seems to be working for me.

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