Holding the handrails on treadmill?

I only use treadmills for intervals usually, sprint then walk.........during the walk i hold continuously for the heart rate, when i drop to a certain level, i sprint again. I would think that holdingconinuously while running is difficult to do, but i dont think doing it while walking is a big deal. I also use a pretty steep incline. If i am not holding the rails, i usually am screwing with my phone. Usually goes like this, walk at 3.0, incline at 7-8, screw with phone. Put phone down, sprint for a minute.............walk until heart rate drops almost out of fat burn level while screwing with phone............sprint again. Repeat...........repeat............repeat.........

Either way do what you want, you're cheating yourself and not receiving the full benefit of the exercise. It's supposed to be CHALLENGING hence why it's called EXERCISE.

I sooooo dont agree with you..
In my humble opinion Exercise is about movement - doesnt have to be challenging.
I think challenging exercise is called training

The word challenging has a different meaning to everyone - a 25KM cycle might be challenging for someone for someone else it is their warm up for a 95KM cycle..

As long as someone is moving they are challenging themselves and that is what matters doesnt it - not everyone is out there to train...some "just" want to exercise

live and let live

I just got up to go to the fridge for a bottle of water. I exercised.

Judge Judy??

no he/she just craves attention

I can't believe this is an issue? Those folks who hold the rail while on a treadmill are at least out there moving. I'm not sure why you would be noticing someone else's "form" while at the gym. You should be concentrating on your own form! That's why some people don't like going to a gym in the first place....for fear or being judged by others!! (You know who you are).

Either way do what you want, you're cheating yourself and not receiving the full benefit of the exercise. It's supposed to be CHALLENGING hence why it's called EXERCISE.

I sooooo dont agree with you..
In my humble opinion Exercise is about movement - doesnt have to be challenging.
I think challenging exercise is called training

The word challenging has a different meaning to everyone - a 25KM cycle might be challenging for someone for someone else it is their warm up for a 95KM cycle..

As long as someone is moving they are challenging themselves and that is what matters doesnt it - not everyone is out there to train...some "just" want to exercise

live and let live

I just got up to go to the fridge for a bottle of water. I exercised.

Judge Judy??

no he/she just craves attention

Riiiight I crave attention because I state facts. You're sitting there saying that ANYTHING involving movement is considered "exercise". It's you're body do what you want. If you want to get by with the bare minimum that's fine. I know when I go to the gym, I'm going with purpose. Purpose to change and evolve my physique, purpose to become more disciplined in the way I view exercise, nutrition and overall health. What is life without purpose? Why would anyone want to get by with the minimum?

Anyhow, let me know how that works out for you..I'm sure you'll have the physique you want in no time doing the minimum.

Good Luck

Either way do what you want, you're cheating yourself and not receiving the full benefit of the exercise. It's supposed to be CHALLENGING hence why it's called EXERCISE.

I sooooo dont agree with you..
In my humble opinion Exercise is about movement - doesnt have to be challenging.
I think challenging exercise is called training

The word challenging has a different meaning to everyone - a 25KM cycle might be challenging for someone for someone else it is their warm up for a 95KM cycle..

As long as someone is moving they are challenging themselves and that is what matters doesnt it - not everyone is out there to train...some "just" want to exercise

live and let live

I just got up to go to the fridge for a bottle of water. I exercised.

Judge Judy??

no he/she just craves attention

Riiiight I crave attention because I state facts. You're sitting there saying that ANYTHING involving movement is considered "exercise". It's you're body do what you want. If you want to get by with the bare minimum that's fine. I know when I go to the gym, I'm going with purpose. Purpose to change and evolve my physique, purpose to become more disciplined in the way I view exercise, nutrition and overall health. What is life without purpose? Why would anyone want to get by with the minimum?

Anyhow, let me know how that works out for you..I'm sure you'll have the physique you want in no time doing the minimum.

Good Luck

Is it possible that somebody is trying to deal with a mental health issue such as depression by getting out of the house and doing SOMETHING? Or perhaps somebody is working on some kind of after-injury physical therapy and it's difficult for them to maintain balance? I was severely depressed in college and my therapist suggested going to the gym and just walking on a treadmill for 20 minutes to get some kind of exercise. It's Super-duper-uber-great that you push yourself so hard, but it's possible that other people, who you perceive to be doing the bare minimum, are pushing themselves as best they can. I'm sure it's not everybody or even most people, but you never know which ones are doing their best (which happens to be your minimal effort). I'm recovering from a broken foot right now. I would LOVE to join a gym (if I hadn't been out of work and $$$ for the past 2 months) just to walk slowly on a treadmill WHILE HOLDING THE RAILS FOR BALANCE. Why? Because I'm back at work and still favoring my good foot. My doctor wants me to walk more on my bad foot. It's super icy on the sidewalks and walking around my apartment pisses off my neighbors because the floor squeaks too much.

I am so flabbergasted as to why anybody else's gym time is even an issue to anybody else. I NEVER noticed anybody else at the gym when I would go except for the heavy-weight lifters who grunted loudly. THAT was genuinely irritating because I could hear it. BUT instead of letting somebody else's routine bother me, I brought my iPod to drown out the noise. I didn't complain about it or criticize them because it wasn't my business.

Just a glimpse of the moving belt makes me dizzy, the same thing happens when I ride an escalator. I don't usually use the treadmill because of this, but the times I have, I'm sure I was holding on with a death grip. Just for the record, I don't need a guard rail when walking down the street, it's only when the ground is moving that it bothers me.

Is that where the sensors for the heart rate monitor are? I've seen people keep their hands on when they are trying to stay within a particular HR zone.

That's a possibility, but it doesn't explain the death grip. Same for those suggesting "balance." I'm afraid I will probably never understand treadmills. I'm planning on a run in the dark, in 7-degree-fahrenheit temps tomorrow.

Thank you! You just made me realize my planned run at dawn in 28 degree temps is down right balmy. I guess I have been in H-town too long...I am starting to forget what REAL winter feels like:laugh:

Thank God my treadmill is at home so I don't annoy you holding onto the rail. I also have balance issues. But even if I didn't, what difference does my workout make to you? If I hold on to the rails with a death grip, it only matters to me.

I'm unbalanced due to muscular problems in my right foot, giving me a limp. if I didn't hold on I'd walk diagonally and then most likely go flying off the back.

I saw a girl on high incline hold on to the railing hanging from her arms basically it looked retarded and serves no obvious purpose.

It's possible that someone might have knee or joint problems, along with any number of things others have mentioned. I'm not sure why anyone would care what someone is doing while on the treadmill. Surely, they have their reason, so more power to them. At least they are on a treadmill...

Wow! At the original post...

There could be alsorts of reasons for holding on to the handrails. For example:

I ended up with shin splints last year because I did too much, too hard, too fast. I am getting back to training but using the "dreadmill" to help me build the strength back up. If I feel one of the shins starting to 'pull' but don't want to stop then I will use the bars to take a little bit of the impact out of it. It still keeps the heart rate up but makes it easier on the shins....

I hold on, I go at quite a fast walking pace and I'm very wobbly on my feet. Benefits of the treadmill are that it keeps a constant speed, and it's clear to me that's not how I walk. Dragging around a 300lb frame is a lot of effort, and the treadmill enables me to jog/walk for a long duration, whereas outside I cant manage as much. Hopefully one day I will, but until then it's still good cardio even if I hold on.

Also I have a treadmill in the house because then I can walk even when the weather is bad - no excuses.

Each to their own, I remember a picture on the net of a woman sitting on a chair on a treadmill and was like WTF? now I understand if that's all you can do it's better than nothing. I would love to run and am working on it, but if I fall that's not going to happen is it?

I've done this... i'm kinda glad to hear i'm not alone.
Until i bought one a few weeks ago, i'd never been on a treadmill and so walking on one felt weird and i couldn't really keep balance.It was odd having the floor move beneath me, unatural. The more i got into it, the more i depended on it and had the "death grip" and every time i would catch myself doing it i would ease up. The past two weeks i've not been holding them at all, it felt strange at first and i was a bit wobbly but i quickly gained balance and now after i warm up i let go. I find i get a better workout not holding onto them for dear life. lol

Because when I'm doing a "fat burn" workout on the machine it keeps bleeping at me for my heart rate every 2 seconds!!!