Holding the handrails on treadmill?

To those of you who believe that I only asked the question to lord it over those inferior handrail-holders, thanks for pointing out my motivations to me. I honestly believed that I wanted to know why some people hold on to the handrails with a death grip, but in fact I really just wanted to prove that I was superior to anyone who doesn't do it my way.

You're right, my puny 3 days a week in the gym for the past 8 months are clearly not enough for me to familiarize myself with a piece of equipment. I bow to your superior knowledge of both gym equipment and my own motivations.

It is simply unfathomable that I might want to know why someone does something that seems so unnatural when using a machine that seems to be designed to be used for a natural human activity. It's much more reasonable to assume that I am just some kind of a judgmental creep.

Also, you're right to suggest that I might not understand that someone could occasionally want to lightly grasp the handrails for balance or security. I'm obviously deluded into thinking that any such efforts are pretty much the same thing as a "death grip".

So thank you, thank you for pointing out the transparent cruelness in my original question. It's much appreciated.

To those of you who believe that I only asked the question to lord it over those inferior handrail-holders, thanks for pointing out my motivations to me. I honestly believed that I wanted to know why some people hold on to the handrails with a death grip, but in fact I really just wanted to prove that I was superior to anyone who doesn't do it my way.

You're right, my puny 3 days a week in the gym for the past 8 months are clearly not enough for me to familiarize myself with a piece of equipment. I bow to your superior knowledge of both gym equipment and my own motivations.

It is simply unfathomable that I might want to know why someone does something that seems so unnatural when using a machine that seems to be designed to be used for a natural human activity. It's much more reasonable to assume that I am just some kind of a judgmental creep.

Also, you're right to suggest that I might not understand that someone could occasionally want to lightly grasp the handrails for balance or security. I'm obviously deluded into thinking that any such efforts are pretty much the same thing as a "death grip".

So thank you, thank you for pointing out the transparent cruelness in my original question. It's much appreciated.

Those heart rate monitors take a lot of abuse and, at least in my gym, require constant pressure or you lose the heart rate and have to spend the next five minutes adjusting your grip so that it will find you. I wish they had a plug in port for a chest strap because, being 6'3, I have to adjust my walk in order to hold the bars. But again, that is only when I'm monitoring my heart rate or if I'm doing a pre-programmed set on the machine that requires it. I much prefer walking outside but finding people to walk with has proved difficult.

what I don't understand is why people have to be so concerned about what others are doing...you are at the gym for your OWN workout. Not worrying about your own self is what got you to be needing to go to the gym in the first place!!!

Seriously my take on this is this.... GOOD FOR THEM... If holding on handrails gets them on that treadmill and they are working out, good for them. Everyone has to start somewhere, I don't expect someone to come right in and be like... BISH you better not touch those handrails!! Let people ease into it. You have to remember some of these people are new to the gym and are probably not in the most comfortable situation for them. Starting out with the health level of not doing it, even with handrail grabbing they are probably getting an exercise. Is it optimal, no, but you have to start somewhere. You don't start by running 5ks.

So to all you handrailer grabbers and the people that love them.. Grip on.... Grip on!!!

Because it's easier?

Even easier would be to not run on a treadmill at all!

Seriously, though, it just doesn't make sense to me why you wouldn't want to use the treadmill the same way you run / walk. Is there a legitimate reason to be doing this?

most people I see doing it do it as the incline is too steep not too, though holding on makes it easier, defeating the purpose of the incline in the first place. So no idea why other than they think they are burning more cals, 'cause the machine thinks they are not holding on so gives them a "bigger" burn than they really have though they probably think they actually burned that many.

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.

if I'm walking on a huge incline I'm going to hold on. I don't have a death grip on the handles but I will lightly hold them.

When I'm doing sprint intervals on the treadmill and I'm getting really, really tired I'll grip the treadmill a bit during my fast interval so I don't collapse and fall off.

most people I see doing it do it as the incline is too steep not too, though holding on makes it easier, defeating the purpose of the incline in the first place. So no idea why other than they think they are burning more cals, 'cause the machine thinks they are not holding on so gives them a "bigger" burn than they really have though they probably think they actually burned that many.

How do you know what they're thinking as they're doing their incline walks or runs? And seriously, why does it matter to you why they're holding on? If I was doing an incline walk and holding onto the handles in front of me and someone laughed at me and said I wasn't getting the "full benefit" I'd ask them why it's their concern.