Holding onto treadmill
_runnerbean_
Posts: 640 Member
just came out of the gym - four women in the gym next to me were on treadmills but were holding onto the bar for dear life. Surely that would really reduce the calorie burn?
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_runnerbean_ wrote: »just came out of the gym - four women in the gym next to me were on treadmills but were holding onto the bar for dear life. Surely that would really reduce the calorie burn?
Maybe they are balanced challenged.0 -
Since they're using it to support at least some of your weight, it definitely does reduce calorie burn.0
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They could just be starting exercise and are new to the treadmill. I had a bad fall off a treadmill several years ago, and I was holding on the first few times I got back on it. Now, I don't hold at all, or just lightly with one hand if I'm doing something else, like adjusting my music on my mp3 or the volume on the TV that's attached to the tredmill. Also, you have to hold the hand grips to get a heart rate (not constantly of course, unless you're at some kind of cardiac risk). In any case, why take someone else's inventory ir while they're exercising? It's their business how many calories they burn, not yours.0
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I don't hold the bar but I hold the HRM handles sometimes.
Running on a treadmill is murder for me focus-wise so I can understand those that might want to hold the bar so as not to launch themselves off.0 -
Sure it does. By a whole 10-15% or so. So if they walk for an hour, they might have lost an entire 35-50 calories!!!! Oh noes!!
Mind your business. Not your treadmill, not your handrails, not your business
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Holding the handrail is nothing. There's a few ladies at my gym that raise the incline all the way up, then hang on to the top of the treadmill display and lean back, completely negating the angle of the incline. It looks ridiculous and downright dangerous.0
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Geeze people, she was asking a legitimate question. I didn't see anything judgemental in her post.0
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thereshegoesagain wrote: »Geeze people, she was asking a legitimate question. I didn't see anything judgemental in her post.
A legitimate question about 4 women other than herself "holding on for dear life"?0 -
It does reduce the calorie burn, because you're not naturally engaging your muscles to balance yourself.
However, as posters above have stated, many people need to do so for safety reasons, or comfort reasons.
Ultimately, walking while holding on to the treadmill is better than not walking at all, so good for them!0 -
_runnerbean_ wrote: »just came out of the gym - four women in the gym next to me were on treadmills but were holding onto the bar for dear life. Surely that would really reduce the calorie burn?
Perhaps so, but it's still burning more than sitting at home on the couch.
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I am being a bit judgemental I suppose. But I was just thinking of those ladies going onto MFP and logging their 300 Cals of exercise and eating back those calories. Then in a month it's all "I don't know why I'm losing weight!" Will mind my own business next time but it made me smile to see the row of them all at the same game!0
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http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/05/technology/dave-goldberg-cause-of-death.html
This is exactly why I rarely use the treadmill and when I do I cling on, as you put it, for dear life. Or at least have my hands lightly on the machine in case something happens. Please don't judge others at the gym. Odds are they have a reason for doing what they do. How does their burning fewer calories affect you in any way? I'd personally rather have peace of mind and feel secure while working out than burn an extra 100 calories. Injuring myself or dying isn't worth it just so I can burn a few more calories.0 -
It does burn fewer calories, but not enough to matter. Treadmills are a poor analog to actual running in a lot of ways. Once you take yourself off the trail and get on a treadmill the damage has already been done. I don't think holding on to the hand rails or not really makes a huge difference.
That having been said, I like treadmills better than bad weather and I've used them gratefully. lol0 -
I only let go when I'm running a sprint. When I take my hands off the machine it asks for me to grab the bar again so it can keep checking my heart rate. I suppose I could burn more calories if I let go of the bars and walked on my hands instead of my feet but hey why be distracting and show off? At any rate I think that if you are genuinely interested in helping struggling people burn their maximum amount of calories then you should ask if you could share something with them that works for you that could possibly benefit them if they were willing to try. I've lost almost 90lbs and am almost at goal weight. Most of that was done holding the bars0
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I hardly ever use the treadmills as I prefer to run outside. I find it so easy to press the STOP button, whereas outside I have to keep running to get home or to the car. I am normally a helpful person- I will go back to sexy pants instead of judgey pants!0
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_runnerbean_ wrote: »I hardly ever use the treadmills as I prefer to run outside. I find it so easy to press the STOP button, whereas outside I have to keep running to get home or to the car. I am normally a helpful person- I will go back to sexy pants instead of judgey pants!
I don't think you were being judgey. It was just an observation. Personally, I feel that if you're going to workout you might as well give it your all and make every minute count, but as others have stated, something is better than nothing. To each their own.0 -
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You are not supposed to hold on to the rails. Holding on is unnatural and can cause imbalances and perhaps back problems. They won't be there long. More treadmills for everybody!0
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Plus, the higher the incline the more holding the rails reduces the necessary effort.
I don't run due to bad knees, but I walk at a high incline. Just touching the rails with my fingertips reduces the amount of effort required.0 -
When I was able to use the gym, I had to hold on due to issues surrounding my illness. A lot of people with disabilities can only walk slowly on a treadmill and if they hold on. My hubby used to crack up at me, I'd have a Lycra clad goddess either side of me sprinting and puffing away, there'd be me taking what looked like a Sunday stroll
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When I was able to use the gym, I had to hold on due to issues surrounding my illness. A lot of people with disabilities can only walk slowly on a treadmill and if they hold on. My hubby used to crack up at me, I'd have a Lycra clad goddess either side of me sprinting and puffing away, there'd be me taking what looked like a Sunday stroll
Nothing wrong with a nice Sunday stroll.0 -
When I was able to use the gym, I had to hold on due to issues surrounding my illness. A lot of people with disabilities can only walk slowly on a treadmill and if they hold on. My hubby used to crack up at me, I'd have a Lycra clad goddess either side of me sprinting and puffing away, there'd be me taking what looked like a Sunday stroll
Nothing wrong with a nice Sunday stroll.
I agree when it's a beautiful forest with my doggy, but the treadmill at the gym? Lol nah0 -
When I was able to use the gym, I had to hold on due to issues surrounding my illness. A lot of people with disabilities can only walk slowly on a treadmill and if they hold on. My hubby used to crack up at me, I'd have a Lycra clad goddess either side of me sprinting and puffing away, there'd be me taking what looked like a Sunday stroll
For anyone with balance issues or other concerns, sure, it makes perfect sense to hold the handrails. No one needs to get hurt while trying to get healthy. I think that OP was making an observation about the people who crank up the incline then hold the rails or the top of the machine, thus negating the incline. Maybe I'm being 'judgey' too, but I think they would get more out of their work out by lowering the incline and holding on for balance if needed, but not to keep themselves from falling backwards as they look up at the sky.0 -
thereshegoesagain wrote: »Geeze people, she was asking a legitimate question. I didn't see anything judgemental in her post.
A legitimate question about 4 women other than herself "holding on for dear life"?
I'm sure you've never wondered things about other people.. A simple question is all it was. I doubt she'll go to the gym tomorrow and tell the women they're reducing their calorie burn holding on like they are.
I don't see how it wouldn't reduce burn, like others have stated -it takes some of the weight off while running/walking. I doubt though it'll have a huge impact. It's possible they're just getting used to the machine. Or are genuinely scared of falling off, that crap hurts
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MartinCanDoThisWithGodsHelp wrote: »I only let go when I'm running a sprint. When I take my hands off the machine it asks for me to grab the bar again so it can keep checking my heart rate. I suppose I could burn more calories if I let go of the bars and walked on my hands instead of my feet but hey why be distracting and show off?
It's not like holding the bars doesn't work. But you definitely don't need the treadmill to check your HR constantly.
Main reason I would never hold onto the treadmill while running/walking is because it plain ole doesn't feel good to me. Feels really unnatural and can't get any rhythm. If it works for you, sounds like you've got it figured out.
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After my back surgery, it took about two months of treadmill before I could let go of those bars. Once my balance and agility started to return, I could let go. I don't know their story, but maybe they're more concerned with physical rehab than calorie burn.0
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The reduction in calorie burn would be pretty negligible. My guess would be that they're new and not fully comfortable with the treadmill and feel safer holding on. Safety is more important that calorie burn...actually, where exercise and fitness are concerned, a lot of things are more important than calorie burn.0
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This is no joke I was at my gym and a girl was lifting herself holding on to the bars and still acting like she was running.. I kept looking like she was kidding. She wasn't even on the treadmill.. it was so weird her feet were in the air. WHY BOTHER0
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My mom just started working out with me, she's 50. Yesterday was literally her 2nd time ever setting foot in a gym, and when we walked on the treadmill, it seemed like she just completely forgot how to walk, and was having difficulty moving with the machine, even set to a speed of 1.5mph, so she held onto the rails for dear life, until she got a bit more comfortable with it; it's just not normal for the "ground" to move versus us, so it wasn't normal for her.
I would hate to think someone would see her and think "what the hell is she doing." It's best we all just mind our own if the person isn't doing anyone else any harm.0 -
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