Holding onto treadmill

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_runnerbean_
_runnerbean_ Posts: 640 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
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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  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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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.
  • __Wolf__
    __Wolf__ Posts: 137 Member
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    Since they're using it to support at least some of your weight, it definitely does reduce calorie burn.
  • rosebette
    rosebette Posts: 1,660 Member
    edited January 2016
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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.
  • ovidnine
    ovidnine Posts: 314 Member
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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.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    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
  • JenHuedy
    JenHuedy Posts: 611 Member
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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.
  • thereshegoesagain
    thereshegoesagain Posts: 1,056 Member
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    Geeze people, she was asking a legitimate question. I didn't see anything judgemental in her post.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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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"?
  • jbee27
    jbee27 Posts: 356 Member
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    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!
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
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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?

    Perhaps so, but it's still burning more than sitting at home on the couch.

  • _runnerbean_
    _runnerbean_ Posts: 640 Member
    edited January 2016
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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!
  • MarmiteToes
    MarmiteToes Posts: 20 Member
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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.
  • holothuroidea
    holothuroidea Posts: 772 Member
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    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. lol
  • MartinCanDoThisWithGodsHelp
    MartinCanDoThisWithGodsHelp Posts: 84 Member
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    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 bars
  • _runnerbean_
    _runnerbean_ Posts: 640 Member
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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!
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,714 Member
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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.
  • rileyes
    rileyes Posts: 1,406 Member
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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!
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
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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.
  • star1407
    star1407 Posts: 588 Member
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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 :D

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