I have been thrown 3 times when these things quit suddenly, and hurt once, and I hold on to the front bar. Someone told me I am getting less out of my workouts doing so. 6% inclination, 4 mph walk for 3 miles. Does it make a difference?
Are you leaning on the bars or are you lightly holding on? If you are just lightly resting your hands in case of an emergency, it’s probably a similar workout.
Are you sweating? Do you feel like you’re getting a workout? Then you’re probably fine.
If not, kick it up a notch. The convenience of not falling down trumps the inconvenience of having to push a button any day of the week.
You have to a semblance of balance if you don’t hold on. That engages at least a small amount of core muscles. The Biggest Loser trainers are pretty adamant about this.
Conversely, I’ve seen people gripping the front bar tightly and leaning backwards, for some reason. I assume they’re not getting much of a workout by doing that. (Plus, their hands must start hurting after a while, right?)
Question: is it 6 percent or 6 degrees? If 90 degrees is 100 percent it’s pretty close, but I’m just curious.
For myself, I hold on, but I’m doing 15 (percent or degrees, take your pick) at 4mph, and if I didn’t hang on I’d have to slow it down. I try to keep my touch light and to lean forward.
But I probably would work my core muscles more if I didn’t hang on. Maybe I should switch it up more, and do longer workouts at a slower speed.
Roddy
I set mine to a 12% grade but that really pisses off my back. So I got one of those spotter’s belts that they use train gymnasts. I attached that to the treadmill with bungee cords.
Yes, I know. It’s probably a death trap and someone will come home to find not my body but a finely ground pile of cat food at the foot of the belt (which I’m sure the cat will really enjoy). I don’t care. It works and my back is happy.
I’m pretty careful not to put much tension at all on the bungee cords and I don’t hold on to the rail but I do have 2 straps I hold on to like reins. It’s a bit of a contraption as you might be starting to imagine, but it let’s me walk with a normal posture at a fairly ridiculous grade.
Don’t hold on to the bar. What’s happening is you end up pulling yourself when you get a little winded then eventually wipe out.
In my opinion, if you are holding on because you can’t comfortably walk at the incline you have it set at, you are doing it wrong. Back off on the incline and work your way up without holding on to the bar.
I have also seen those people that have a high incline and then hold on and lean back. Look at the angle of their bodies. They are essentially walking on a flat because of how they’re leaning, so entirely counteracting the incline. There is no point to it and they aren’t working nearly as hard as the machine would have them believe.
Another consideration with holding on is, are you hunching your shoulders or leaning forward? The side bars are not at a perfect height for everyone, so you’re either hunching or leaning. You’re going to end up compromising your shoulder, back and chest muscles by doing that.
There’s a guy in my neighborhood who uses the community workout room in ways it’s not meant to be used. He does the “no shoes/just socks” thing while putting the incline as far as it can go, putting the speed to the point where he has to hold onto the rails, and stomps for about 20-30 minutes. Then he goes and clanks the weights on the all-in-one weight machine. I’m surprised that he hasn’t injured himself yet.
If you’re having trouble with the treadmill suddenly stopping, going too fast, etc., you may want to turn the incline or speed down a notch and adjust until you’re at a pace and incline that are not going to risk injury.
What’s your goal?
I have a bad leg and resultant balance issues, so I lightly touch or even hold the bars, but I don’t put any weight on the bars. That said, I rarely use the treadmill for anything except cooling down.
I prefer the elliptical, or stair stepper (not the “set of stairs” stair stepper, the pedal one), both of them are so much easier on the knees and I can push it harder if I’m not risking wrenching them. (Yes, even the stair machine, I can adjust the “rise” while I’m stepping so that it doesn’t hurt). If you’re just lightly touching or holding on for balance, I doubt it’s going to reduce your calorie burn. Like someone else mentioned, the Biggest Loser trainers are probably trying to “double up” on the workout by forcing people to engage their core while on the treadmill, not touching it at all will bring more of your core into the workout.
Personally I think it’s a lot more effective to isolate and work your core in an actual core workout, but that’s just me (and BL trainers are trying to get things done FAST FAST FAST, rarely a healthy way to lose weight).
Slight hijack Re: The Biggest Loser and the trainers, I like that show, it’s inspiring for us fatties. But at the same time, I get annoyed that they don’t make a distinction between “good pain” (which I like and strive for) and “bad pain” (I try to avoid the latter, for Pete’s sake). I’m sorry, but I don’t need to have my fingernails ripped from their beds while trying to turn over a giant truck tire, or tear all of the skin off of my elbows while crawling across rough matting and under my fellow participants’ bellies, in order to get a good workout. How the hell is doing those sorts of workouts “showing what you’ve got,” other than capacity for torture? And doing squats while one of the trainers hangs precariously from your back? That’s just stupid and asking for an injury.
What EVER happened to normal weights?
Yes, I see people doing that at the gym on a regular basis, with the incline set as high as it will go. The bar is too low at that angle, so they hang on to the top of the readout, which is at shoulder height, like this. I’m surprised the management doesn’t ask them to knock it off - they’re big treadmills, with a lot of incline, and if their hands slipped, they’d have nasty fall.
If you can take your hands off the machine for a couple of minutes without losing your balance or feeling like you’re working harder than normal, you’re fine. You might still not be getting as difficult a workout as if you weren’t holding on, but if you’re getting a good workout for you, it’s probably not important.
I hold on because I am simply terrified of being pitched off again. The side rails and uppermost rails are not conducive to holding. My goal is losing weight and getting in better shape. I can’t answer the % or degree questions, just that the controls say “6” on incline. I have tried like hell letting go, and it doesn’t really strain me one way or another, it’s simply that fear of falling again. I do work at not leaning, in fact I try to be sure to lean forward. I will continue increasing the incline and speed, and thanks all.
While I don’t agree with holding on, I understand your fear and why you are reluctant to let go. In that case, maybe just be sure to do a few arm, shoulder, chest and back stretches afterwards to stretch out those muscles. You may be slouching and/or tensing up (due to the fear of falling).
It seems to me you’re working at too high a setting if you’re clinging for dear life. What speed have you got it set to, and how did you decide to work at that speed? Normal walking pace is 3-3.5mph, and at more than 4.5 - 5mph I’m typically running on the treadmill, not walking.
Nothing of susbstance to add, but great sig/OP combo!
Re-reading your OP, I see you were at 4mph. I’d bring that down and drop the incline and work at a slower pace until you’re comfortable going faster with your hands at your sides.
Based on some of the comments in this thread, I tried it yesterday without holding on. I had to reduce the incline to 12 degrees, and slow the speed down to 3mph. Even then I was very tired after 20 minutes, so I had to hold on lightly for the next 30 minutes. I made sure to lean well forward, and hang onto the lower handle, not the control panel.
So proving something to myself that I already sorta knew but didn’t want to admit. From now on I’ll be working to build up my time, the incline and my speed without holding on.
Roddy
Awwww, I wuz scooped!