Do you hold onto the treadmill while "walking?" The top excuses:
- "I'll fall off if I let go!" SLOW DOWN.
- "My trainer says it's OK." I once asked a trainer why he allowed his able-bodied client to hold on, despite three weeks of training. His response: "She's scared." Beware of trainers who fail to empower you.
- "I'll lose my balance." Slow down and stop using your arms as anchors. Balancing is part of exercise.
- "I've always done it this way." It's never too late to break a sabotaging habit.
- "My doctor told me to do it." Shame on him or her for not telling you that holding on increases blood pressure and causes poor posture.
- "The machine keeps telling me to hold on for heart rate." Select another program. Hold on for heart rate, but then let go after the number appears!
- "But I'm sweating!" Many variables affect sweat: room ventilation, weight, body chemistry, even mental state.
- "I'm old!" If ever there were a reason NOT to hold on, this is it!
"If the rails on the treadmill are positioned too low, holding on will encourage forward posture (especially for tall people), which exacerbates the slumping position most of us develop with aging," says Kelli Calabrese MS, CSCS, exercise physiologist and certified personal trainer. "Grasping the rails does not promote natural walking biomechanics." This also applies to shorter people.
Some people grip the front bar, yanking forward with each "step." Others grasp the side rails, shoulders bobbing up and down, body weight subtracted from the tread. And clinging on with one hand creates unequal stresses to the body.
"Holding on and walking at top speeds is dangerous because of the ballistic hip rotation, over-striding and forward posture. It can lead to serious neck, back and knee injuries," says Calabrese. Standing straight while gripping won't correct the situation.
Some people don leather gloves for increased gripping traction, then proceed with their fake walking, legs wistfully moving through mere motions. But they're tricked into believing they're working hard because the settings are high: 4 mph, 12-percent incline!
In the actual world, legs, knees, hips and back work in unison to support your full weight as you ambulate. Holding on, even lightly, takes valuable work away from your musculoskeletal and nervous systems.
The calorie readout is triggered by the program setting, not the person on the machine! Walking hands-off burns about 20 percent more calories for the same length of time.
"I've seen people increase the treadmill's elevation to augment the workload, then hold the handrails and lean back, defeating the entire purpose of the elevation," says Calabrese.
The leaning back is at the same angle as the incline, literally canceling out its effect! Leaning forward won't correct this; you'd be pulling forward. People set the speed at an unrealistic pace for the elevation. Would you really walk 3.5 or 4 mph outdoors up a 15-percent hiking trail?
Begin at a slower speed and let go. If you prefer a high incline, start slowly; this pace should be similar to an outdoor uphill hiking pace. Any discomfort in your lower back means those muscles are working for the first time!
Try this: Set the pace or incline at a challenging level, and walk hands off for only a few minutes. Then slow down or lower the incline and continue hands off for a few minutes to catch your breath. Alternate between these more demanding intervals and easier "recovery" intervals.
Regardless of your fitness level, weight or age, you must release your hands and walk the natural way. After all, haven't you been doing this since age 1?
