I have been walking on a treadmill everyday for about 3 months now, 1 mile a day at least. I just discovered that your workout is diminished if you are holding on. The treadmill makers probably won't tell you this for safety reasons but any able bodied person using a treadmill should not be holding on to the hand rails. Walking while holding on will not give you as good a workout and you will not burn as many calories. It is bad for your posture too. I had my suspisions but when I noticed that the trainers on "The Biggest Loser" won't let the contestants hold on I did my own research online. Anyway, today I walked my mile without holding on and it nearly kicked my butt! :faint: This infomation is given for those that do not already know. I wish someone had told me before! You might have to slow down some, I did, but you workout will become much more effective.

WOW! Really? I hold on for a little bit, and then swing my arms, but that's because I'm so out of shape. I guess I just want to move my legs more to get more movement. Thanks for the tip!!

I ususally hold on with one hand or the other, purely for balance. I'm not the most coordinated person, nor do I have the best inner ear workings. I have been known to lose my balance just standing in place, or taking a step. WHen I try to do a treadmill without hanging on, I an only do a few steps before I lose my balance or feel like I'm going to. Even just putting a finger or two on the controls or rails makes all the difference in the world.

I seen that on the biggest loser jillian telling them not to hold on

True, You get a much better workout if you do not hold on. You can really tell it too. I have been trying really hard not to and i feel it much more in my legs. Donna

This is true. When you hold on you are not allowing your body the full range of motion and lose out on a little of the benefits.

With that said...it took me a few weeks to get used to my treadmill so when I first started I would hold on so tightly that my arms would hurt!! SAFETY FIRST though, so if you feel like you need to hold on then just work toward slowly weaning your hands off.

Hold on for a while then try using just one hand and periodically try it with no hands until you get more comfy.

Another suggestion, I feel like I've got more balance when my arms are swinging with my steps rather than just having my arms dangling at my sides so when you feel brave enough to stop holding on you might find it easier to actually swing your arms.

But, don't rush any of that...you'll get to the point where you don't have to hold on any more. Slipping on the treadmill can seriously burn you. Get to the point where you feel safe then try adding in the arms.

What you may want to invest in is a heart rate monitor.

By monitoring your heart rate and where is should be - you will know to either up the incline while holding on or watch your heart rate go up as you let go.

It is a very good investment and will keep you increasing your exercise overtime because you will see your heartrate decrease as you get more fit which will then up your workout intensity =)

Well thank you for that info I was wandering the same thing when watching biggest looser. Now that I no that I will try not to hang on

I've read that using your arms, not just dangling them but pumping, swinging, any arm activity during treadmill workouts can increase your caloric burn by 5-15%.

People behind me fall off their treadmills from laughing so hard, wondering what the strange woman flapping her arms all over the place is doing, but I don't care!

Calorie burn I assume is the reason that the trainers don't want you to hang on but more importantly it is to develop core muscles. The muscles in the core are used for stability/balance and if you can do so safely you should try to do it with no hands.

It is the same reason that free weights are better for you than machine weights. Free weights force you to balance the weight as you lift it and machine weights are on a track which makes it easier to lift because less muscles are being used.

If you go to a Gym and watch the really big muscle guys lift weights You will notice that they do squats with some serious weight. They do 2 or 3 sets and then for what seems no reason they put on a weight belt and do one last set. The weight belt is to secure their core muscles and they only use it when they are doing huge weight or going for a personal record. When I asked why they told me that they need core muscle training and would be weak if they used the belt every time. Sorry for the long rant

thats so true cindi I have been doing air boxing while on my bike or treadmill and my heart rate goes up so much faster

I ususally hold on with one hand or the other, purely for balance. I'm not the most coordinated person, nor do I have the best inner ear workings. I have been known to lose my balance just standing in place, or taking a step. WHen I try to do a treadmill without hanging on, I an only do a few steps before I lose my balance or feel like I'm going to. Even just putting a finger or two on the controls or rails makes all the difference in the world.

I also hold on occasionally with one hand or even a couple of fingers for my balance.

I try to swing my arms as much as possible but have to reach out and hold on when I really get going.

True, You get a much better workout if you do not hold on. You can really tell it too. I have been trying really hard not to and i feel it much more in my legs. Donna

I tried no holding on this weekend and your right, you do feel it in your legs. I couldn't set the speed as fast as I like either. About halfway trough my 30 minutes, I ended up holding on every once in a while. For me, holding on is also more about balance and spacial distortion problems.

I don't hold onto the treadmill, but I know there was a time when I did. I find that if I feel I need to hold on, then I am going too fast and that is why I cannot balance.

What is everyone walking at? I am always curious because I don't know what I should be aiming for. My walk is usually around 3.7 to 3.9 and I slow run at 4.5 (I am trying to run a 5K). I know people run way faster but I am taking it slow. At 3.7 my HR is usually around 115 and when I run it is at 145 or so. I am really not sure what the goal should be..anyone in here know?

Is the speed as important as the target heart rate? I wear a heart monitor and at 3.0 - 3.3 mph I'm hitting around 110. At this point in my journey, I'm happy with that.

I ususally hold on with one hand or the other, purely for balance. I'm not the most coordinated person, nor do I have the best inner ear workings. I have been known to lose my balance just standing in place, or taking a step. WHen I try to do a treadmill without hanging on, I an only do a few steps before I lose my balance or feel like I'm going to. Even just putting a finger or two on the controls or rails makes all the difference in the world.

i've been having major balance issues ever since i hit about 100 pounds gone.

when i am not running, i do hold on with 1 hand just to balance myself. i switch hands every .25 miles. right now im too unstable (i've been known lately to just get up from sitting and lose my balance ) to not hold on.