10 Reasons Never to Hold onto the Treadmill

As a certified personal trainer, I have observed -- with a lot of interest -- how people use the most popular piece of gym equipment: the treadmill. And the vast majority of them use it wrong. What? Use a treadmill wrong? How can anyone use such a simple piece of equipment incorrectly? Well, believe it or not, it is used wrong all the time. And when you exercise with poor form, you put yourself at risk for repetitive stress injuries, and you'll get very little, if any, results.

Most treadmill walkers hold on. And not just old people. Even young people do this. It looks stupid and it's also wrong, from a fitness and weight loss standpoint. It burns far fewer calories (the calorie display is a computer that automatically shows numbers, based on the speed and incline only); and can wreck your posture.

Here are 10 reasons why you should not hold on.

1. Holding on burns 20 percent fewer calories than letting go at the same speed.

2. It can throw off your walking gait and posture.

3. It can cause repetitive stress injuries in the hips and shoulders. I once had a new client who complained of mysterious shoulder pain. I found out she always held onto the treadmill while walking. I told her to let go. After she began walking hands off, after a few days, the shoulder pain disappeared.

4. When you hold on, you are not really, truly walking, because in everyday walking, you're not holding onto anything for support. So if you hold onto the treadmill, your body is not being trained to do anything. In fact, it's being UN-trained.

5. It Un-teaches your body how to balance. Your balance will become worse if you hold on. When you hold on, the machine becomes an external support system to your body. This teaches your body to rely on an external agent for balance. So when you're outside somewhere, and you have to balance or walk on uneven surfaces, or step around things or go down stairs, etc., your body won't be efficient at handling the demands of self-support without that external agent to hold onto.

6. Holding on at fast speeds can raise blood pressure, because you are gripping at something. A tight grip, especially, will raise blood pressure.

7. You will be tricked into thinking you're far more fit than you actually are, because no matter how high you set the incline, even at a fast speed, if you hold on tightly enough, you can keep up with the tread without any challenge if you hold on. This will fake you out into thinking you can handle actual hills outdoors.

8. Holding on can aggravate a pre-existing back problem, or knee problem. When you hold on, the entire kinetic chain is disrupted.

9. Holding on creates a false sense of accomplishment. You're not really doing anything. Even the most frail person can use a treadmill if he or she grasps the machine.

10. It looks ridiculous. It's like, "Gee, what is he SCARED of? Let go!" Or, "You call that walking?! That ain't walking!"