The incline
Think about your last hike on an uphill trail. What were you holding onto? It makes no sense to hold onto the treadmill while using a grade.When you grab onto the front bar or console, your body tilts back, making it perpendicular to the inclined tread surface. This is the same angle relationship as when walking on a level course! In other words, if the tread incline is at 15 percent, and you’re gripping the machine, your entire body is angled back—at 15 percent! You’ve just cancelled out the effect of the grade.
Picture somebody hiking up a hill. His legs bend quite a bit at the hips and knees; his body is vertical while it's moving up a slope. Now, observe a person gripping an inclined treadmill. His body is leaning back like a water skier's, and his legs are as straight as they would be at zero incline. And guess what! Leaning forward (while still holding on) will not correct this flaw; you'd be pulling yourself forward with your arms, cheating your legs out of the climb. Placing your hands on the side rails will subtract some of your weight off the tread, so forget that. You always lose when you hold on.
Find an outdoor trail that inclines like your treadmill routine. Walk it at your treadmill pace (which will seem faster outdoors). See how long you can last. That lean person you see striding for 30 minutes at 4 mph at 12 percent grade, hands glued to the machine, would be breathless on a 12 percent outdoor trail within two minutes at the same speed.
Balance
The real world is full of uneven surfaces that you must walk on. Sensors in your feet and legs relay nerve impulses up to your brain, where they are interpreted: smooth asphalt, uneven concrete, lumpy grass, a bed of rocks, puddles to step around, etc. Your brain constantly sends signals down your spinal cord to help you navigate just where your body is in space, thus preventing you from falling.Holding onto the treadmill interferes with these signals, thus downgrading your coordination. If you hold on, even lightly, you take valuable work away from your neuro-muskuloskeletal system. In short, holding on outright de-activates your body’s balancing mechanism.
Let Go!
Ask yourself: How will holding on make me more efficient in the real world, where there’s nothing to hold onto?Next: Top 17 Excuses for Holding Onto the Treadmill | How to Kick the Treadmill-Gripping Habit
Back: Ruins Posture, Burns Fewer Calories
Source:
Berling J, Foster C, Gibson M, Doberstein S, Porcari J. "The effect of handrail support on oxygen uptake during steady-state treadmill exercise.." J Cardiopulm Rehabil. 2006 Nov-Dec;26(6):391-4.
