Did you know that holding onto a treadmill while walking is virtually the same as using a walker?
If you want to train for the Walker-Assistance-Device Olympics, I recommend that you hold onto the treadmill during your walking sessions.
The body positioning of the people below is remarkably similar to that of the man above.
Shutterstock/lunopark
I say this not only as a former personal trainer, but also just from basic common sense.
Observe someone using a walker (the rolling type, not the kind that’s lifted off the floor with each step), such as the man in the top-most image.
The man in this photo shows the exact posture that occurs when someone holds onto a treadmill while walking.
The taller the walking person is, the more pronounced is the forward posture, because the person must lean forward to connect their hands to the treadmill’s front bar or side rails.
This doesn’t mean that holding onto the treadmill isn’t a bad idea for short people.
A short person is more likely to do the “shoulder bob” – that is, press their hands on the side rails, arms locked out straight, and push their bodyweight off the tread as they “walk.”
This article deals with a specific type of posture and gait that occur when taller people hold onto the front or side of a treadmill.
This mimics using a walker (the rolling type).
So if you go from walking around in daily life without holding onto anything for support, and then step onto a treadmill — only to hold onto it while you walk — what exactly do you believe you’ll accomplish?
Essentially, you’ll be going from walking around normally (arms swinging or carrying something) to using a walker for getting in some exercise. This makes no sense.
Holding onto a treadmill is a downgrade from the walking you do in daily living — even if the speed is faster than your normal, casual walk around town, at stores, on the job, etc.
Holding on, especially for older people, “causes problems with our spinal alignment, weakening our lower back muscles,” says John Whyte, MD, board certified internist in Washington, DC, and author of “Is This Normal? The Essential Guide to Middle Age and Beyond.”
Dr. Whyte continues, “It is horrible for good posture, as well as developing our core. If you are interested in improving balance as you get older, holding onto the treadmill doesn’t help.
“Rather, walking naturally on the treadmill with arms at sides will help to create better balance.”
People also have a tendency to grip tighter at faster speeds. However, even a light grip compromises the efficacy of the intended purpose, which is to improve fitness and health via walking.
If you don’t use a walker for the activities of daily living, there’s no reason to hold onto a treadmill and mimic using an assisting ambulation device.
People lean on walkers for support, and that’s exactly what you do when holding onto a treadmill — especially if you’re tall—because, as mentioned, the tall individual must lean their bodyweight into the machine to connect their hands to the rails or bar!
