We hold on to the handrails of the treadmill when our legs and the body start giving up while running. But should you do it or not? Read on to find out the answer.
Have you ever felt that holding on to the rails kind of kills the power of your workout? If yes, you are right. Turns out, you should try your best not to hold onto the handrails while running on a treadmill. The only reason the handrails are there is for your safety. Holding onto the handrails does no good except that it gives you the illusion that you are running hard and fast.
Fitness experts even say holding onto the handrails of a treadmill is a bad habit as doing so takes away all the benefits of walking and running.
When you do so, you burn fewer number of calories, fail to learn the art of balance, ruin your posture and body alignment. Also, you stop swinging your arms when you hold the handrail, which is quite necessary for your gait. The arm movement is important to drive your body forward.
Not only this, holding the handrails can manipulate your stride, which can result in an injury if the speed is too fast.

What does it do?Holding the rails takes the pressure off your legs and puts that pressure on your upper body, which affects your lower body's effort. So, while running on a treadmill, you should try and mimic how you would run outdoors.

Stay in the centre of the belt so that you have space to swing your arms, keep your shoulders away from your ears and engage your glutes.

Treadmill handrails don’t need to be used. It’s easy to train oneself to use a treadmill without gripping the rail. Once you start doing so, you will reap more benefits out of your treadmill workouts.

TipIf you have any impairment, discuss your exercise needs with your physical trainer to see what modifications are appropriate for your condition.

Source: indiatimes.com