Stop Holding Onto the Treadmill!
It reduces the effectiveness of cardio. And, the same goes for holding yourself up on the stairclimber.
A common sight in many gyms and health clubs is people using cardio equipment whilst holding onto the rails.
I don’t know where everybody got the idea that it’s beneficial to hold onto the handles on a treadmill whilst doing cardio… Especially when on an incline!
Yet, despite the popularity of holding the handrail on the treadmill, it’s not a good idea.
In this article, I’ll explain why holding onto the treadmill rail is a bad habit to get into.
“The least fit… are most likely to utilize handrail support, even when instructed otherwise…” — Wicks & Oldridge, 2016
Less effort = Fewer calories burnt
If you want to make cardio easier, hold onto the treadmill handrails.
If you don’t mind reducing the effectiveness of cardio, keep holding onto the handrails.
To impress your friends, share a post on Facebook about how much cardio you did today. Who likes putting in the effort anyway? If people THINK you burned 500 calories…
