A Common Treadmill Mistake

Wanting to increase your fitness on the treadmill, but not interested in running? Give incline walking a try! It can be a great way to increase your heart rate and cardiovascular fitness, build glute and hamstring endurance, and improve your balance. But here's the catch... you'll only see these benefits if you swing your arms by your sides instead of holding on to the front of the treadmill.

When you hold onto the handrail in front of you as you walk on an incline, you are dramatically reducing the benefits of the exercise:

1. By holding on to the handrail in front of you, you are reducing the load on your legs. Typically, the benefit of walking up a hill is that the posterior chain muscles (glutes, hamstrings, calves) engage to push our bodies forward AND vertically. If the arms are helping by holding on to the rail, this significantly reduces the effort of the legs, and therefore the cardiovascular demands of the exercise decrease.

2. In addition, holding on to the rail allows the body to lean backwards, therefore negating the effect of the incline. When walking this way, the body no longer is expending effort to move vertically, so it is as if the person is walking on flat ground. At this point, it is probably a better choice to walk on a flatter incline (or none at all) and allow the arms to swing normally.

So, in order to reap the benefits of walking on an inclined treadmill, you must walk in an upright position, allowing the arms to swing by your sides. If you need to hold on for balance, you can lightly hold the handrails on the sides of the treadmill. This way, you will still be getting the benefit of walking uphill, but with the added safety of the rails for balance.

Next time you are on the treadmill, give it a try! We guarantee it is worth the effort!