Is Treadmill Calorie Burn Affected by Holding the Handrails?

Are You a Treadmill Slacker or Lean-Backer?

You know the drill: hit the gym, log a couple miles on the treadmill, then check "cardio" off your to-do list for the day. And you don’t waste your time walking at an incline and holding on to the handrails, since that’s cheating, right? Well… not so fast!

In a 2014 study conducted by Cybex and researchers at the University of Massachusetts—Lowell and published in the International Journal of Exercise Science, factors like incline, posture and handrail use all impacted calorie burning power for treadmill users. The results may surprise you.

Here's what the data revealed:

• Walking at a 10% incline and using the handrails burns about the same calories as walking at a 5% incline without using the handrails.
• If you use the handrails to lean backward while walking, the calorie burn of your workout is reduced by 31.8%. Despite this, it feels like more work to hold the handrails and lean back at a higher incline, even though you're burning fewer calories. Listen to what your mother told you as a child and "stand up straight!"
• Remaining upright and using the handrails while inclined is an alternative that does not reduce the calorie burn of the workout as drastically as leaning back. It's the leaning back that throws off calorie burn.

So what's the smartest treadmill position?

• Walk at the highest incline that you can comfortably maintain without holding on, OR...
• If you feel more comfortable holding on, ensure that you keep an upright posture and don’t lean back!

Take a closer look at the biomechanics behind Life Fitness Treadmills, which provide multiple options to hold on and remain upright. And remember, you don't necessarily have to go hands-free to get a solid treadmill workout.