Holding onto the handles on a treadmill?

While better than nothing, holding on burns fewer calories as it requires less effort and it also promotes bad posture and alignment.

Balance is a huge indicator or longevity, so I’d be working to improve it where you can. I’d focus on training yourself not to hold on.

Holding on can actually make a huge difference to your breathing (making it easier and more efficient). I have lung issues and although I start off by not holding on, as soon as I start getting short of breath I will hold on before even thinking about adjusting speed or incline downwards. Usually holding on is enough to steady my breathing. What I do not ever do is hang on for dear life, or lean backwards because the incline is too steep. Resting my palms on the handles at the front or the side without curling my fingers around the handle is enough to make me feel steadier and give the breathing benefits without offering much in the way of actual assistance or taking too much away from core engagement.

I suspect that holding on to the handles of the treadmill encourages you to let go in your core, OP, and allow your arms and shoulders to do all the work of stabilising yourself.

As a result of doing pilates I have had a complete revelation about the harm I have done to myself by doing potentially good exercises in the wrong way. In particular, I have learnt that I've abused my neck, shoulders and upper arms by allowing them to take over the effort that should have been focused in my core.

I use the elliptical trainer a lot and I have to work really hard to make sure that when I am holding the handles I keep my shoulders back and down, and that I don't drag on my arms. I also make sure that at least half of my session is at a low resistance that allows me to let go of the handles altogether, which forces me to use my core for balance. I can really, REALLY feel the benefit of that core engagement

I'd be tempted, OP, to slow the treadmill down to a speed where you could keep your balance without holding on. If this is too frustrating because it prevents you from getting your heart rate up, then perhaps do half-and-half: slow speed with correct posture followed by higher speed holding the handles. Then you could gradually incorporate the two.

I'd drop to a speed you can easily do without holding on, and incrementally increase it until you're going as fast as you comfortably can. It doesn't matter what the number is, and you'll probably be able to build up speed once you get used to walking hands-free.

But as everyone has said, holding on is much better than not walking at all!

I used to teach T'ai Chi which can be very good for improving your balance. One thing to try - on the flay, don't need a treadmill. Walk really slowly, picking up the leg moving forward, as normal. Here's a youtube film which might be useful.

Maybe I didn't phrase it particularly well but what the OP is doing is much less beneficial. The muscles she wants to work are not being worked correctly.

Actually your legs will be working harder if you hold on because you are not using your arms do drive your legs forward. This results in a much less efficient movement.

Steep* incline

It depends, in my opinion, what you're looking for. If you walk up a mountain at a steady speed your heart rate will increase but probably not as much as if you run up and down the stairs a few times. Incline walking isn't usually something you aim to do fast if you're not yet strong enough to do so without holding on.

It's similar to weight lifting in the sense you can lift heavy and do fewer reps, or you can lift light and do more reps. With incline walking, especially as a steed incline, I'd be looking at slower walking but for longer. You're not running a marathon.

PS I am very malcoordinated and if I don't concentrate I can lose my footing easily on a treadmill when running. I have learnt what I can and can't listen to or watch while running!

Do not worry about what others think.

There's a very overweight man at my gym who leans, in a sort of collapsed way, onto the front of the treadmill when he's walking fairly fast on an incline. The first time I saw him I thought he was about to faint or collapse, but over the months I've realised that's just his style. He's usually drenched in sweat and has clearly lost a lot of weight since I first saw him, and I'm really impressed as it's clearly a huge effort for him.

You do you!

Carry on

Think about how hard you grip - as you get stronger can you keep just a light touch - there is you need to grab buy relying more on your legs

That would be progression so only when you are ready

I can run on the flat on a treadmill without holding on. But walking on an incline, yes I need to hang on sometimes so I don't come off the back. But my heart rate can get up to almost what it is when I run, so it's a good workout and doesn't really matter. The treadmill is for my heart and fitness, not for my arms.

I would lower both speed and incline a bit until you can walk comfortably and not hold on.

Lower your speed. It's not plodding along if you're at an incline of 14, even if it's slow. It's a very steep uphill walk.

Not exactly. You're using those muscles but not "working" those muscles. In the same way as just standing there with your arms in the air you'd be using your arms but not doing anything particularly beneficial with them. You'd be better having a lower incline, going slower but using only your legs.

Poles when hill walking are usually for balance, they don't take much weight from you.

Improving your balance is great. There's some more you can do apart from standing on one leg - have a look at some of these - https://www.activeessex.org/able-like-mabel/

I hold onto the handles. I like to walk at a steep incline at a speed of 6.6 which makes me feel like I might lose my footing if I don't hold on. I don't see how this reduces any benefit as I'm still doing the same steps and pace?

When I was in the gym, a PT explained to me that a person gets more overall benefit just slowing down a little and decreasing the incline so they can walk without holding on than going faster/steeper and holding on. Obviously everyone is different but its a similar philosophy to people getting more benefit by walking quickly rather than jogging very slowly. Or lowering your dumbbell weight so you do the exercise properly rather than a higher weight and improper form.

So...you're exercising your arm/shoulder muscles too, not just your legs?
I'm not seeing how that's supposed to be a bad thing! (I don't mean to imply you think it is btw).
If someone is walking fast on real hills then many will be using one or two poles.

I hold on when I run. I'm 72 if I didn't hold on I would fucking fall off.

Amen! I like your spirit.

I hold on because I struggle to balance going uphill at speed. No shame in it, it's what works for me and I know it's benefiting me. I'd rather go for longer than feel tense and panic and cut my exercise short.