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Weird treadmill running form (Read 247 times)

    Ok,  I can't stand it anymore,  but I didnt ask the people I saw doing this. Several people at my gym,  when running on the treadmill, run while supporting some of their weight with stiff arms. A guy tonight alternated between the straight arm method and holding the sides of the display in front of him. He did this on a regular interval of about 5 seconds or maybe a certain number of steps.  I'm not sure how or if they run outside without something to hold on to.  Anybody have any clues?

      Most time when people holding on to the handle is to support some of their body weight to catch their breath.  When they are running outside they just simply slow down or stop.   Some time they try to stop running into the display when they think it is easier to do that then slow their legs down.  Sometime they do that to help them concentrate, I guess.

        One guy at the gym I go to seems to hold on with his hands in order to support himself while extending his strides as far forward as possible and landing with a heel-striking, bizarrely lurching gait.  This actually causes part of his feet to hammer down against the plastic part of the front of the treadmill, resulting in an awful racket as his footstrikes echo loudly around the gym like gunshots.  At times the sound gets so annoying that I want to  leave the premises.

        Another gym patron, a woman, appears to hold on because she sets the treadmill going so fast that she can't keep up without doing so.

          The people I see doing it usually have the incline WAY up, and are pretty much holding on for dear life. Even the ones who are just walking.

            this is an international trend, and it makes me go wtf on a regular basis. Wouldn't you just slow down or reduce the incline?

             

            The people I see doing it usually have the incline WAY up, and are pretty much holding on for dear life. Even the ones who are just walking.

            Mr MattM


              I first began running after 20 years of smoking.  To help support my change in behavior, I tried running on a treadmill.  I couldn't run for more than a minute at a time without holding onto the handrails.  It was pathetic, and a good way to reinforce just how badly I needed to continue not smoking...  it took a while for me to get to where I could run a mile, then two... I'm sure if a 'runner' was watching me they would have ridiculed me.

               

              I've completed over 50 marathons in the past 7 years and managed a sub3 in my 40s.  I applaude everyone who takes the time to change clothes and puts one foot in front of the other.  Life is movement... get moving.

               

              And RUN MORE!

              be curious; not judgmental

              DoppleBock


                As Matt said - Maybe new to running or just some bad habbits, still better than doing nothing.  I also see people in various less than ideal form on stair climbers.  Anywhere from holding on to a full lock out of arms.  They end up with an amazing tri-cep workout.  We have a lot of walkers that hang on to TM.  We have one runner that runs pretty fast that is a 95% hang on person, he ends up moving the TM backward about 2 feet in 30 minutes.

                 

                But I also see a lot of poor form lifting weight.

                 

                I am not sure what the person's goal is, but you can still get a good aerobic workout with poor form or hanging on.  My guess is that they have a psycological need to be at a certain speed.

                 

                I have a goofy flare of my right leg and a ugly golf swing ~ Live and let live!

                Long dead ... But my stench lingers !

                 

                 

                cmb4314


                  Ok,  I can't stand it anymore,  but I didnt ask the people I saw doing this. Several people at my gym,  when running on the treadmill, run while supporting some of their weight with stiff arms. A guy tonight alternated between the straight arm method and holding the sides of the display in front of him. He did this on a regular interval of about 5 seconds or maybe a certain number of steps.  I'm not sure how or if they run outside without something to hold on to.  Anybody have any clues?

                   

                   

                  Do you go to my gym? We have a guy who does this exact same thing.

                   

                  I don't think it's a fitness thing, or a "new to working out" thing.  He and I overlap gym time, and I was there a LOT in the winter, so I know that he does this something on the level of 3-4 times a week, for an hour at a time.  I've been seeing him for over a year now.

                   

                  The workout never changes.  He just continues on in his oddness.

                  My wildly inconsistent PRs:

                  5k: 24:36 (10/20/12)  

                  10k: 52:01 (4/28/12)  

                  HM: 1:50:09 (10/27/12)

                  Marathon: 4:19:11 (10/2/2011) 

                    I first began running after 20 years of smoking.  To help support my change in behavior, I tried running on a treadmill.  I couldn't run for more than a minute at a time without holding onto the handrails.  It was pathetic, and a good way to reinforce just how badly I needed to continue not smoking...  it took a while for me to get to where I could run a mile, then two... I'm sure if a 'runner' was watching me they would have ridiculed me.

                     

                    I've completed over 50 marathons in the past 7 years and managed a sub3 in my 40s.  I applaude everyone who takes the time to change clothes and puts one foot in front of the other.  Life is movement... get moving.

                     

                    And RUN MORE!

                     

                    wow. Go you. If that's what handrail holding leads to,then I'm all for it.

                       

                      But I also see a lot of poor form lifting weight.

                       

                       

                       

                      This will probably get you hurt a lot faster, and a lot worse, than goofy treadmill stuff.

                      Tejas Runner


                        I have no idea if this is going on or not but some treadmills have heart rate monitors built in.  Rather than a chest strap the HR is read through the handle bars of the treadmill.  The sliver bars here:

                         

                         

                        and here

                         

                        Mr MattM


                           

                          This will probably get you hurt a lot faster, and a lot worse, than goofy treadmill stuff.

                           

                          I dunno...

                           

                          Treadmill FAIL

                          be curious; not judgmental

                          npaden


                            Thanks for the laugh.  The flip flops flying into the air adds a really nice touch.

                            Age: 50 Weight: 224 Height: 6'3" (Goal weight 195)

                            Current PR's:  Mara 3:14:36* (2017); HM 1:36:13 (2017); 10K 43:59 (2014); 5K 21:12 (2016)

                            zonykel


                              Note how the guy on the left had just finished hacking the treadmill remotely, then looks right to see the results :-)

                                They're not holding the HR sensors. They're holding the rails st their side. Its almost like they have their hands in their pockets. Their shoulders are visibly pushed higher from bearing a good portion of their weight. If it was just one person I would think they were just trying to run through injury. I hesitate to say this because I don't see what it has to do with this,  but the only for I've seen doing this are Hispanic. We have a large population of first gen immigrants. Maybe I can discreetly video someone. The guy that was doing this last night ran for at least 30 minutes at approximately a 10mm pace. So he's not a rookie.

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