Should you hold onto the treadmill during incline walking?

30 Jun 2026 · 1 min

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1:02

In this brief fitness advice video, Eric Roberts explains that gripping the treadmill rails while walking on a steep incline dramatically reduces calorie expenditure—specifically, a 10% incline with rail-holding burns about 32% fewer calories than a 5% incline without holding. He clarifies that holding the rails for stability is acceptable, but leaning back and relying on them for support further diminishes the workout’s effectiveness. Roberts recommends lowering the incline or slowing the speed to increase calorie burn, and emphasizes that combining proper treadmill technique with a calorie deficit accelerates fat loss. He concludes with a call‑to‑action, directing viewers to a link in his bio for personalized calorie‑deficit calculations.

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Does holding on to the treadmill ruin your calorie burn? If you have a 10% incline and you hold on to the rails, you will burn 32% less calories than if you had a 5% incline and did not hold on to the rails. So does this mean if you hold on, you won't see any progress? No, because something is better than nothing. And if you're holding on to the rails for stability and balance, that's one thing. But if you're leaning back and holding on for dear life because the incline is so high and you're going so fast, lower the incline, slow down the speed. You'll actually burn more calories, which combined with a calorie deficit will help you lose more fat faster. And if you need to know what your calorie deficit number should be, click this link in my bio.