Advice for treadmill use?

[starwatcher]

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*waves* Hi. I forgot about this comm until I saw Rydra's post, then realized maybe someone here can help me.

Long story short -- I'm spending week-on week-off between my dad's town and my town. My dad's town has a good indoor community pool, which is reserved for lap-swimming 3 evenings per week. Since June, I've improved my time for 50 laps (.77 mile) from 66 minutes to 54 minutes, 10 seconds. \o/ So I do an extra 5 laps, for a total time of 59 minutes 50 seconds. (I'm slow, but I keep going and going and going...)

I don't have that opportunity in my town, so this week I finally decided to start making use of my treadmill that's been gathering dust for lo, these many years. I managed a decent pace -- 2 miles per hour -- for 35 minutes.

BUT!



When I see people using treadmills in TV commercials, they're walking upright, without holding on to the machine. I can't manage that. What happens is...

a. I have to hold on to the side bars. But I'm short-armed and short-legged. If I hold on to the side bars and keep my body upright, I'm so close to the front of the machine I'm afraid my foot will hit the machine floor in front of the belt, which would cause stumbling. Therefore...

b. I walk with my feet a little back and a slight lean forward, which isn't great for my lower back. Also...

c. Every once in a while, my foot seems to "stutter". I'm not really sure what's happening; I miss a step, or my foot comes down too hard, it catches the belt, which causes a slight pause/jerk in the belt movement, which causes an almost-stumble. This happens 4 or 5 times during the session, which makes me less inclined to let go of the side bars (in section a). The frequency decreases as the session progresses -- I guess my rhythm is staying more consistent -- but never completely goes away.


I've dug out an old, thick, dowel-rod. Tomorrow I'll tape it securely to the most forward part of the curve of the side bars. This will allow me to bring my arms into a more natural width for me (the side bars are way too wide for comfort). It will also decrease my sweaty hands trying to slip off the side bars (wood is much better for friction), and will change my grip to overhand (palms down) instead of sideways (palms inward). I'm hoping that this will get me enough farther away from the front of the machine that I can maintain a more normal, upright walking stance.

Is there anything else you can think of to help me use this treadmill properly? (By which I mean, with a normal walking carriage.) And does anyone have an idea what's happening with my foot-belt-catch stumbles, and how I can avoid them?

Thanks for reading this far. I really appreciate any ideas you can offer.
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Comments

[wanted_a_pony]

Afraid I can't help, but thanks for asking this question! I also have relatively short limbs for my torso, compounded by central obesity, & I really recognize the posture/angle problems you describe. I don't recognize the gait hiccup--perhaps because you're much more fit than I--but I hope someone has other suggestions about ways to improve walking carriage on treadmills....

[rydra_wong]

When I see people using treadmills in TV commercials, they're walking upright, without holding on to the machine. I can't manage that.

Just trying to get a clear picture -- what's the problem with that? Staying balanced? Keeping up speed?

Can you walk without holding on if the treadmill is set at a slower pace?

The dowel-rod sounds like a great strategy, btw.

[recessional]

The very first thing that strikes me is: are you sure the treadmill belt is sufficiently tight? You mention it's been gathering dust for years/etc, which means it may well not be. This has a significant chance of making your steps more unsteady (as the belt itself may slip or be unsteady) which might account for that "stutter".

You SHOULD be able to tighten it yourself (we have a hex key to do so), but depending on how old it is that might take some searching on the internet for a manual (assuming you don't have the manual anymore).


The second thing is that I'd recommend maybe slowing down for a bit first. Yes, you have stamina built up already for swimming (yay!) but you're actually using different muscles when you walk! Especially around stability in your core, in your legs and in your hips. There's all kinds of SMALL muscles that are now suddenly being asked to hold you upright that are used to being supported by the water (that's part of why water is such a low-impact cardio!), and that will impact EVERYTHING.

If you slow down but focus on your posture and form while you walk rather than on I MUST WALK FASTER, you'll still be getting benefit, but also be also allowing the REST of your body to adjust to this new position and activity. It'll also let your body potentially learn how not to stumble on the front of the machine, allowing you to fix up your posture a bit.