How Railings Can Derail Your Daily Workout

The minute your workout starts to intensify, the temptation is always there: grab the rails.

Whether you're on a stair climber, elliptical or treadmill, reaching out for those support bars can undermine your workout in ways you probably don't realize.

It may seem harmless to get your balance or hold yourself up a little, but it's very easy to support half your weight without really trying that hard. And on a stair climber, for example, supporting half your weight with your arms can cut into your calorie burn by as much as 35 percent, according to Zack Barksdale, a professional fitness trainer at Cooper Aerobics in Dallas, Tex.

And as counterproductive as those lost calories are, Barksdale, who holds a Masters of Science from Baylor University, says the long-term effects are much worse.

"The bad thing about it is that you're not activating your core," he says. "You're not working on posture if you're holding on, and you're not engaging your muscles naturally."

via thepostgame.com