Walking with ankle weights and using them in a wide variety of other exercises has become a very common thing.
For regular folk wishing to shed a few extra pounds and for athletes looking to boost their performance, ankle weights are used for a variety of goals.
In this article I want to take a critical look at this fitness product (there are many brands you can choose from) and answer the question: are ankle weights good or bad? I hope that this will help you to make the right decision for you whether to use these or not, and if you do use them, to do it in a healthy way.
The advantages of ankle weights are pretty straightforward: they add resistance to your legs.
Whether you walk with them, run with them, or strap them on to do strength exercises, these weights are an affordable fitness solution for a little extra resistance.
I say little even though there are ankle weights that go all the way up to 20 pounds, most people use a lower weight variety: 10 pounds and under.
This is much lighter than the dumbbells people use in many exercises.
Nevertheless, the added intensity can help you burn more calories during any workout and to get a little more muscle stimulation.
This is the main reason why people use such weights to begin with.
The potential bad thing about these weights is that they may be pose some health risks, especially if you don't use them correctly.
There's no doubt that strapping weights to your ankles place a greater load on not only your muscles but your joints as well.
This is more relevant for people who use them when walking or running and less for strength workouts.
People with joint issues should consider very carefully whether they actually need or want to train with this equipment as they may be too intensive for good use.
In addition, people who walk with ankle weights, especially if they're too heavy for you, may find that they're not walking as they should, that the added weight is causing them to walk unnaturally.
This may place greater strain on your spine and change your posture.
It is good to begin with very small weights and slowly increase the weight, after a while has passed.
It's advisable to have someone see you walk with them and give you their feedback.
Ankle weights can be good and they can be bad.
It depends on your health and how you use them.