Start Small

While you may be tempted to strap on the heaviest ankle weights that you can find, this will generally not provide the results that most people are seeking. You should first determine the specific physical changes that you wish to create. If your goal is to burn more fat and lose more weight, you may want to opt for smaller weights and a brisker walking pace. This is also the ideal combination for building long, lean muscle as well. Slow heavy strides with lots of weight will usually build more dense muscle. If you want to bulk up fast, more weight will help you to gain tight, compact and even bulging muscles, however, it is best to start with a moderate amount of weight and then slowly build your endurance and strength. This will enable you to avoid stressing your muscles or causing other forms of injury.

You will also want to select ankle weights and a pace that are appropriately challenging. Some people simply put ankle weights on and then walk at a normal stride, expecting amazing and rapid change. If you really want your workouts to work, however, you are going to have to expend a fair amount of energy. Your walks should significantly increase your heart rate, promote more rapid breathing and even cause you to perspire. You should walk at a consistent pace for at least twenty minutes per day, three or more days per week in order to start seeing visible and continual change.

Tips On Avoiding Injury

With any form of exercise, it is always important to properly stretch and warm up the body. Walking with ankle weights is certainly no different. This challenging activity will apply extra stress and will ultimately force each one of your leg muscles to work harder than normal. Failing to warm-up the legs and to stretch the various affected muscle groups thoroughly before getting started can result in discomfort and even injury.

It is best to start your walk without the ankle weights in place. You can take a brisk, five minute walk in place or a short jog around the block. Once your heart rate has seen a marked increased and your body begins to feel warm, you can stop and stretch. After your muscles have been loosened and lengthened, you can apply the ankle weights and begin your training.

Get The Most Out Of Walking With Ankle Weights By Engaging Your Abs

Surprisingly, in addition to your lower body, your core or abdominal muscles will get a tremendous workout as well when you are walking with ankle weights. This is especially the case when you work hard to maintain the proper form. While performing this activity you should focus on pulling and holding your abdominal muscles in. Thus engaged, they will help your body to do the necessary work by ensuring that you have good balance and proper posture. One of the best ways to keep the stomach muscles engaged is by imagining that a string is attached to the inside of your belly button and being firmly from behind you.

Get The Right Shoes

It is vital to have the right shoes for this activity. The best footwear selections will have adequate arch support and inner padding. Your shoes should be well-ventilated, and flexible enough to allow the ball of the foot to have a moderate range of motion. This is thought to prevent the development of plantar fasciitis which is commonly associated with heel spur.

The best shoes will additionally have good shock absorption. In addition to your normal body weight, your joints will be subject to the additional weight that you have chosen. With all of these features in your walking shoe, you can get a great workout without having to worry about after-pains.

Drink Plenty Of Water

While a brisk walk is certainly not as challenging to the cardio vascular system as a fast run, it will definitely fatigue the affected muscle groups when you walk while bearing additional weight. When this happens, the body can begin to produce and store lactic acid in the muscles, which will ultimately cause pain for some time after the workout. A properly hydrated body is more adept at clearing lactic acid out than one that is not. This means that drinking lots of water will help you to feel less sore after a good workout and much more rapidly as well.

Incorporate Your Arms

Getting a good swing with your arms is essential for making the most of this whole-body exercise. The alternate arm and leg patterns that are created by a determined walk are not only good for the body, but are thought to be good exercise for the brain as well. If you really want to increase the intensity of your workout, start adding arm weights when you are ready for more challenge. Again, the opposite arm and leg movements will have their benefits as they help to trim and tone the waist and lower abdominal muscles. As with the weights on your ankles, it is important to start with relatively small hand weights. As your endurance increases and your skill improves you can add more weight and walk at faster speeds.

Walking with ankle weights is a great way to add some additional benefit to your walking exercises.

A video that shows how a woman uses a 4 lb ankle weights to build leg strength through a walking exercise.

What Are Ankle Weights?

The first thing that is important is to know exactly what ankle weights are. They really are what their name implies, weights that go around the ankle. The purpose of these weights is to strengthen legs and ankles as well as to provide resistance for runners and walkers. Ankle weights come in a variety of weights. There are weights ranging from 1 pound all the way to 10 pounds. There are heavier weights but generally those higher weights are used by martial artists or for rehabilitation purposes and are harder to find. Ankle weights can also be purchased at almost any regular store such as: Wal-Mart, Super K, Target, and also at any sporting goods store. Ankle weights are easy to find, fairly inexpensive, and easy to use.

Can Ankle Weights Damage My Body?

In most cases, ankle weights are used by walkers and runners. Ankle weights are part of a trend of resistance training that has become fairly popular. The main idea behind using a weight around an ankle, thigh, arm or leg is make the weighted area more resistant to movement thereby building muscle as well as burning more calories. The idea is pretty simple and straightforward. Think about holding an arm straight out in front of a body. After a minute or so the arm and its muscles begin to fatigue. If you hold a softball in that same arm, the arm will fatigue faster due to the increased weight load. This fatigue factor is really a training tool known as resistance. The added resistance to the arm by the softball makes the surrounding muscles, ligaments, and tendons work harder to keep up. People who enjoy walking or running will add weights to their workout because the body must work its muscles harder to walk or run due to the added weight to the ankle region.

Do Ankle Weights Really Work?

So do ankle weights really work? Yes, resistance training has been used as far back as Ancient Greece in training for the Olympics. Resistance, or weight addition training, is not a new concept. Charles Atlas, one of the world’s most recognizable weight lifter, primarily used resistance training to maintain his physique. Any weighted object that is secured to the human body will take an increase in the amount of energy needed to move the body in any direction. So, if you are wondering if ankle weights, or any other type of wearable weights, work then “yes” is the answer.

The cons to working out with weights strapped to the ankle are few but important. Ankle weights themselves are easy to put on and use. The problems can arise from the extra energy and force that is needed to move the ankle and leg region. The ankle is a place where ligaments, tendons, and muscles all meet and join together around a moving joint. Most people have rolled or popped their ankle and discovered the pain and swelling that can occur when these ligaments, tendons, and muscles get sprained or torn. For some, adding additional weight to the ankle can cause these ligaments, tendons, and muscles to become strained and eventually weakened. This is not a common occurrence but frequent enough that you may want to consult your family doctor if you have had problems with your leg, foot, or ankle area. Nothing is more detrimental to exercising than damaging the very area of your body that you were trying to tone or work out.

What Ankle Weights Brands Are Available and What do they Cost?

There are many brands of ankle weights that are available online and in stores. Here are a couple of brands and their costs. The first brand is Reebok. For $20 you can purchase a pair of 5 pound weights for you ankle. The Reebok set is wrapped in neoprene and cloth so that sweating and chaffing are minimized. Another brand name is Valeo. Valeo’s ankle weights sets are available for around $33. This is for both ankles and comes wrapped in a cloth lining to also minimize sweating and chaffing. This gives the consumer an idea of how much a pair of weights is going to cost them. The weights discussed also come with individual pouches on the weights belt. This means that the exerciser can remove or add weights depending on the type and length of the workout. 10 pounds would be max weight for each ankle with the ability to adjust to a lower weight.

Ankle weights are a great way to add some spice to your walking, running, or daily movement regiment. Weights are easy to use, easy to put on and do not require any extra equipment. You can go to work and inconspicuously wear them to help burn calories or tone your lower legs. The downside is that if you are prone to ankle injuries that the extra weight can strain your lower legs and ankle area to the point of injury. You should consult with a doctor if you have any questions or concerns about using ankle weights or any other types of weighted products.

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