Ankle Weights & Wrist Weights
by Robert
Ankle weights and wrist weights both provide a way for you got get additional resistance while doing your regular exercises. They can help you build and tone muscle and at the same time help you increase your stamina. Some people use body weights while just going about their daily activities so they can burn extra calories and give their muscles a better workout.
Ankle weights and wrist weights are common forms of weight lifting equipment that can be used during rehabilitation to build muscle and regain strength, but make sure you get direction from a physical therapist if you use them for rehab. If not used correctly during this vulnerable state you could potentially cause an injury. On the other hand when used correctly they allow you to preform strengthening exercises at home so you can start to see improvements more quickly.
Ankle Weights
We can use dumbbells to work out our upper body but since we can’t hold dumbbells with our feet, ankle weights provide a good way to get the same effect while working out our lower body. Using ankle weights adds more difficulty to your regular exercises meaning you’ll use more exertion to do these exercises and get a bigger cardiovascular benefit at the same time.
This extra weight makes your muscles work harder to do the same motion so it provides a great workout for some of your larger lower body muscles like the quadriceps, glutes and hamstrings. Ankle weights can also be used while doing upper body exercises, like pull ups, to help add resistance and strengthen those muscles as well.
Because ankle weights are worn on your ankles, which is further from the core of your body, less weight is needed to create the extra resistance and work the muscles more. But one caution is that this added resistance can also put more strain on the joints. This is mostly a concern if there is already a weakness or a joint issue, in which case these weights need to be used more carefully.
If you feel pretty healthy and don’t have any joint problems you should be fine. But if you have joint problems or if you feel aching or pain while using ankle weights you may need to alter the way you are moving to make sure you don’t strain or cause an injury. You want to feel something in your muscles while resistance training, but you don’t want to feel aching or pain in the joints while using them.
Wrist Weights
Wrist weights work basically the same as ankle weights but for your upper body. With the upper body we have the option to use dumbbells instead of wrist weights, but some people like to wear the wrist weights while doing regular activities so they can burn extra calories and help tone their muscles. For instance wearing wrist weights while putting away groceries or vacuuming burns more calories than doing those activities without them.
Some also like to use wrist weights instead of dumbbells so they can concentrate more on the specific movement instead of worrying about the way they are holding the dumbbells while also trying to maintain correct form. Toning to get the results you want requires concentration on the specific movement and form.
Wrist weights can be a good choice for someone who has a weak grip due to an injury or surgery. Once again you should work with a therapist if you are using wrist weights for rehab.
Both wrist weights and ankle weights can be used with weight benches to provide an upper body workout or lower body workout, for example you can lay on the weight bench and do leg curls/leg extension with ankle weights, or bicep curls with wrist weights.
Types Of Ankle Weights & Wrist Weights
There are a couple different types of ankle weights and wrist weights available. You can find them as static weights, for example each weight is a specific, set weight. With this type you may want a couple pairs that are different weights for different exercises.
Or you can find adjustable ankle weights and adjustable wrist weights. Adjustable ankle weights and wrist weights, like adjustable dumbbells, allow you to easily adjust the weight. Many of these allow you to adjust the weight by either half or full pounds. This is nice because you can adjust the weight for different exercises or as you progress and are able to lift more, without having to buy additional weight sets.
Some ankle weights can also double as wrist weights and function as adjustable weights at the same time. Talk about multi-functional.
Some body weights use sand as the weight while others use water. Ankle and wrist weights that use water are easy to take with you if you travel because you can let the water out to make them light for traveling then fill them up again when you arrive and are ready to use them.
The type of ankle weights or wrist weights that are best for you will vary depending your needs and fitness goals, but luckily there is a nice selection available.