Ankle Weights Benefits

Ankle weight are weights which are strapped around the ankles and help to burn more calories. Different styles of ankle weight are available today, some are elasticized while some are slid over the foot, while others have a long band which has adjustable closures to fit any ankle size, like a belt.

When these weights are secured around the ankles with velcro or a ring and hook closure you can start with your workout. They also come with weight pockets, so you can add or remove the amount of weights while doing any workouts.

• If you are bored of your normal walking exercise and want to get more out of it, then just add ankle weights. With these weights your workout will become tougher and you will be burning more calories with the same workout, within the same number of minutes.

• As you will be adding ankle weights to your leg workout the workout can be shorter in duration and you can still achieve greater impact on strengthening the legs. They help to focus on toning overall aerobic endurance and build strength. This is because the workout tires the legs before they can tire the lungs and heart.

• Even a light ankle weight can provide more impact on the difficulty of the exercise, because the leverage provided by the weight on the leg is high whenever the leg is extended or lifted.

• Add these weights to your workout, if you feel that you have reached to a certain level of fitness and adding them will make you current workout more intense. This will make your everyday workout more challenging.

• They are comfortable for use because the material used is soft on the skin and the weights attach securely so you can concentrate easily without having to worry about the weights.

Ankle weights which are made of granular materials like pellets or sand are safer than the solid-free weights. Because, if you drop an iron dumbbell of the same weight, then it can cause considerable injury.

Ankle weight though have many benefits, still have some drawbacks, which you need to keep in mind. They put more impact on joints which can increase the chance of injury. Also, they are not recommended while walking or running and extended use can lead to hyperextension in joints after the weights are taken off.

Also, if you want to achieve the same benefits as other weight training leg workouts provide, then you need to add more weights to ankles. However, adding large weights to your ankle can cause damage to the knees, because joints are made to support force and not to resist traction.

• Do not to use heavy ankle weights because they are meant to be used for cardiovascular exercises and not for strength training.
• If you want to make your walk workout more intense, then walking at an incline is a good idea.

• Also, if you feel any pain in shins or legs then you need to discontinue their use for a while, as you don't want to put too much stress on your legs.
• When tying up ankle weights make sure they are tight around your ankles, as loose weights can interfere with your stride.