November 1, 2024

Eufol

Inspiring Healthy Living

Ankle Weights – Are They Right for You? – Benefits

Ankle Weights – Are They Right for You? – Benefits

Ankle weights provide a great way to provide resistance during a workout. You can intensify your crunches, jogging, walking, jumping rope, box jumps and a countless number of other exercises. On the market, you will usually come across three types: water-filled, sand-filled and adjustable. Most people wear them while walking, running or jogging to increase their workout intensity. They are also great for adding weighted resistance for rehabilitation programs and sports training. Ankle weights allow you to add weight, but allow you to still be able to maintain proper form in any exercise. Proper form is the key to performing any exercise in order to refrain from energy. Due to the leverage provided by the leg, only a small amount of weight is needed.

Are they right for you?

Ankle weights are pretty commonplace in the exercising community. Most people wouldn’t think twice about them being harmful, but the truth is, some people need to stay away from them.

They have the ability to alter your stride in a way that is not natural for your body. Due to this fact, many physicians just believe in incline walking or walking at a faster pace to get the intensified workout you are looking for.

They also cause an increase in strain in the joints of the knees, ankles, and hips. This increase in strain can sometimes lead to joint injury. Those with bad joints may need to keep this in mind. If you are not aware if you have bad joints, ease yourself into workouts using them.

Bottom-line, ankle weights can be a great asset for some people with healthy joints to get the high-intensity workout they are looking for, but be aware of your bodies warning signs while wearing them.

Benefits

As I stated above, ankle weights have a great number of benefits, just be aware of the risks involved.

-They can make simple exercises such as walking much more intense. This increase in intensity will then result in a quicker burning of fat. You don’t even have to increase the distance that you normally walk! Just by strapping them on, you can burn excess fat that you never could before.

-Wearing them while walking can increase the muscle toning in your legs. Normal walking will only get you so far, so to actually tone the muscles in your legs, you must add weight.

-They can add variety to almost any workout. Weather you are doing step-ups, walking, jogging, kicks, crunches, box jumps or almost any other workout you can add a whole different level to your exercises. The great part is, you won’t have to sacrifice bad form, as the functional-fitting ankle weights will stay out of your way.

-If you buy the right ones for you, then you can count on being comfortable while you workout. Compared to hard iron dumbbells, they won’t hurt if dropped on a toe or finger.