Wrist/ankle weights: Do they actually do anything, and are they a health risk?

yalborap · May 2011

Right, so, short version. I'm getting a bit of a belly. Not much, maybe an extra 5 or 10 pounds I need to shave off, but I need to nip this in the bud before I end up looking like the Before picture of a Subway spokesman.

Thing is, I'll admit, I'm not much of an exercising-for-exercising's-sake kinda guy. I'm also in Southern California, where I expect it to exceed 110F inside of a month. If I'm lucky. So, a whole bunch of jogging, or walking everywhere, doesn't appeal right now.

Which brings me to the idea of just strapping some weights to my body, so that it works harder at what I'm already doing, and thus burns more calories. Now, if we follow cartoons, this will rapidly allow me to move faster than an animator feels like drawing, leaving me as only a series of dashed lines, perhaps in the color of my clothes if I am lucky.

I am not positive, but I am beginning to strongly suspect that the world does not work like in cartoons. So instead I come to you guys. Do such weights actually work? Or will they just cause my wrists and knees to be ground into a fine powder? And assuming they work, are there any particularly good ones, ideally without looking like I think it's still 1985?

Thanks, folks!

MoSiAc · May 2011

I've always heard ankle weights are bad for you and I would assume the same would go for wrist weights. I'm not a doctor or anything though. I would think there is a way to use them properly though.

Gabriel_Pitt · May 2011

I am not a doctor, but I've spent a good portion of my life around people who are, or want to be one. I think the issue with the weights is that they add mass in an abnormal place, so if you go jogging with them on, your adding stress to your feet and ankles, tendons, etc because of the sudden increase of weight sitting at the base of your calves. If you're doing stationary things, like leg lifts, or arm curls, then its not going to be the same issue, because the whole point of those exercises is lifting extra weight.

*edit*

And a quick google brings this up, which pretty much reinforces what I just said.

http://hubpages.com/hub/Are_Ankle__Wrist_Weights_Safe

Kate of Lokys · May 2011

Wrist and ankle weights are a fairly safe and effective way to add a bit of extra resistance during workouts. They are not, however, intended to be magical devices that allow you to lose weight just by having them on during your usual daily activities. If you strap too much weight on yourself, you risk joint problems, and if you don't pay very close attention to your form, adding weights could end up reducing the amount of effort you put into your actions, instead of increasing it. When you're walking with weights, for example, your instinct is going to be to minimize the distance the weights need to travel, so unless you make a conscious effort to do otherwise, you'll shuffle your feet instead of picking them up, and keep your arms at your side instead of swinging them.

More significantly, though, if your current daily routine of "sit down at computer for two hours, stand up and walk to the fridge for a snack, sit down in the kitchen to eat, stand up and walk back to the computer" is causing you to gain weight, throwing some 2lb weights on your wrists and ankles won't make a damned bit of difference. It's like a morbidly obese person trying to diet by cutting out cheese: yes, that's a good start, but if you're still gorging on fried chicken and mashed potatoes and gravy, asking for no cheese in your KFC Shame Trough doesn't really help.

The good news is, if you don't like going outside, there's a simple workout you can do in the air conditioned comfort of your own home: the Muller system. It's basically a series of floor exercises - stretches, lunges, pushups - that you can do in 15-20 minutes per day, with no need for specialized equipment.

It would be absolutely fantastic if there was a way for people to lose weight without changing anything in their lives, just by strapping on a fat-melting belt or some wrist weights. Unfortunately, though, if you want the results, you need to put in the effort.

bowen · May 2011

They add stress to an abnormal place. That said, a 5 lb weight on your arms isn't going to kill you if you're a healthy person. Obviously take caution and don't try to throw a baseball or some shit, don't use wristweights if you have carpel tunnel, etc.

I would suggest cut back your eating a bit, and throw in some cardio (maybe a half hour of biking?)

10 lbs should melt off within a month if you do the above. Weights aren't going to do much of anything for you. Other than be really annoying and make you not want to wear them.

bowen · May 2011

Or what Kate said.

L Ron Howard · May 2011

Why not just find a gym, and start working out in the air conditioning?

rockmonkey · May 2011

Gyms can be expensive and you might lack the self discipline to make yourself go on a regular basis, or at all. Some people do better at home. Some lack even the resolve to do that. Some people do better with a gym because they can force themselves to go and once there they can focus on working out where at home they find themselve putting it off repeatedly or that there are too many interruptions/distractions.
Figure out which one of these best suits you.

If it's the low entry cost of the at home path then like Kate said you might try a program that involves body weight exercises and the like. Might even splurg for a pull-up bar to slip into your doorframe.

If you want an at home solution that is more intensive, but also costs MUCH more you may look into P90X. It's costly, about $90-100 for the dvds/guides, plus you need either resistance bands or dumbbells and a pull-up bar. P90X takes lots of devotion and can be pretty tough. It's also supposed to be 6 days a week and comes with a nutrition plan to follow in order to maximize the results. This doesn't sounds like it's what you want, but it's something to keep in mind in case you start the at home body weight stuff and later need more, enjoy working out, and/or find out you want to take it up a notch.

big l · May 2011

There are about 2 million ways to lose weight better than wearing ankle and wrist weights. The best way to lose weight is to eat healthier food and to eat less of it. I wish it wasn't so, but that's just how it is. People would often rather exercise than go on a diet, but usually improving your diet will do more to help your body composition than exercising. Take the money you would have spent on the ankle weights and buy some vegetables, and then eat them. If you want to exercise, and I think everyone should, go to a gym and do it for real. The ankle weights are a gimmick and people rarely stick with gimmicks long term and if they do the gimmicks rarely work long term. Get your fundamentals in place by eating a healthy diet and getting out of breath once in a while.

yalborap · May 2011

big l wrote: »

There are about 2 million ways to lose weight better than wearing ankle and wrist weights. The best way to lose weight is to eat healthier food and to eat less of it. I wish it wasn't so, but that's just how it is. People would often rather exercise than go on a diet, but usually improving your diet will do more to help your body composition than exercising. Take the money you would have spent on the ankle weights and buy some vegetables, and then eat them. If you want to exercise, and I think everyone should, go to a gym and do it for real. The ankle weights are a gimmick and people rarely stick with gimmicks long term and if they do the gimmicks rarely work long term. Get your fundamentals in place by eating a healthy diet and getting out of breath once in a while.

Yeah, I was afraid that'd be the case. :P

Oh well. Thanks for your help, guys. Guess I'll peruse some of the normal health threads.

facades · May 2011

Yeah, I used ankle weights a lot when I played competitive tennis, and I do believe it contributed to knee problems. But looks like you already got the answers you were looking for on this thread xD.

Btw, I swam for a summer to lose about 5-10 pounds. Ended up losing 20, without any joint stress. I just paid like a dollar a day at a local aquatic center, I personally liked it better than lifting next to sweaty meatheads. Also, p90x does work, and you can do it from the comforts of your living room.

bowen · May 2011

Swimming is an excellent god damned form of exercise.

adytum · May 2011

big l wrote:

Take the money you would have spent on the ankle weights and buy some vegetables, and then eat them.

Possibly the best health-related advice I've ever read.

Penny Arcade

Quick Links

Wrist/ankle weights: Do they actually do anything, and are they a health risk?

Posts