Wrist weights

not_my_first_rodeo

All I do for exercise is walk. For the foreseeable future, the gym is really not an option for me, but I do walk. Someone suggested wrist weights might be a good way to help me increase the workout and possibly help with arm strength.

Yes? No? If yes, do you just wear the wrap kind? Do you do anything special with them (bicep curls? I don't really know--I'm that much of a neophyte). Anything I should look for when purchasing these?

Thanks.

BrianSharpe

The risks associated with ankle or wrist weights probably outweigh their benefits. Keep on walking, if you can find hills (or stairs) to climb. If you want to improve your strength without using a gym or buying equipment check out the body-weight exercise videos (there's a ton of them) on youtube.

]https://health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/wearable-weights-how-they-can-help-or-hurt[/url]

DancingMoosie

I don't think wrist weights are good for walking. I used to do dumbbell intervals on the treadmill, 1min fast incline walk, 1min slower flat walk with dumbbell curl, tricep press, or ohp (alternate each exercise for each flat walk interval), repeat 3 times or so. The dumbbells can be rested on the treadmill console while fast walking. I've seen weighted gloves used for workouts like kickboxing, if you want to try that. Otherwise, just do your walking and strength training separately.

tcunbeliever

If you want to increase the workout a weighted vest is going to be more effective than any weights added to extremities.

Separate standing arm strength training will be more helpful if you want to build muscle in your arms. Even 10-15 min a day can make a difference.

Go_Deskercise

My suggestion if you really want to add weight/difficulty to your walking: Weighted Vest

"Using a weighted vest is like exercising while holding dumbbells, but those dumbbells are dispersed across your torso in a piece of clothing. Also, if you're deconditioned or out of shape, simply wearing a weighted vest while walking can be a way to increase calorie burn without cranking up the intensity too much."
https://www.shape.com/fitness/tips/weighted-vest-training-workouts-benefits

Jthanmyfitnesspal

Walking is great exercise, so no apologies are necessary! If you want to work some of your other body parts, you can add some "rug work." I think a little personal or group training is by far the best, but if you really can't swing that, you can try some YouTube videos, such as the PopSugar fitness channel.

If your walking doesn't feel hard enough, you can find a hill or add some walk/run intervals. Walk/run has it's own program:

http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/run-walk/

SnifterPug

I am no expert but I would have thought wrist weights are a bad idea. Actually carrying dumbbells or shopping bags would be better. Carrying just one weight and swapping sides gives you more bang for your buck in terms of challenging your core.

not_my_first_rodeo

Thanks everyone. I'll look into these other options you all suggested.

sgt1372

While not essential, I think that the use of wrist and/or ankle wts is exaggerated.

Of course, anything used to the extreme could be harmful but I don"t think that the "normal" use of wrist weights while going on shirt walks or hikes is inherently dangerous.

That said, a pair of dumbbells is more flexible and useful than wrist wts because you can vary the wts and use different arm movements w/them.

If you want to go for more extreme wts, there are was Farmer's Walk handles that you can load up w/as much wt as you can carry w/both arms

Vests cannot duplicate the stress placed on the arms, upper body and shoulder girdle that dumbbells or Farmer's Walk handles can. A vest also cannot duplicate the stress on the hip flexors/glutes if wearing them while doing leg and/or knee lifts.

However, for adding wt while walking, esp if one is using them to simulate a backpack while hiking, a vest would be far more useful than ankle wts.

A vest worn together while carrying dumbbells or weighted Farmer's Walk handles would also be possible, albeit a bit extreme.

BTW, I own and have used every type of equipment mentioned above.

yukfoo

When I first started out I grabbed a canvas backpack and a couple of 10lb weight plates from a second hand store and it worked great. Good luck on your journey!

mtaratoot

A week or two ago, I thought it would be interesting to remember what it was like for me to go about my daily activities a little heavier. I grabbed an eight-pound SCUBA weight belt. It's made from lead shot, not bricks. Not even that uncomfortable.

I went for a walk. Just a couple miles. I could feel it in my hips and knees. It's amazing what we forget. I used to carry over four of these in my body mass. No wonder I'm faster now when I play Ultimate.

I might do this again just for added calorie burn on a walk, and to remember not to gain that weight back.

I don't recommend you go BUY a SCUBA belt if you don't already have one. They are quite expensive. I also have some brick weights I got from a salvage yard for cheap. I put some on a nylon belt. Much cheaper way to go, but not as comfy as the soft weights. A vest might be a good alternative as would a small backpack with a hip belt so you don't carry it on your shoulders.

You can get a good well-fitting backpack adjusted so you carry the weight where you want. I remember back in the day when I was doing more backpacking, I could adjust my pack so I carried ALL the weight on the bottom of my feet.

Azdak

Overall, trying to carry weights and do something like “combo” work tends to result in diminishing returns. If you use weights heavy enough to have a training effect, there is a high risk of overuse injury; if you use weights light enough to be safe, they are too light to make much of a difference.

It can be a challenge to add intensity to a walking program. That is because, even at speeds that most people would feel are energetic, the aerobic intensity of walking is still relatively low. Obviously, any activity will increase calorie burn and can contribute to a weight loss program.

If one is looking to achieve an aerobic training effect, there are 3 ways to do so:

1. Increase speed to a race-walking pace and form.
2. Use a high-amplitude arm swing (weights can enhance this, but a substantial effect can be achieved with just arm swing alone); this also includes pole walking.
3. Walk uphill.

Some people advocate weighted back packs or vests. I don’t disagree entirely, but I think that tends to fall under the description of my opening paragraph. So I’m neutral on that one. I wouldn’t recommend it, but I wouldn’t discourage it either.

To me, trying to do strength training while walking is even more problematic. Doing hundreds of reps with lighter weights is not that useful, and I don’t know how you incorporate heavier weights with walking.

Unless one is doing a circuit type workout that is designed for “conditioning”, I’m just not a big fan of trying to mix cardio and strength training at the same time. It seems to end up being mediocre at both.