I bought weights. Why so small?

Lottiotta
Lottiotta Posts: 162 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey all. :)

I've had CFS for 6 years and I'm hoping to get some strength back. I'm pretty new to weights and basically have no idea what I'm doing but I have a noob question.

I bought some weights. These ones, to be exact: http://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-hand-weights/p167547 I got two of each size, from 2x0.5kg to 2x4kg.

.5kg is half a bag of sugar, right? I just cannot see the point of a hand weight that is .5kg. I mean, there probably *is* a point but I don't know what it is. What is it?

I feel like I'm doing it right when I use the heaviest weight in the set, so why do the weights come in such small sizes?

Editing to play with code. Can we please get some rich text editor buttons over here? >:(

Replies

  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    The .5 kg would make a good door stop but not if it's too windy and you have the windows open.

    I'm not really sure why they come in such a small size. That's only slightly over 1 pound. In the future you might consider getting a set of dumbbell handles and plates. That way you can add plates to make the dumbbells heavier and aren't stuck with one size (or multiple weights that are too light.)
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    people who have injuries and need SOMETHING to hold and move up from use 1/2 pound- to 5 pound weights.

    I scoffed at my PT when she gave me a pound weight for each hand and had me doing YTPL exercises- but it was something stupid like 3 sets of 10. You can't do that kind of work without tiny weights.


    But for standard strength building- no- really light weights aren't that useful- but that doesn't mean said weights have no use.
  • ythannah
    ythannah Posts: 4,376 Member
    My physiotherapist assigned me an exercise with a 2 lb weight for a rotator cuff injury. I felt a little silly buying that thing, I sooo wanted to tell the cashier "It's for physio, not strength training".

    However -- jemhh is right -- it's vinyl coated and a very pretty red, so it does come in handy as a door stop when the window is open on a windy day.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I suppose it would depend on what they would be used for. For an otherwise healthy person, lifting those kinds of weights for actual training purposes isn't going to do much...even if you're weak, you're going to advance past that weight very quickly. As JoRocka pointed out, they can be valuable for rehabbing...I used such weights rehabbing my sprained rotator cuffs after a cycling accident...also, that would unfortunately be "heavy" for my 80 y.o. grandma.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Ah yes. I do the Y and T part of YTWL as part of my warm up. I use 5 lb. weights for those. I can see how an even lower weight would be necessary for physical therapy reasons. I always start out feeling kind of silly picking up the 5 lbers but then when I am using them for a warm up I ended up thinking about how they feel heavier than they look.
  • JenD1066
    JenD1066 Posts: 298 Member
    Well, .5 kg is about 1.1 pounds. My daughter has 1 pound weights, and she loves them. Of course, she's 4....and she wanted them because they're pink
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Ah yes. I do the Y and T part of YTWL as part of my warm up. I use 5 lb. weights for those. I can see how an even lower weight would be necessary for physical therapy reasons. I always start out feeling kind of silly picking up the 5 lbers but then when I am using them for a warm up I ended up thinking about how they feel heavier than they look.

    yuppers- I use the 2.5 cookies- sometimes the 5's, and it does feel silly!!!

    but I definitely tend to more sets because it's not about "strength" but about warming up- and for that doing some extra work to get blood flowing.

    Also- I always forget which way is which in YTPL- so that means I'm waving aroudn 2.5-5 lb weights trying to figure it out while I'm at this odd angle- it's ridiculous I should remember- but I don't- so yeah- it's a good thing they aren't heavy LMAO.

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