Ankle Weights

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doobabe
doobabe Posts: 436 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Ok I am LAZY when it comes to strength training.... I would much rather run for two hours than do ANY form of weights. I have ZERO patience and I am uncoordinated in a major way, so it makes things difficult in that department. I always wonder- "am I doing this right?" Sigh....

SOOO....... While on my treadclimber this morning..... I wondered..... If I add ankle weights while I do the treadclimber........... will that serve as a form of "strength training" for the lower unit? Hmmm.....
I always run with a 2lb weight in each hand, so I am sure that has something to do with the fact that my arms are toned.... (Well, that and the shakeweight........)

Ok- who knows this- tell me pullleeeaase!!?

Replies

  • biged335
    biged335 Posts: 734
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    If your doing a very low impact ankle weights would be ok, but you don't want to run with ankle weights on. They will increase the impact on your joints and can led to problems.
  • nananie2
    nananie2 Posts: 272 Member
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    True. You can't do anything too drastic when you have ankle weights on. I did try that a few (quite a few) years ago, and I ended up with calves much bigger than I would've liked and knee problems... a no-no...
  • dedmon
    dedmon Posts: 19
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    You're actually better off continuing with running with weights in your hands...maybe even increasing the amount of weight you're holding. Ankle weights actually increase injuries, especially for those who haven't focused on perfect form while running....which is difficult to do as you become more exhausted and even worse when you have weights at your ankles that your leg muscles have not been accustomed to which also interfere with your balance and coordination. Lots of injuries have occurred using ankle weights.

    If you want to increase the intensity of your run, consider taking the military training approach and invest in a runners backpack and add an appropriate amount of weight for you in the backpack (increase this overtime when the added weight becomes nothing to you or if you're simply wanting to challenge yourself.) This will give you a balanced load, providing you with a safe work out as well as increasing endurance and stamina. Also running on incline with no weight bearing load can serve as strength training (as long as you're pushing your muscles to fatigue or failure, you're strength training)...but running in general isn't comparable to a full body strength training regimen which is far more beneficial.

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