Does using wrist weights count as strength training?

xtina11179

I used 1.5 lb wrist weights while doing 40 minutes on the treadmill today. I swung my arms the whole time (as I was instructed to do on a website I found). I know it helps to burn more calories, but how do I log it? If I put it under "Strength Training" in the Cardio log for 40 minutes it says that I have burned 191 calories but I can't imagine that is very accurate, especially since they were only 1.5 lbs each!. Does anyone have any idea?

xtina11179

I used 1.5 lb wrist weights while doing 40 minutes on the treadmill today. I swung my arms the whole time (as I was instructed to do on a website I found). I know it helps to burn more calories, but how do I log it? If I put it under "Strength Training" in the Cardio log for 40 minutes it says that I have burned 191 calories but I can't imagine that is very accurate, especially since they were only 1.5 lbs each!. Does anyone have any idea?

MisoSoup79

In my opinion, I would say that it helped you burn more calories, but it shouldn't be counted as strength training. When you're doing cardio, you're working different muscle fibers than when doing strength training. Your weights just added more poundage to your body, increasing the difficulty of your cardio workout. You would need more weight for true strength training.

psyknife

You are providing a little more resistance, so you would burn more calories because more energy would have to be expended for that movement... but that wouldn't count as strength training, in the class sense of it. It may help build up a little more endurance, but it's not really going to hit the muscles the way that actual strength training does. If you don't strength train, I TOTALLY recommended adding it in, because building some lean muscle mass does a body good

TRLTAMPA

hey, psyknife.....i heard that ankle weights are bad for your back. i have some and use them often but now i'm getting scared because i have herniated discs in my lower back.

psyknife

It depends on how you use them. If you simply wear them for running, or doing cardio, then it's likely going to be harder on your joints all the way up. But just your back? If it affects your back that comes from using bad form and just having generally weak core muscles (which makes you, overall, more prone to back injury).
Ankle weights are best used to wear during strength/endurance training and not cardio sessions. They provide excellent resistance if doing strengthening exercises such as donkey kicks, fire hydrants, scissors, lunge w/lateral raise, etc etc etc.
The general rule when using ANY weight is that you don't want to go to fast or be too bouncy... because that's going to put your joints in jeopardy AND that same movement can also strain the muscle.
When using weights, you want to control the movement on the way up and the way down... flexing through the motion the whole time (trying to avoid using momentum to "throw" them up, and so forth).

TRLTAMPA

They don't hurt my back. I've had the herniated discs for a while.
I use them in general when I'm walking during the day and stuff like that.
I also use them on the exercise bike.