walking with wieghts

grizzlymaze

There is a lady that walks at work with hand and ankle weights. I was wondering, is that safe?

It just seems like it would do more damage than good. When I say she walks, I mean for 3 hours or more with the weights.

JamesBurkes

Walking with weights is a great way of increasing the intensity of what is already a good, low impact exercise.

However, I think it's better to carry the weights on the main body mass (weight vest or weighted back pack) than to use ankle or hand weights. These can alter your gait and place a lot of pressure on the joints from the added forces created when you swing your legs through.