weighted running

Depends. A weight that "does no harm" will provide no benefit and a weight heavy enough to to be of benefit will negatively affect running and is likely to be more harmful. Runners have been trying various types of hand weights for at least 40 years, with little benefit. The research doesn't support the idea either. Best to just spend a few minutes lifting weights.

If you want to tone your arms just do bicep curls and tricep exercises. But since you then get muscular arms (not big, muscular, because women can't get big unless you inject testosterone) you need to also workout your shoulders, because otherwise you'll get something called muscular imbalance. And because you train shoulders you need to train chest as well, which means back as well and in turn, also legs. You get the point.

I run and I lift heavy...but I keep them seperate. Lifting heavy has also really improved my running as my legs are so much stronger now from squats and deadlifts that they just carry me wherever I choose to go!! Practically bionic I suggest you have a look at starting a lifting programme to work alongside your running regime. I'm doing Stronglifts 5x5, I use the phone app so it's really easy. I invested in a barbell and weights for home but if you're a member of a gym you can do the workout there

do you mean like this?





I think that only works with the proper outfit...

but honestly though, I'm with the others. Better keep things seperate

Thank you for the disturbing images! :laugh: :laugh:

To the OP.......pretty much what the others have said, running with weights (hand held, ankle etc) is one of those things that appears to be a good idea but isn't. Just add strength training to your routine.

You can do weighted carries to kill two birds with one stone, you won't want to run though, walking briskly is sufficient. Farmers Walks, Sandbag Carries, Stone Carries, etc.... It really doesn't matter how you do it, just pick up something that weighs at least half of what you do and walk down the street with it. Sometimes I'll do a light stone (50% bodyweight) and carry it for a hundred yards and I'll swap that up with a heavy sandbag or a keg filled with sand for shorter distances.

My arms are... Well, lets be honest, flailing about and I figure they could be working harder.

That's more about your form than anything else then

It'll screw up your arms too. In the 80's, it was a thing to strap on ankle and wrist weights to go jogging. It causes injury.

Yep, most of those people who did much running with the "heavy hands" ended up with injuries, including back injuries!

I'm going to jump in just because this has been something that I've wondered about for a while.

I definitely understand the drawbacks as they have been listed so far, but one has to wonder, soldiers run or sprint with heavy freaking gear don't they? When I think of warriors in medieval warfare, they were probably doing the equivalent of short distance runs or sprints while either wearing the armor or carrying it on their back. Ultra marathon types have to carry some gear when races take a whole day or even multiple days too right? Is it a more to the point then, that there is just a better way to provide yourself that type of conditioning, or is there actually something to training your body to run with additional weights?

I'm going to jump in just because this has been something that I've wondered about for a while.

I definitely understand the drawbacks as they have been listed so far, but one has to wonder, soldiers run or sprint with heavy freaking gear don't they? When I think of warriors in medieval warfare, they were probably doing the equivalent of short distance runs or sprints while either wearing the armor or carrying it on their back. Ultra marathon types have to carry some gear when races take a whole day or even multiple days too right? Is it a more to the point then, that there is just a better way to provide yourself that type of conditioning, or is there actually something to training your body to run with additional weights?

According to credible walk/jog/run sites that I have visited they all tell you it can lead to injury. The only site that I researched that encouraged a gradual increase in weight was a hiking program. Start with an empty backpack and gradually build up to the expected weight that you will be carrying during a hike.

I think that the examples that you gave...especially soldiers carrying gear...that weight is evenly distributed over the entire body...not just the arms and ankles.

According to credible walk/jog/run sites that I have visited they all tell you it can lead to injury. The only site that I researched that encouraged a gradual increase in weight was a hiking program. Start with an empty backpack and gradually build up to the expected weight that you will be carrying during a hike.

I think that the examples that you gave...especially soldiers carrying gear...that weight is evenly distributed over the entire body...not just the arms and ankles.

That approach makes a lot of sense. Hiking is on my agenda starting sometime next month, so I might just start that. Thanks for the insight.

It's worth noting that the attrition rate in the military is quite high, lots of leg and back injuries.

noteworthy, absolutely agreed. this goes right back to the aforementioned training related injuries.

I'm going to jump in just because this has been something that I've wondered about for a while.

I definitely understand the drawbacks as they have been listed so far, but one has to wonder, soldiers run or sprint with heavy freaking gear don't they? When I think of warriors in medieval warfare, they were probably doing the equivalent of short distance runs or sprints while either wearing the armor or carrying it on their back. Ultra marathon types have to carry some gear when races take a whole day or even multiple days too right? Is it a more to the point then, that there is just a better way to provide yourself that type of conditioning, or is there actually something to training your body to run with additional weights?

Actually Roman soldiers were expected to be able to run about 25 miles a day averaging a 20 minute mile and carrying 65 pounds of gear. That's different than weighting the ends of a pendulum that attaches to a joint.

Actually Roman soldiers were expected to be able to run about 25 miles a day averaging a 20 minute mile and carrying 65 pounds of gear. That's different than weighting the ends of a pendulum that attaches to a joint.

that correlates to some of the posts above; the commando training regime along with the attrition rate, and the idea of carrying the weight on your back instead of on your joints.

On the other hand, that would be a pretty cool achievement to say you can hack it like a roman soldier.

It's interesting how consistent people have been over the centuries about certain modes of training. Those Roman guys were pretty short too.

Yeah. I'd LOVE to be able to meet that physical standard. Maybe someday?

I'm going to jump in just because this has been something that I've wondered about for a while.

I definitely understand the drawbacks as they have been listed so far, but one has to wonder, soldiers run or sprint with heavy freaking gear don't they? When I think of warriors in medieval warfare, they were probably doing the equivalent of short distance runs or sprints while either wearing the armor or carrying it on their back. Ultra marathon types have to carry some gear when races take a whole day or even multiple days too right? Is it a more to the point then, that there is just a better way to provide yourself that type of conditioning, or is there actually something to training your body to run with additional weights?

and it's done out of necessity not as a training aid............a soldier needs his or her combat gear and has to be able to move quickly with it on, an ultra-marathoner needs to carry fluids and nutrition

The additional risk of injury far outweighs the training benefit.

and it's done out of necessity not as a training aid............a soldier needs his or her combat gear and has to be able to move quickly with it on, an ultra-marathoner needs to carry fluids and nutrition

The additional risk of injury far outweighs the training benefit.

That begs the confusion then, and I apologize if I've misunderstood the comment, but how then does someone condition themselves or prepare themselves for running with weight, if they don't ever run with weight? I don't want to fall into a semantic trap between conditioning and training, but if your end goal was to be able to run with certain gear shouldn't you train in that fashion? Or if you aspired to run some long distance, to accustom your body to handle the rigors of a pack of supplies? Allow me to stress if it is not abundantly clear, I have very little idea outside of what would seem logical. I am not a trained or conditioned individual, though I would like to be.