Ankle Weights Workout Tips

In most discourses where ankle weights are mentioned, they mostly feature as strength training items. As a fitness equipment piece, ankle weights help in boosting the strength gains from a physical training routine. Ankle weights are mostly used by those who train at home and they are quite cheap in the market today.

What you have not heard yet is the fact that adjustable ankle weights can assist you in your weight reduction venture. Not only do they amplify your physical strength and stability, the ankle weights are also very effective in shedding body fats accumulated in the legs. You can easily shed off the weight in your legs particularly from around your ankles.

Among many people today, even those who have relatively lean physiques, the problem of having fat at the region around the ankles is very common. The fat might be because of having an overall dense fat content. Again, it can be because the knees are some of the most common areas where the body likes depositing solid fats as a protective measure for your ankle joint. The tendency to accumulate fat masses around the ankles can be serious among some people and you should check on your self to determine if yours are genetic or the problematic type.

Flexibility and sometimes even the mobility of your foot can sometimes be hindered by the fat deposits. Adjustable ankle weights help in burning these fats very effectively. The weights are simply small bags and or pouches that have been filled with sand, steel rods, water or any other weight. The weight is then wrapped around in a soft vinyl cover that does not scratch or bruise your skin when you tie it around the ankle. Generally, ankle weights are rather light and soft. However, if used consistently during normal workouts they can help in shedding some weight within no time.

The ankle weights are also very useful in reducing the overall body weight since they involve extra energy being expended and thus burning of calories. Your legs will become leaner and better toned if you consistently use the weights. You will definitely weigh less on the weight machine after a while since the energy being used to carry the weights around is being expended from the fat deposits in the body. This however must be one measure integrated and complemented with other weight loss strategies for optimal results.

You have to be careful in using the adjustable ankle weights though, lest you damage the ankles. Bruises are very common when the weights are not tied correctly and fittingly. If poorly used and consistently tied improperly during workouts, they can end up tearing the delicate ankle muscles. Given that the ankle weights are overly convenient for a person to use, they might be the most effortless and effective way of reducing body weight.

You can wear the weights in almost every type of exercise including dancing, swimming, jogging or walking. Therefore, besides wearing them when going to the gym, you can also wear them while jogging in the park or when walking to the grocery. It would workout even better if you fall into a pattern of tying the adjustable ankle weights while performing the usual house chores around the kitchen or sitting room. The only requirement is that you wear them appropriately.

When it comes to training with ankle weights, we could all use a few workout tips. Let me start by saying that ankle weight training is perhaps one of the most controversial methods for improving athletic speed and power. It’s hated by doctors, loved and revered by extreme athletes. And for those wondering, I fall into the latter category.

You are not going to find any medical reasons to use or avoid ankle weights here, as I don’t really give a crap. I’ve been training with them for 15 years, and I can tell you conclusively that they offer profoundly quick changes in not only your speed, but also your psychological feeling of ease within movements, and therefore your confidence. This is something that all athletes strive for, ease of movement…lightness.

Anytime we train our bodies to perform a certain movement it takes tens of thousands of repetitions before we cease to feel like we’re ‘fighting’ our own bodies to move faster and with greater power. We know we have the potential, it is just exceedingly difficult to make consistent gains is speed and strength. Pushing ourselves mentally past speed plateaus is difficult quite frankly because we don’t know how fast we truly can become.

Ankle weights force you to perform as if you were 5 to 10 pounds heavier, and at the extremities of your body. Adding weight at the ankles puts tremendous stress on your core for stability, as well all the muscles, tendons, and ligaments of the legs and lower back. This is the reason that most doctors dissuade athletes from training with them. And I won’t lie to you, they can be dangerous.

But I’m not an idiot. I have known this since I was 14, when I first started using them. And at that time I analyzed my passion, martial arts, for movements and techniques I could perform without tearing my body to shreds. And the result was faster and stronger kicking than anyone else in my martial arts school at the time. But I believe this worked for two reasons. The first reason is because the motions I chose were not linear or snappy, and the second is because I trained at high intensity for short durations, sporadically at first. So I never trained past the point of light fatigue, so I always had full control.

After years of off-and-on training with ankle weights however, my legs were conditioned to use them regularly, and they become commonplace in my martial arts training. I wore them to improve my sprinting speed, my leaping explosion, my footwork, and the entire range of kicking techniques including ground sweeps and aerials. But a novice cannot simply put on these weights and perform their most complicated sport specific movements. They will get hurt.

And someone that is not strong and healthy, or for that matter at an intermediate to advanced level with the movements they’ll add weight to, then ankle weights can be very destructive. Beginners must start gradually and with light weights until their legs are conditioned. And they must use them in controlled movements that stress the muscles more than the joints. This takes some analysis of ones own sport. But most of us benefit from the basics; running, jumping, and basic sport specific footwork.

I love ankle weight training, and I know I’m not alone. Many doctors out there will claim this is a potentially dangerous way to train. They are right. Many doctors will say that ankle weight training is ineffective in promoting speed and power. THEY ARE WRONG. It has been incredibly beneficial in my own training and has helped me to realize speed and power I never knew I had. So the remainder of posts on this site will aim to educate the novice ankle weight wearer, and to give workout tips on how to train with ankle weights safely.