28 Apr Do You Need to Include Wrist and / or Ankle Weights in Your Routine?

Have you been thinking about adding wrist and ankle weights to your workout routine? While there are some potential benefits associated with using wrist and ankle weights, you should take some time to do a bit of research before you decide when and how you are going to include them in your routine. Believe it or not, if used inappropriately, wrist weights and ankle weights can actually detract from your workout, so it is important to know when you should and should not make them part of your routine.

Getting a Good Cardio Workout

You might think that adding wrist and ankle weights to your cardio routine is a good idea, but it generally is not. This is because adding the weights to your wrist and / or your ankles will actually slow you down. As a result, you won’t be able to reach the heart rate you need to burn fat and to improve your cardiovascular health.

Planning an Effective Strength Training Routine

Ankle weights and wrist weights are not an effective tool for strength training either. This is because you need to work your muscles out to the point of fatigue within 8 to 12 reps in order to get an effective workout. Since ankle weights and wrist weights are lightweight when compared to your typical strength training weights, they will not effectively fatigue your muscles so they can grow and become stronger.

This is not to say that ankle weights and wrist weights cannot be beneficial. If you are doing leg lifts, for example, ankle weights can provide you with a bit more resistance beyond your own body weight. Wrist weights may also be a good addition when performing calisthenics, as it can give you a little more weight on your arms as you warm your body up for your regular routine. Nonetheless, unless you have a special situation that warrants the use of arm and / or ankle weights, you most likely don’t need to use them as a part of your core workout routine.