Ankle weights, the small bags filled with sand or lead that you fasten around your ankles, may look like a basic exercise accessory. However, do not overlook their potential to greatly increase the difficulty of your exercise routines. By increasing resistance during bodyweight exercises, ankle weights can help you:
Grow Muscles More: When you carry extra weight, your muscles must make more effort. This causes small tears that then heal and make the muscle bigger. It is good for making your legs stronger – like the muscles in your lower legs, back of thighs, buttocks, and front of thighs.
Using ankle weights makes you work harder during your exercises, which leads to using more calories. This is very helpful for people who want to lose weight faster or keep their weight at a good level.
Enhance your stability and movement control: When you use ankle weights, your balance and coordination are gently tested because your body has to adapt to the changed distribution of weight. This is very beneficial for sports players or anyone who wants to increase their general steadiness.
Exercises with weights on the ankles might help bones grow stronger, which could lower chances of getting osteoporosis. This is important for people who worry about their bone strength when they get older.
Choosing the Right Ankle Weights:
It is important to choose the right ankle weights to get the most benefits and reduce the chances of hurting yourself. You should think about these important things:
For people starting exercise, it is good to begin with small weights, like half a kilo to one kilo for each ankle. Then they can slowly move on to more weight as their strength improves. Those who have been exercising for some time might choose larger weights of two to five kilograms per ankle if they want something harder.
For different exercises, you need different levels of weight resistance. Like when you walk or run, you would choose smaller weights than what you use for doing leg lifts or squat movements.
Personal liking: The most suitable weight is the one that you feel good and gives you a challenge. Pay attention to your body and change the weights as needed.
Exercises for Ankle Weight Workouts:
Ankle weights are versatile because you can use them with many exercises to make them harder. Here are some popular options:
When you go for your usual walk or run, put on some weights. This extra weight makes the muscles in your lower legs, back of thighs, and bottom work harder.
Lunges: When you add ankle weights to this traditional exercise, it gets better. Make sure to keep the right form and use your core muscles well for the best outcomes.
For doing squats, put weights on your ankles. This makes the exercise better for your thigh muscles, backside, and back of legs. It is important to keep your spine straight and have your knees go in the same direction as your toes.
Calf Raises: When you do them in a standing position or sitting down, using weights on your ankles will make it much harder for your calf muscles. This helps to get more muscle definition and makes them stronger.
Side Leg Raises: Exercise for the muscles on the outside of the hips. Lay down on one side, legs placed one over the other, then raise your upper leg and hold your stomach tight. Ankle weights add an extra burn to this movement.
Glute Bridges: Make your glute bridges more challenging by putting weights on your ankles. Doing this will exercise the muscles of your buttocks, back of thighs, and middle part, which is beneficial for improving the exercises you do for lower body strength.
Safety Tips for Using Ankle Weights:
While ankle weights offer numerous benefits, it’s crucial to prioritize safety:
Begin by lifting lighter weights and then slowly add more weight as you become stronger.
It is important to keep the right form when using ankle weights because not doing so can cause harm. Pay attention to moving in a controlled way and using the correct method for every exercise.
Listen to your body – if you feel pain or not comfortable, it’s important to stop. Continuing despite the pain can cause more severe injuries.
Begin your exercise with a good warming up and finish by cooling down to avoid getting hurt.
Ankle weights are good for making exercise more difficult and better. When you pick the correct weight, do exercises the right way, and make sure to be safe, you can get many good things from them. This helps to improve your fitness a lot.