Ankle weights are the good kind of drag. In particular, these very on-sale BalanceFrom GoFit Fully Adjustable Ankle Weights — they’re currently just $11.60 on Amazon — provide a variety of benefits. If you’d rather walk than run, they’ll increase your overall muscle engagement during your stroll, whether you’re outdoors or on a treadmill. Better yet, in addition to reducing the amount of time you need to walk to burn the same number of calories, walking with ankle weights on also contributes to improvements in posture, balance and non-weight-bearing walking performance.
Meanwhile, if you’re more extreme and prefer to get in your cardio on the StairMaster, ankle weights transform every element of the stair-climbing motion into a weight-bearing exercise, bringing more muscles into the mix, and adding to the muscle-building efficiency.
Last but not least, if you prefer your leg-training exercises to be of the calisthenic variety, ankle weights turn your legs themselves into a potent source of resistance. Now you can do standing leg curls, leg extensions and leg raises all from the comfort of your living room, and all without the requirement of a machine.
Not too shabby for just a little over 10 bucks.
Ian Douglass
Ian Douglass is a volunteer firefighter, lackadaisical Concept2 rower and SkiErger and is the worst masters swimming All-American in recorded history. He also helps professional wrestlers publish their autobiographies, assists businesspeople with the writing of coherent thoughts and has overhyped degrees from Michigan and Northwestern.
