There are three common types of weights: ankle weights, wrist weights, and weighted vests.
Benefits of wearing ankle weights
Increase the difficulty of your workout: These are optional weight plates that attach to your legs that make walking, running, or lifting your legs more difficult.
Strength Training: You can use ankle weights during strength training to help build your leg and glute muscles by adding weight to your workouts. A study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that wearing ankle weights during exercise significantly increased lower body strength.
Improved Endurance: Over time, your body will adapt to the additional load of using weights, thereby improving your cardiovascular health and overall endurance.
Burn calories: Wearing weights increases the weight and difficulty of your workout, helping you burn more calories during your workout.
What are the benefits of wearing wrist weights?
Increased Strength: The extra weight your arms have to bear from wrist weights will add a challenge when walking, running, or doing any strength training movement.
Increased muscle tone: In a study published in the Taibah University Journal of Medical Sciences, participants were asked to wear weights on their wrists and ankles while performing daily activities for 20 minutes, three times a week, which significantly increased the muscle mass of those exercising.
Tone Your Arms: Wrist weights add weight to movements and build muscle to tone your arms, shoulders, and upper body.
Burn more calories: Wearing heavy wrist weights can cause your body to burn more calories, thereby aiding in weight loss or maintaining a lower weight.
Benefits of weighted vests
Increased Resistance: The added load from a weighted vest increases the difficulty of exercises, making movements like walking, running, and weightless exercises more difficult to perform.
Muscle strength training: When wearing a weighted vest, the body has to bear additional load when moving, helping to build and improve the strength of the upper body, mid-body and legs.
Weight Loss: Exercising with a weighted vest can help you lose weight. According to research published in the Journal of Frailty & Aging, a weighted vest is a safe way for obese people to lose weight.
