ankle weights (anybody use them ?)

[cluemein]

I am looking to buy some ankle weights to excercise my legs in a more functional sort ofway. Lifting my legs, swinging my legs out to the side, maybe do some stairs with them on, etc.. I'm wanting to build the more indirect sort of leg muscles. I have for quite some time had normal gym leg excercises in my routine..my legs show some definition.

I'm 5'9" 28yo 180lbs pretty fit.. my question is this.. it seems the highest common/normal pair of ankle weights is adjustable 10lbs per leg.(total 20lbs) Would I outgrow that quickly? For disproportionally more money I could also buy 20lb adjustable "rehab" ankle weight. Anyone think a 20lb ankle weight for one leg is overkill or unusable? Any folks think 10lbs around your ankle is more than enough, so I should start with that?

thanks!

 

[fUnc17]

i have the 10lbs per leg set. I use them occasionaly for abdominal exercises like V-sits, they definately kill but i don't use them for anything else.

 

[LexusGS]

Everyday.

 

[maxpro2]

http://www.drmirkin.com/public/ezine050805.html

Wearing ankle weights will not help you to run faster or longer, or jump higher...

Ankle weights can also increase your chances of being injured. Since they force you to lift a much heavier weight when you raise your knees, they strengthen the quadriceps muscles in the front of your upper leg without strengthening the hamstrings in the back equally. This can make your quad muscle proportionately so much stronger than your hamstrings that you are prone to injury. The same principles apply to carrying weights when you walk or run, or wearing weighted belts or other devices. Strength training should be done using weights with proper form in specific exercises, and should be kept separate from your aerobic activities.

 

[Super Hulk]

i hear there bad for you

 

[P-funk]

they can be used in re-hab situations.

also, if someone has weak hipflexors you can use them to help strengthen them up. Some people may have a weak psoas since it is only really activated past 90 degrees on hip flexion. You have help to strengthen that using some sort of resistance. Sometimes in athletes it is the hip flexors that are weak and holding back their sprinting power as the recovery leg doesn't turn over quick enough. Zatsiorsky has written about this and other strength coaches that I have seen lecture or have talked to have also hinted towards this and will often use resistance work to build up hip flexor strength. Lee Taft told me he uses it for people that need extra hip flexor strength. I also know that Mike Boyle does Psoas activation work as part of the warm up. And Greg Werner has guys lie on an incline looking bench and flex their hip through a ROM while resisted (if he feel that it is something they need to work on).

 

[Dale Mabry]

Sometimes in athletes it is the hip flexors that are weak and holding back their sprinting power as the recovery leg doesn't turn over quick enough. Zatsiorsky has written about this and other strength coaches that I have seen lecture or have talked to have also hinted towards this and will often use resistance work to build up hip flexor strength.

Precisely why I use that piece of shit multi-hip machine to do hip flexion with a flexed knee/dorisflexed ankle. I don't know what you expect to accomplish with ankle weights, an X-vest is a better investment.