Ankle weights seem like a clever shortcut. You already go for your daily walk, so why not strap a little extra weight around your ankles and make those same steps more challenging?
You don't have to walk farther. You don't need to find a hill. You simply put them on and go.
The problem is that ankle weights don't just make walking harder. Because the weight sits at the end of your leg, it can change the way your leg moves and that matters when you're taking thousands of steps.
What happens to your stride?
Harvard Health quotes physical therapist Terry Downey of the Harvard-affiliated Spaulding Rehabilitation Network, who advises against wearing ankle weights while walking or doing aerobic exercise.
One reason is that the added weight can make you rely more on your quadriceps, the muscles at the front of your thighs, rather than your hamstrings.
There's also a simple matter of leverage. A small weight attached to your ankle is much farther from your hip than a weight held close to your body. Every time your leg swings, you're moving that weight through an arc.
Over a long walk, that can put additional stress on the knees, hips and back and may change your natural stride. Texas A&M's Howdy Health makes a similar point, noting that ankle weights can alter gait and contribute to muscular imbalance.
So are ankle weights actually useful?
Yes but just for a different kind of exercise.
Harvard Health recommends ankle weights for controlled exercises such as leg lifts, where you can add resistance without changing the way you move from one step to the next.
Think of a slow straight-leg raise or a side leg lift. You can control the movement, focus on the muscle you're working and stop if your form starts to suffer.
That's the important difference. During a leg lift, you're adding resistance to one deliberate movement. During a walk, you're adding it to hundreds or thousands of steps and every one of those steps has to move the extra weight at the end of your leg.
Who should be careful?
If your knees, hips or ankles already bother you, adding weight to a repetitive activity like walking may not be a great place to start.
The same goes for anyone with balance problems or a recent injury. If the weights make you limp, shorten your stride or feel unsteady, take them off.
And if you've had knee surgery or a joint replacement, check with your doctor or physical therapist before adding ankle weights to your routine.
Make your walk harder without the weights
If your goal is simply to get more out of your daily walk, you don't necessarily need to add weight to your ankles.
A faster pace is one simple option. You can also add a few hills or stairs to your route, or use short bursts of brisk walking during an otherwise comfortable walk. The CDC specifically counts brisk walking as moderate-intensity exercise and recommends it as part of a regular activity routine.
Another option is a weighted vest. The American Council on Exercise notes that a vest keeps the extra weight closer to your body's center, rather than at the end of your limbs. ACE-sponsored research has also tested weighted-vest walking alongside different speeds and inclines.
The important thing is not to turn every walk into a harder workout. Sometimes the simplest upgrade is just walking a little faster or choosing a hillier route.
And if you want to use those ankle weights, save them for the controlled strength exercises they're better suited to.