wrist/ankle weights

[PeaceWarrior]

I recenty purchased a set of ankle weights that weigh 2.5 pounds each, and a set of wrist weights that weigh 1.5 lbs. They strap onto your limbs really well. I wear the ankle weights around all day and when I train. even though it doesnt sound like a lot of weight, after training when I take them off I feel so much lighter and faster. I do forms and punching drills with the wrist weights, and I have to say it takes quite a bit more focus to stay relaxed with the weights on all the time, but thats good I think.

So have any of you tried this? If you havent, I would recommend it highly


Peace

Keith

 

[exile]

I don't use the weights for normal kicking drills; they attach by velcro and fall off after a few normal kicks. But I do slow motion and `freeze frame' kicks, and with these, ankle weights are great. My weights are 8lbs each, so with 16 lbs on the slo-mo kicking leg, you develop a lot of strength and balance skills, especially at full extension.

 

[The Kidd]

Its funny you should bring this up, I have talked about using weights in a few other threads lately and people have given me a hard time about using them or warned me away from them because they would cause undo stress on my joints. I have to agree with you I think they have helped me out alot, just walking around as well as the slow kicks. I can feel the difference in my strength, speed and stamina. I also have started running with 3lb on each ankle and that has built up things as well. I will caution you make sure your technique is good or you could hurt your knees or hips but that goes for any kicking exercise. Good luck and let me know how it goes.

 

[terryl965]

The wieghts being used in the right condition are great, but if you are using them while kicking then I would so NO they will make your joints hurt for ever.

 

[Robert Lee]

Any extra speed you see after the wieghts are off will fade in a short few minutes. Its the body adjusting effert from the extra weight thats all. Far as for a workout It takes extra work with added weight resistance. For legs use them for slow kisk for strength and balance not power kicks unless you are hitting a shield or bag. Or you will have problems later down the road

 

[exile]

Any extra speed you see after the wieghts are off will fade in a short few minutes. Its the body adjusting effert from the extra weight thats all. Far as for a workout It takes extra work with added weight resistance. For legs use them for slow kisk for strength and balance not power kicks unless you are hitting a shield or bag. Or you will have problems later down the road

I agree with Robert and Terry; as I say, I only use weights for slow kicks, and the point of slow kicks is, for the most part, to train balance. One thing I've come to notice over the past while is that balance and strength are not completely independent qualities; I've figured out, for example, that the reason my left leg balance is better than my right leg balance is because I have to impose special balance tasks on my right balancing leg, due to upper body adjustments for the relative weakness of my left kicking leg. Since my left leg is just not as strong as my right, I need to bring my upper body to a correspondingly greater angle from the vertical to get any kind of height on my left leg kicks. One thing that leg weights can do is provide resistance to those muscles involved in powering the kick and keeping the leg high---particularly as the leg is extended out from the body. Using weights this way therefore strengthens the left leg muscles involved in the kick, making it possible for me to get a higher and more secure chamber and more solid extension with the left leg, which will allow me to keep my upper body a bit closer to the vertical. That will---as can tell from the way my right leg kicks work---help my balance a lot.

For speed and power, I don't think you need weights; I think the best trick there involves kicking slow against a heavy bag and learninng how to accelerate hard a short distance from the bag surface, till you can see a major impact. Then start the acceleration from a little further away, etc., till you're again kicking at a normal rate of speed. But for that balance/strength connection, I think that leg weights can play a useful role.

 

[bushidomartialarts]

if you have access, you can get much the same results from training in water. you get solid resistance without worrying about things falling off, or about the load shifting as your foot moves.

 

[searcher]

The problem with training with ankle weights is that you run an extremely high risk of tearing a ligament and/or tendon. The benefits are small at best. If you do decide to use them it should be very slow, controlled movements. You are better off doing plyometrics and other resistance training.

 

[PeaceWarrior]

I don't use the weights for normal kicking drills; they attach by velcro and fall off after a few normal kicks. But I do slow motion and `freeze frame' kicks, and with these, ankle weights are great. My weights are 8lbs each, so with 16 lbs on the slo-mo kicking leg, you develop a lot of strength and balance skills, especially at full extension.

The ones they sell at wally world stay on pretty well, although they arent nearly 8 lbs

Any extra speed you see after the wieghts are off will fade in a short few minutes. Its the body adjusting effert from the extra weight thats all. Far as for a workout It takes extra work with added weight resistance. For legs use them for slow kisk for strength and balance not power kicks unless you are hitting a shield or bag. Or you will have problems later down the road

But the more you wear them while you train, wouldnt your strength gradually increase? I dont think its just short term benifits because I have noticed a difference with kicks and general strenth.

For speed and power, I don't think you need weights; I think the best trick there involves kicking slow against a heavy bag and learninng how to accelerate hard a short distance from the bag surface, till you can see a major impact. Then start the acceleration from a little further away, etc., till you're again kicking at a normal rate of speed. But for that balance/strength connection, I think that leg weights can play a useful role.

The problem with training with ankle weights is that you run an extremely high risk of tearing a ligament and/or tendon. The benefits are small at best. If you do decide to use them it should be very slow, controlled movements. You are better off doing plyometrics and other resistance training.

The wieghts being used in the right condition are great, but if you are using them while kicking then I would so NO they will make your joints hurt for ever.

Thank you, I will take these comments into consideration. I have been doing leg swings and fast kicks with them, I now see this could be harmful. However, is 2.5 lbs each foot really that bad? Certainly not as strenuous as 8 lbs? Do you think wearing them around all day would cause problems? I am thinking that slow, controlled, repetitive kicks/leg jam techniques, as well as doing somewhat fast footwork would only have positive benifits. If I train with them all the time, I also think that I could have long term results.

if you have access, you can get much the same results from training in water. you get solid resistance without worrying about things falling off, or about the load shifting as your foot moves.

I have trained in water before, but its kinda hard becuase I dont readily have access to a pool.


Thank you all for your replies. You all seemed to address the ankle weights, but what about the wrist weights? If you study an internal style, do you think that the weights will cause me to be too tense? I do forms with them on, as slowly and relaxed as I can. It forces me to focus more on being relaxed and letting my stance support my arms.

Thanks again for your replies

Peace!

 

[exile]

I have been doing leg swings and fast kicks with them, I now see this could be harmful. However, is 2.5 lbs each foot really that bad? Certainly not as strenuous as 8 lbs?

PW, I'd have to say, I don't see two and a half lbs as being potentially injurious, short of hitting yourself in the head with them repeatedly! Really, that's not going to hurt you. But the flip side is, they aren't really stressing your muscles that much either. When I do those slow kicks, I put both 8lb. weights on the kicking leg, so I'm doing super slo-mo kicks and freezing in the extended position with 16lbs. down at the ankle of the kicking leg. That isn't going to hurt any joints---no ballistic motion there to threaten your ligaments---but boy, the muscles that are involved in maintaining the vertical position of your leg are sure going to know about it---they get stronger, or else!

It took me a long time before I could do a fully extended rear leg side kick and freeze it in the extended position. It took me a lot more time before I could do it with both of those 8lb.ers on my kicking leg. But since over time I was able to, it's clearly the case that my legs did get stronger in the right way for those kicks, meaning that when I kick without the weights on, I can lift the leg higher and keep it there more easily without having to rely on body tilt. So I think the use of leg weights is effective, as long as you kick slow and lift heavy.

Do you think wearing them around all day would cause problems? I am thinking that slow, controlled, repetitive kicks/leg jam techniques, as well as doing somewhat fast footwork would only have positive benifits. If I train with them all the time, I also think that I could have long term results.

I happen to agree, but I think it will take a long time, and remember, if you're going to use lighter weights---which is probably a very good idea from the health point of view---you're also going to see more restricted results. I think slow and repetitive is terrific---because when you go slow, you can't rely on momentum and dynamic balance so much to keep you upright; you're making your ability to balance more dependent on sheer strength, so that tat overall your ability to control your leg with minimum alterations to body position---always a good idea for balance---will increase.

I have trained in water before, but its kinda hard becuase I dont readily have access to a pool.

Probably a couple of time a month would be be useful... is that an option?

Thank you all for your replies. You all seemed to address the ankle weights, but what about the wrist weights? If you study an internal style, do you think that the weights will cause me to be too tense? I do forms with them on, as slowly and relaxed as I can. It forces me to focus more on being relaxed and letting my stance support my arms.

I honestly don't know about the wrist weights. I see no reason for things to work any differently from what happens with leg weights. My immediate reaction to your question is, experiment---but give it time to play out! You won't necessarily see any results in three weeks. Try it for four months, and if you don't think you're getting anywhere, it's probably not working. That might be because the weights are too light... or possibly something else.

A three or four month window to assess the results of training is probably the most realistic approach. Things don't happen overnight, and often happen without your seeing any day-to-day improvement. So allow enough time...

Thanks again for your replies

Peace!

Our pleasure---peace to you!

 

[metaleonid]

Recently I used to use 2lbs ankle weights (each) for thworing power kicks at a heavy bag (side kick, roundhouse kick, front kick, spinning wheel kick and back/turning side kick). After these ankle weights broke, I bought 2.5lbs ankle weights and am using them now. When I work out with ankle weights, I never kick in the air anymore. I only kick the heavy bag. One and a half years ago, when I first tried to use ankle weights , I would throw power kicks in the air, and I did damage my right knee a little bit. But kicking the heavy bag with them doesn't seem to do the damage. I believe my kicking techniques on some of the kicks did improve thanks to ankle weights and heavy bag. When I remove ankle weights and kick the heavy bag without them, I notice that my side kick and roundhouse kicks are much more solid and much more focused. The wheel kick didn't seem to be better though.

As far as damaging you knee, I believe you don't damage your kicking leg, but rather you damage your supporting leg, when you pivot your supporting leg during say side kick (180 degrees), roundhouse kick (180 degrees) or front kick (90 degrees).

I also use resisting cable/tubes to kick in the air. But I am not sure this helps.

And no, I never practice kicks in slow motion. Why? What's the point?

As for punches, I used to use 0.5lbs bag gloves practicing boxing cross punch. When then I switched to the bag gloves without extra weight, I noticed that my speed and technique increased a lot!!! Right now I use extra 0.5lbs metal bar in each hand for punching which makes 1lbs extra weight total in each hand. Now when I drop 0.5lb metal bar, my punch with just total of 0.5lbs extra weight is as powerful as my year-ago punch without any extra weight. And again, I never throw punch in the air with extra weights.

Just my $.02. Agree/disagree? Comments are welcome. Thanks.

--Leonid

 

[meth18au]

I don't use any wrist or ankle weights in my current training. However back in my Kung Fu days we used to used 'iron rings'. These were a set of metal ring that you would slide over your wrist and they would sit on your forearms. Then we would do our forms with them on, nice and slow and controlled.

The whole point to them wasn't really to increase strength or speed though, but rather to serve as a distraction and train our control of the emotional state within us. Basically it would require us to be 100% present and in touch with our self to continue to complete the form perfectly, especially as time continued and your muscles grew tired and painful. I think it was a case of the mental state controlling the physical state!!! Awesome fun, kinda miss it now you got me thinking about it