[Ready2BThinna]

Does anyone have any experience with this? I'm wary of walking with any sort of added weight (other than my own "feed bag"
http://www.walkvest.com/

[slimcharm]

LOL! I saw that and I thought..why? Why not carry a couple of small weights and move em in and out for more exercise. Why heft around some toxic looking vest!

[Trixie14]

hmm...could work...and you could wear it under a shirt/sweater/coat if you didnt want people to see it I suppose, I think it depends on your personal preference...if you want to use hand weights and ankle weights (although I heard ankle weights arn't that safe? ) of if you want to wear the vest...I personally would rather just walk without anything and do a seperate strength routine with weights, but again thats my personal preference...

if you really want to try it, go ahead, can't hurt I suppose, seems kinda expensive to me though, but i suppose you could spend the same amount on normal hand weights....let us know how it goes!

[slimcharm]

I have also heard that ankle weights are NOT a good idea.

[Suzanne 3FC]

I carry my extra weights naturally

Slimcharm, I've also heard that ankle weights while walking is not a good idea, but darned if I can remember the details now. I also vaguely recall reading that carrying weights at all while walking is not beneficial.

[Mel]

There is a similar thread in the Exercise Forum this morning. Here's my answer:

Years and years ago I thought that doing aerobics tapes holding 8 pound dumbbells would be a great way to combine strength training and aerobics...and get it all over with at the same time. This was years before I actually had any training and became certified I did this everyday for months, and gradually upped my weights. I did lose more weight, but my shoulders started to ache. Then hurt. Then it got to the point that I couldn't hold a heavy pot, pull up my pants, or swing a tennis racquet.

What I did was create small tears in my rotator cuff muscles and massive tendonitis from overuse. Your body isn't designed to constantly swing more weight from your shoulders. When you lift weights, you do maybe four to eight sets of 10-15 reps of a few arm exercises. Even lifting a different body part each day, if I spend half an hour a week doing pure bicep exercises, that's a lot.

Contrast that with walking or doing an aerobics tape holding weights everyday for 30-60 minutes and you can see the kind of stress that you are putting on your shoulders.

IMO, you're better off doing the walking/aerobics and then some weight training. The two are different types of exercise and you really should incorporate both

The same thing applies to walking with ankle weights, although your hip flexors are far stronger muscles and a much more smartly engineer joint than your shoulder. It's still NOT a good idea. To those of you who have lost weight: notice how much easier is it on your hips and knees when you walk now than when you were heavier? Why deliberately put more stress on those joints on a regular basis just to burn a few more calories? And it's really just a few more calories. Do your walking, then do some true resistance training to build muscle.

Mel

[Ready2BThinna]

. . . currently located directly under my rib cage, sitting atop my hips!

Thanks for the responses. I had read, years ago, that ankle weights can wreak havoc on the knee cartilage. I believe it was in a book by Callan Pinckney where she discouraged using weights while walking. I figured it they were placed higher on the body, it may be a "sculpting tool."

Anyhow, unless there was a deluge of responses praising the results one could obtain from using this, it feels less than a desirable prop today. I'm feeling that this may be a bit gimmicky for my taste.

I guess nothing replaces just getting out there putting in the time and doing the miles.

Everyone take care,
Jean

[Ready2BThinna]

Mel,

I just saw your response - Excellent!

Sorry you incurred the tendonitis and thank you for sharing about your experience. You highlight an important fact - weights and walking are two, distinctly different workouts and are best approached that way.

Good suggestion (and I'm heeding it) to dedicate separate times to work on resistance exercises and walking. I think I'm ready to start putting some more variety in my workouts. I'm going to check out some threads regarding free weights and gradually work these in.

Thanks again,
Jean

[Amarantha2]

Every trainer I've ever worked with has told me it's a bad idea to walk with ankle weights for the reasons Mel mentioned above. IMO a vest would be safer and carrying light weights would be safer still, but I choose not to risk it. I think Mel is right, do the walking and resistance separately.