I have posted before about my ankles and how my right one mostly is very weak. I have been looking up ways to make my ankles stronger, I have been told that ankle weights will help and that it will also make my workouts more intense, I am looking for that. So my question is what do you guys know about ankle weights, do they help make your ankles stronger?
I'm sorry, I really don't know anything about ankle weights. I have weak ankles also though (I've sprained them both badly multiple times), and was told by a trainer at my gym that balance exercises can help to strengthen the ankles. I use a balance board (just google "balance board") at the gym to work on ankle strength, and similar balancing exercises can be done on a bosu ball. Other balance exercises that I have found help my ankle strength include calf raises on a low step and one-legged Romanian deadlifts. I haven't used them, but I've also heard that resistance band exercises are very good for ankle strengthening.
Thanks and yeah i have tried the balance work it just does not seem to help =( I did buy some ankle weights tonight so i will let you know how they work. It was never a big deal before if i fell i fell but now that i have my son who is 16 months old i am always scared to death i will fall while holding him =(
Someone on another forum I frequent suggested using a weighted vest when walking so I decided to google that. In the process, I ended up finding a lot of informatio8n about usong ankle and wrist weights. Everything I saw advised against doing so saying that it puts too much stress on your joints. I read quite a few articles and found nothing favorable about these types of weights. But I read quite a few good things about using weighted vests to help with weight loss.
Soo based on what I read, ankle weights would be a no go. Hope that helps.
If you are interested in yoga, there are certain poses which may be wonderful for strengthening your ankle. Yoga focuses on both flexibility and strength without impact, which is great for building the muscles, ligaments, tendons, bones, and all other components of your joints. Warrior poses and one-legged balancing poses (eagle, warrior 3, dancer, etc) are wonderful for strengthening knees, hips, and ankles.
If you are coming off an injury to your ankle, or are concerned about injuring yourself due to your ankle's weakness, it could be worth seeing a physical therapist. They work wonders. Good luck!
My friend who is a certified personal trainer told me to never use ankle weight because it's far to stressful on your joints and actually screws up your body's natural balance and motion which in turn can cause big problems with your back, hips and legs. He said if you really want to increase the intensity of your exercise with weights then using a weighted vest would be vastly better because it distributes the weight evenly over your body. He said to make sure it fits correctly and its tight fitting to your body without being restricting to your movement. Basically the less it shakes and moves on you the better. Please be careful, I hope you get the results you want
One thing that would help your ankle a huge amount is losing weight.
Lets just say for example you were 50lbs less. That would change the stress on your ankle by a huge amount. I'm not an expert of physics but the force on your ankle with every step would be greatly reduced if you weighed a lot less.
Thus - I would focus your efforts on simply losing weight.
I work in a chiropractic office and I'm constantly hearing the Dr talk to people about strengthening their ankles. What she recommends is starting with simply balancing on one foot, then the other for 10-15 seconds (each) three times daily. You want to keep doing that until you can do it easily without any wobble, then up the time slowly. You don't need a balance board to do it, just on a hard floor will do.
I wouldn't use ankle weights if your ankles are weak to begin with. It seems like you will just put more stress on an already weak joint. You don't strengthen joints the same way you strengthen muscles.
ankle weights BAD and will do absolutely NOTHING to strengthen your ankle but WILL increase the likelihood of straining your knees or hips.
Balancing as stated and going up on the ball of your foot and balancing (calf raises but hold the top, both feet at first, no extra weight). Yoga.
Also simple ankle exercises like writing the alphabet in the air with your toes, circles, etc - while mostly for warmup - over time can help and if the problem with your ankles is not weak muscle but weak tendons and ligaments the increased blood flow will help them heal from repeated past twists and sprains.
Oh, I forgot about the alphabet thing! Thanks for bring that up, ennay. That's another thing the chiropractor often recommends. Just sit and spell out the alphabet in the air with your foot, only moving your ankle.
I write the alphabet every morning before I get out of bed. Every single morning. If things are really weak I would do the alphabet 4 times a day (spaced throughout the day not all at once)
Strengthening your ankles is going to mean finding exercises that work the supporting muscles, not just put pressure and weight on them.... Basically anything that WORKS the muscles aroudn your ankle is good. Don't just throw more weight on them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ennay
Also simple ankle exercises like writing the alphabet in the air with your toes, circles, etc - while mostly for warmup - over time can help and if the problem with your ankles is not weak muscle but weak tendons and ligaments the increased blood flow will help them heal from repeated past twists and sprains.
I sprained both of my ankles pretty badly my last season playing soccer and struggled with ankle injuries for quite awhile afterwards. Balance exercises really helped me a lot. How long did you do them? It took me a few months of using a balance board, but I haven't had an ankle problems since. My trick was putting my laptop on something tall (say counter height) and stand on the board while surfing the internet, checking email, etc. No ned to do anythign other than stand on it. It really helped my ankles, as well as the rest of my core, knees, and back. Good luck!
And, just to echo everyone else- ankle weights = all bad.
??Ankle weights??
