Walking with hand weights

by | Jul 24, 2007 | Old Blog, Thoughts on walking | 9 comments

Occasionally I see people out walking while carrying hand weights. Yikes. Really bad idea. In fact, so bad, I have to stop myself from accosting these avid exercisers to insist they go home directly to put the weights down!

Hand weights are a great tool for targeting the muscles of the arm with a bicep curl or a tricep kick-back, but those weights should not hang out at the end of arms when walking.

If you are reading this blog and you carry hand weights when you are walking ask yourself what you hope to gain.

Are you looking for a more challenging cardiovascular workout? If so, you are not going to get it. A marginal increase in cardiovascular workout is far outweighed by the compromised walking form that may lead to injury in the back and shoulders. It’s really hard to maintain good posture when carrying these weights. Your walking form should always reinforce good posture.

Are you looking to get arms that are more toned? Again, that 3 pound weight held in the isometric contraction while you walk is not to going to be nearly as effective as a few bicep curls, tricep kickbacks or pushups done to fatigue.

Now the question still remains how do we get the message out? Do we react in horror when we see weight carrying walkers, do we politely ignore their misadventures, or do we slid up beside them and ask if we can borrow a weight to do a bicep curl?

Suggestions welcome!

9 Comments

  1. Laurel
    Laurel on July 24, 2007 at 8:14 pm

    I love the visual of sliding up beside them and asking if you can do a bicep curl, preferably there is a park bench within reach!

    Reply
  2. Wow Power Walking Founder
    Wow Power Walking Founder on July 26, 2007 at 9:43 pm

    Well, wouldn’t you know just one day after posting this item, there were 16 of us in our Tuesday night power walking class when a person walked by wearing possibly the largest ankle weights I’ve ever seen. None of us said anything.

    Reply
  3. Anonymous
    Anonymous on July 27, 2007 at 12:49 am

    A man I regularly see on my walks, tried that out. Everytime I saw him I thought his arms were being stretched… he stopped! I wonder why?

    Reply
  4. michelle
    michelle on June 10, 2008 at 2:30 pm

    Walking with hand weights that are no more than 2 pounds will increase your cardio intensity as well as building muscle without any joint trauma. Make sure that you keep your arm swings close to your body and do not hold the dumbells too tight. Sometimes you need to change your work out up. Adding a weighted vest or light wrist or ankle weights will help you to burn more calories. You need to keep challenging yourself, if you do not you will be wasting your time.

    Have fun power walking with hand weights!

    Reply
  5. Ste. Goldie
    Ste. Goldie on June 30, 2008 at 9:26 pm

    What a bummer… I really like using my hand weights when i walk. I’m not a pro speed walker. I’d rather walk slow and build up muscle. I ‘ve been engaging my core and focuscing on looking ahead and good posture… is it REALLY that bad? Or are you just trying to force your idea of walking on others?

    Reply
  6. Anonymous
    Anonymous on July 3, 2008 at 6:38 pm

    do we have any proof for either of these opinions? i found this site because i’ve started using my handweights while walking and i wondered how many more calories i burned doing this. if any of you can give me real proof in either direction, i’d appreciate it.

    Reply
  7. Anonymous
    Anonymous on March 2, 2009 at 5:53 pm

    I use hand weights that have a strap around the hand, this allows to slightly relax the hand without dropping the weight. Found them on a website vjsglobalsolutions.com

    Reply
  8. Anonymous
    Anonymous on April 23, 2009 at 1:35 pm

    I have been strapping two five pounds weights around my wrists since I started power walking five months ago. They definately have helped me tone my body . I suggest that you adjust the weight to your body mass.I am 63 and a 5″9″ male weighing 190 lbs. Being able to pump my arms gently on my training runs of five kilomenters with five pound weights is not an issue. On my first walking race last week without the weights I reduced my walking time from 40 to 38 minutes.

    Reply
  9. Anonymous
    Anonymous on March 19, 2011 at 11:01 pm

    I've been a fast walker for years. Supplement with the elliptical and fast stair climbing. Worked on hills and speed. Great at both. Eventually, I needed more of a challenge for a bit of muscle confusion. I added 3 lb hand weights to replicate some of my work from my regular yoga sculpt class. Lost a few pounds within weeks. Increased cardio endurance and toned my arms. Great opportunity to work your core by maintaining a fast stride and controlled arm movements. To each his own. It's hilarious so many people judge others who use hand weights while walking. And I do bicep curls and a variety of arm work when I walk. Nice toning. I pass the walkers without weights so the weights don't seem to be slowing me down. For those who like them and feel good using them, keep it up and finish strong. My weights have a hand strap. Very comfortable.

    Reply
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