Hand weight madness

It's spring and I see loads of enthusiastic walkers enjoying the weather and the company of friends. It's infectious. The more people we see outside, the more we want to be there too.

Crazy though, this spring I'm seeing more people walking carrying hand weights. The risk for injury at the shoulder joint becomes much higher when carrying these weights.

While adding some extra weight may be valuable for increasing bone density it would make more sense to wear that weight in a vest so that your posture remains good and your gait isn't challenged awkwardly.

If you are reading this and carry hand weights to increase a walking workout I urge you to ask yourself what you are wanting out of your walk. If your most important concern is getting your cardio system challenged, you would be much better off to walk as fast as you can, without the hand weights. Or, find some up hill segment of road to walk.

Pick up the hand weights after the cardio workout for some targeted strength training.