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!
