How Beneficial Are Ankle Weights Really?

Ankle weights seem to have crawled through a wormhole from the 1980s into the present day, appearing in countless TikTok videos and Instagram posts. Do they really help tone your legs? Are they even worth buying? The promises are exaggerated, but in some cases, ankle weights actually work . Here’s what you need to know.

Where is the best place to use ankle weights?

The best use for ankle weights is to add a little resistance to exercises that involve moving your legs against gravity. For example, side-lying leg raises are significantly more taxing on the muscles, even with just a pound or two of weight on the ankle being lifted. Back kicks and ankle holds also fall into this category. Ankle weights like these , with 2.5 pounds on each ankle, can be a good option if you’re new to strength training or these specific exercises.

In these examples, ankle weights don’t necessarily make your ankles or legs work harder; they simply add resistance to an exercise that still targets the thighs, glutes, or abs. The primary source of resistance is the leg itself . If leg raises are challenging, then leg raises with ankle weights will be even more challenging.

Using ankle weights is a good idea because it’s a way to gradually increase resistance. To progress further, you’ll need to use heavier weights when your current exercises become too easy. Eventually, you may reach a point where ankle weight exercises no longer prove challenging, requiring you to work the same muscles in a different way.

Ankle weights are best for exercises that involve muscles closer to the center of the body (such as the abs or thighs) to move the legs. In these exercises, the legs bear the brunt of the load; ankle weights only add to the difficulty. Because the weights are lightweight, they should be placed at the end of a long lever. When lifting your legs, your legs essentially act as a very long, third-class lever . Or, in other words, the further a small weight is from your body, the heavier it feels.

When ankle weights don’t work

If you run, jump, or walk, ankle weights can make the movement a little more challenging, but they’re probably not a good addition. Consider why you’re doing these exercises in the first place. If your goal when running or walking is to burn calories, you can do that more effectively by running faster or further without the need for ankle weights.

Some trainers even warn that wearing ankle weights while running or walking can lead to muscle imbalances or injuries, although it’s unclear whether this is actually true. I couldn’t find any convincing evidence one way or the other, but historian Conor Heffernan pointed me to a 1988 article that concluded that ankle weights don’t provide significant additional calorie burn and aren’t worth the potential risk. Perhaps this was the source of the warning I remember from way back in the 1990s.

How much harm can being a little bit underweight do to you?

Whenever you’re looking at a small weight—whether it’s a pair of ankle weights, a tiny dumbbell, or anything else—think about gradually increasing the load.

Progressive overload is one of the fundamental principles of strength training. To achieve consistent results, you need to gradually increase the weight. This is how someone who started deadlifting only with a barbell can eventually become strong enough to lift hundreds of kilograms. Light weights are helpful to start this journey, but they are not enough to maintain results.

Ankle weights typically weigh only one to two pounds each, though I have a set like this one that can hold about ten pounds if you place all the small sandbags in just one cuff of the pair. It came in very handy during my injury rehabilitation; my physical therapist recommended side-lying leg raises. At first, I did them without the added weight, but by the end of my rehabilitation, I needed most of the weights in the set.

Fitness products often exist only because they are easy to sell.

While browsing through ads and Instagram posts for this article, it became clear why ankle weights have suddenly become so popular. They can be advertised by featuring a model with beautiful legs in stylish leggings, exercising on the beach or against a bright wall. They simply look cool, especially the new models that resemble chunky bracelets.

Moreover, being relatively lightweight, they are cheaper to manufacture and ship than, say, kettlebells. So, while they may have a place in your workout routine, it would be a mistake to think you’re buying versatile or durable equipment by indulging in a pair of ankle weights.

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