There’s nothing like a good hack to optimize your workout and rev up results, especially when only minor tweaks and no additional time are needed. Wearing ankle weights, for instance, is a small but significant way to increase resistance during certain types of workouts—boosting strength, among other benefits, in the same amount of time without a ton of extra effort.

While there are some legitimate perks to wearing ankle weights, it’s essential to take the right precautions, manage expectations, and incorporate them into a comprehensive resistance training routine. Keep reading to learn the ins and outs of ankle weights—including their key benefits and how to choose and use them wisely—according to experts.

What Types of Exercise Are Ankle Weights Good for?

Ankle weights are best suited for low-impact exercise methods, such as barre and Pilates, and the types of moves you might see in one of those classes—namely, accessory exercises that focus on muscles in the core and hips, explains physical therapist W. Zach Smith, founder and owner of HIDEF Physical Therapy. (An accessory exercise is one that strengthens smaller supporting muscles, as opposed to compound exercises, such as the squat or deadlift, which work large muscle groups.)

“Ankle weights fit into greater strength training routines in that they’re great to use during core and accessory hip-strengthening exercises,” Smith says. “They don’t replace traditional resistance or strength training, but can be very good to do in addition to foundational strength training movements…By wearing them, you can really work the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius along with the hip flexors and all the muscles of the core.” Moreover, ankle weights are good for adding resistance to exercises where it’s difficult to use other free weights, such as dumbbells.

Some of those moves might include fire hydrants, leg raises, flutter kicks, leg swings, and small Vs—all exercises that Peloton instructor Ally Love says she likes to do with ankle weights. Other exercises that pair well with ankle weights are donkey kicks, hip abductions, hip extensions, standing marches, bicycle crunches, and hollow holds, Smith adds. You’ll see these ankle weight exercises (and more like them) in many barre classes on the Peloton App. 

Ally says that she likes to incorporate ankle weights when she wants to advance a workout, namely during barre classes. “I'd take it a step further to say I would include ankle weights when I don’t have a proper wall-mounted barre available,” she adds. “The reason is that, [without a barre,] I can’t create or replicate the pulling resistance element in the traditional studio barre class.”

Note: While you technically can wear ankle weights while doing chores or moving around the house, doing so won’t yield the same benefits as the exercises shared above. “I prefer to have people do five to 10 hip-specific exercises two to three times per day to really target the right muscles rather than simply wearing the ankle weights around the house,” Smith says. He also emphasizes the importance of staying focused while wearing them for the sake of both safety and results.

The Benefits of Using Ankle Weights During Exercise

1. Greater Muscle Activation

By adding weight to a move, you’re increasing the external resistance placed on your body—and increased resistance means more muscle activation, Ally says. “Adding even just one to three pounds at the ankle significantly increases resistance during leg lifts, glute work, and core exercises,” she says. This added challenge can help activate the muscles you’re trying to target with each move, increasing engagement in your glutes, hip flexors, hamstrings, quads and lower abs, for example.

Although ankle weights aren’t usually heavy (often weighing between 1 and 5 pounds), they make a bigger impact than you may think. “Adding the weight at the ankle has a massive effect because of the length of the lever (i.e., the leg),” Smith explains. In fact, he says that three to five pounds at the ankle is equivalent to adding 10 to 15 pounds near the thigh.

2. Consistent Resistance

According to Smith, ankle weights are valuable workout props since they offer consistent resistance. “The weight stays the same throughout the movement—unlike resistance bands, which provide more resistance only as they stretch, meaning you won’t get as much resistance at the start of the movement,” he shares. 

3. More Mindful Movement

Consistent, increased resistance will typically force you to slow down, thus boosting both the integrity of your workout and your results. “Ankle weights naturally force slower, more mindful movement, which improves muscle control, increases time under tension, and deepens the burn in sculpt-style workouts,” Ally says.

4. Better Core Workout

Ankle weights can make core workouts more challenging, helping you to build strength and stability. Working on core strength can benefit everything from your posture and balance to enhancing athletic performance and preventing injury. “Ankle weights can add more resistance for ab exercises to turn that dial up a little,” says Smith.

5. Greater Hip Strength

A key benefit of ankle weights is their ability to strengthen the hips. According to physical therapist Laura Sommer, owner of In Motion Physical Therapy, these include the hip extensors (gluteus maximus and hamstrings), hip abductors (gluteus medius), hip adductors (groin), and hip flexors. 

Many people may feel they have tight hips or recognize the need to stretch them, but strengthening the hips is often overlooked. By doing hip exercises and strengthening all these supporting muscles with ankle weights, you’ll prep your body to do basic activities (like walking, going up and down the stairs, and getting up from your seat) without pain, help optimize your performance during workouts like rowing and cycling, and help maintain the health of your lower back, pelvic floor, knees, and ankles.

6. Maintaining Bone Health

“Resistance training is also great for bone mineral density, and is actually one of the best treatments against osteopenia and osteoporosis,” says Smith. “Consistent resistance training will signal your muscles and bones to add mass, which is one of the most important things you can do for longevity.”

7. Improved Body Composition

Bone density aside, other benefits for body composition may be possible by wearing ankle weights—not even during a dedicated workout, but simply by going about your daily life. One 2016 study investigated the effects of wearing pairs of 500-gram (1.1-pound) ankle and wrist weights for 20 minutes a day, three days a week. Compared to baseline, adults who wore the weights experienced significant improvements in waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, body fat percentage, and skeletal muscle percentage across the six-week, three-month, and six-month checkpoints.

To that end, ankle weights may help you build more muscle mass, which can boost your basal metabolic rate and help you burn more calories at rest. “The more muscle you have, the more calories it takes you to maintain daily activity, which aids in reducing fat mass,” Smith explains. However, because they’re so light, ankle weights’ ability to do so is likely limited; to truly encourage muscular hypertrophy (increases in muscle size), you typically need to challenge your muscles with moderately heavy weights and use progressive overload to ensure you’re providing the stimulus needed to prompt muscle adaptation and growth.

8. Enhanced Walks

ICYMI, walking workouts are highly underrated but amazing for your mental and physical health—potentially even more so when you strap on ankle weights. In a 2017 study published in the Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation, healthy adults who walked with ankle weights amounting to one percent of their body weight covered more distance than those who walked without ankle weights, despite reducing their cadence and walking speed. The researchers suggest the weights likely helped by stabilizing the lower limbs and increasing the activity of the gluteus medius, which they expect would contribute to improved overall walking ability and function in daily life.

9. Rehabilitative Applications

It can also be valuable to walk with ankle weights in certain rehabilitative settings. “In physical therapy, sometimes we have patients walk with ankle weights to challenge their balance and increase strength,” Sommer says. (If you’re dealing with any injuries, consult a doctor, physical therapist, or other medical professional before trying to use ankle weights for this purpose.)

Who Are Ankle Weights Best Suited for?

Ankle weights are best suited for people who are generally healthy and injury-free. They can be helpful for those wanting to slowly ease into resistance training by using light weights, craving a stronger burn during barre classes, or looking for ways to “microload” certain strength workouts to increase the challenge without picking up heavy weights.

In short, ankle weights can be beneficial for a variety of workouts, people, and goals—but they don’t replace a more robust strength training routine. Rather, as Smith notes above, they can be a valuable addition to a plan that incorporates foundational strength training movements that target all major muscle groups. (If you don’t know where to start, consider following a program on the Peloton App or Peloton Strength+, or use the personalized plan feature to create your own.)

Moreover, there are some people who should steer clear of ankle weights altogether. “Anyone who has an abdominal injury, recent pregnancy, or things like hip replacement should use some caution when using ankle weights,” Smith continues. In these cases, be sure to consult your healthcare provider before taking them for a spin.

How to Choose the Right Ankle Weights

It’s ideal to start with lighter ankle weights (1 to 3 pounds) and work your way up to heavier ones if your body tolerates them well. “You will know you are ready to progress when you complete the repetitions of any given exercise with relative ease,” Smith says. “Remember: The weights being at your ankle makes them feel a lot heavier than if you had them up by your hip because of the length of the lever arm and the laws of physics. Even five pounds each is a lot for most people and most exercises.”

According to Smith—who’s tried dozens of pairs of ankle weights at his clinics—ankle weights that use steel bars are a safe bet. He gives bonus points to those that are adjustable, so you can increase the weight within the same pair over time. When buying ankle weights, also ensure that they have an adjustable fit and can strap on securely. Bala Bangles, the ankle and wrist weights used in Peloton classes, for example, are made of silicone-wrapped steel bars and use elastic hook-and-loop fasteners for a secure fit.

Safety Considerations When Using Ankle Weights

Although the load of ankle weights may seem modest, it’s still important to exercise caution (pardon the pun) when using them.

In short, it’s best to take a low and slow approach to using ankle weights to see how your body fares. “I always recommend that people try to do an exercise without them first and see how hard it feels,” says Smith. “If it’s already hard without ankle weights, there’s no need to add them until the movement gets easier.”

When it comes to walking with ankle weights, it’s best not to wear them too often or for extended periods. Sommer advises wearing them for no more than 30 to 60 minutes daily in order to reduce the risk of injury. “Wearing ankle weights for too long can lead to fatigue and potentially to falls,” Smith adds. “Because your coordination is calibrated in your brain without the ankle weights, you are more likely to catch your toe on a stair or bump.” There’s also a risk of the weights pulling on the ankle joint, potentially leading to injury. 

Choosing the right weight is also crucial. For example, the 2017 study cited above found that ankle weights accounting for 1 percent of a person’s body weight increased walking distance, while increasing to 2 percent had the opposite effect.

Also important: Keep these ankle-weighted walks to flat terrain and not your Tread. “Since the weight is down at your ankle, it creates a long lever, which throws off your center of gravity,” Sommer says. “This can result in losing balance because your brain doesn’t know where your body is in space.” You’ll also want to avoid wearing them while cycling, whether indoors or outdoors. “Using ankle weights on a Bike can increase the risk of hip flexor injury due to the repetitive nature of the cycling movement and [the extra] resistance for each pedal stroke,” Sommer adds.

The Takeaway

Wearing ankle weights can add an extra oomph and challenge to low-weight, high-rep exercise styles. They’re often used in low-impact fitness classes like yoga, Pilates, and barre; to add resistance to core, hip, glute, and leg exercises; and to activate the lower body during walks.

So long as ankle weights are used at the right time and place and with safety precautions in mind, there are plenty of benefits to wearing them. That said, you’ll also want to prioritize more comprehensive resistance training to sufficiently maintain and build muscle mass over time—ankle weights can be a great addition to your strength work, but they shouldn’t be all of it.