How Should I Use Wrist Weights?

Wrist weights are a type of weighted clothing, meaning that they are worn directly on the body, that are sometimes used during athletic activity to increase muscle tone. Unlike conventional weights, such as dumbbells, weighted clothing leaves the hands free, which allows for normal arm use while wearing. In addition to their use during various types of strength training, wrist weights are wearable during cardiovascular exercise and, more broadly, during normal everyday activities. Owing to their flexibility in terms of size and weight, they are sometimes worn under ordinary clothing to increase arm toning throughout the day.

One particularly common use of wrist weights is during cardiovascular exercise. Adding weight to the wrists provides an additional component of arm muscle toning, transforming a cardiovascular routine into a full body workout. Due to the added weight, normal arm movement during exercise, such as running or training on an elliptical machine, increases muscle tone without further arm exercise. The weight increase also works the rest of the body harder as a result of the resistance caused by the increased gravitational force.

Furthermore, wrist weights can be worn to increase calorie burning and muscle toning during daily walks and hikes, whether for recreational, practical, or weight-loss purposes. Smaller and consequently lower-resistance weights are often wearable during all aspects of daily life. Owing to their smaller size and attachment to the wrists, they are easily concealable under long-sleeve shirts and jackets and allow for all-day resistance training, whether worn at the office or while engaging in daily activities. In addition, wrist weights are wearable around the home to add strength training to house and yard work.

Wrist weights also provide an easy alternative to a gym workout when used as a substitute for dumbbells in home strength training. Nearly all dumbbell lifts, such as bicep curls and overhead presses, are doable with added wrist weights, though in many cases a higher number of repetitions may be required to compensate for the decrease in weight resistance. For more advanced workout routines, weighted wrists increase natural body resistance during body weight exercises such as pull-ups, chin-ups, and dips. They also provide additional muscle toning during other ordinarily weight-free exercises, including sit-ups, jumping jacks, and lunges. Simply wearing wrist weights during a workout at or any other time provides resistance and increases muscle toning.