Do hand weights and ankle weights increase the intensity of a workout?
A. Adding extra weight in the form of hand, wrist or ankle weights increases the total amount of mass that must be moved, so it’s reasonable to assume that using extra weight would provide a boost to aerobic workouts. In fact, research has shown that using small weights of 1-3 pounds increases heart rate, oxygen uptake and the total number of calories expended during weight bearing aerobic activities. The magnitude of the increase tends to be approximately 5-15%–a value that is much less than the claims made by many of the proponents of using hands and ankle weights. You can easily achieve similar increases in caloric output by exercising a little longer or at a slightly higher level of intensity.
