Fitness•Jan 02, 2025

The Best Ankle Weight Exercises

By The Sculpt Society

Incorporating ankle weights into your workouts is an easy yet effective way to challenge your body and amplify your workout routine. These compact tools provide added resistance, helping you build strength, engage different muscle groups, and improve balance and stability. Whether you’re a beginner or experienced in workouts, incorporating ankle weight exercises can elevate your training and bring variety to your workouts.

Why Use Ankle Weights for Strength Training?

Ankle weights are a simple but powerful way to intensify your movements and target key muscle groups. They’re versatile, portable, and suitable for various fitness levels, making them a favorite for anyone looking to enhance their ankle strength or mobility.

Benefits of Adding Ankle Weights to Your Workouts

Enhanced Muscle Activation: Extra resistance helps engage leg muscles, hip flexors, and core muscles during every movement.
Targeted Strength Training: Ideal for ankle strengthening exercises, weights improve stability and reduce the risk of injuries, such as ankle sprain.
Convenience: Ankle weights are lightweight and portable. They are perfect for travel fitness, so you can maintain your routine wherever you go.
Progressive Overload: As your ankle strength improves, you can adjust the resistance with adjustable ankle weights to keep challenging your muscles.

Best Lower Body Exercises with Ankle Weights

Ankle weights are a great way to take your lower-body workouts to the next level. By adding resistance, you’ll activate and strengthen your glutes, thighs, and calves more effectively, making each move feel even more challenging and rewarding.

1. Inner Thigh Lifts

This exercise focuses on the inner thighs and is perfect for toning and strengthening. With ankle weights on, lie on your side and lift your top leg while keeping your core engaged. Slowly lower it back down with control. Switch sides after completing your reps.

2. Glute Kickbacks

For this movement, position yourself on all fours. Attach ankle weights and kick one leg straight back, focusing on squeezing your glutes at the top of the movement. Alternate between legs to work both sides evenly.

3. Standing Side-Leg Lifts

This exercise is excellent for engaging your hip abductors. Standing tall, lift one leg out to the side while keeping your body stable. Lower your leg with control and repeat on the other side.

Best Core Exercises with Ankle Weights

Ankle weights add a unique challenge to core workouts by increasing resistance, which forces your abs and hip flexors to work harder. These exercises are perfect for building a stronger, more stable midsection.

1. Leg Raises

Lie on your back with ankle weights securely fastened. Lift your legs together toward the ceiling while keeping your lower back pressed to the ground. Lower them slowly for added tension on your leg raise exercise.

2. Weighted Bicycle Crunches

Take this classic move to the next level by adding ankle weights. With your legs in a tabletop position, alternate extending one leg straight out while twisting your opposite elbow toward the bent knee.

How to Engage Your Abs and Core with Added Resistance

When performing weighted core movements, focus on slow, controlled motions to ensure you’re engaging the right muscles without straining your lower back. Proper form is key to maximizing the benefits of ankle weights.

Best Upper Body Exercises with Ankle Weights

While often associated with lower body movements, ankle weights can be used creatively for upper body strength and ankle stability. They add resistance to dynamic movements, engaging your shoulders, arms, and core.

1. Dancing Arms

Add ankle weights to your palms and move your arms rhythmically in dynamic, dance-inspired motions. This not only tones your shoulders and arms but also keeps the workout fun and engaging.

2. Weighted Arm Pulses

Attach ankle weights to your palms and extend your arms out to the sides and hold them steady, feeling the resistance in your shoulders. Focus on small, controlled pulses up and down to engage your shoulders and upper arms fully. For added variety, try alternating between vertical pulses and small circular movements.

Tips for Safe and Effective Workouts with Ankle Weights

Using ankle weights effectively requires a thoughtful approach to prevent injury and maximize results. Always prioritize safety and proper form when adding resistance to your workouts.

Use Them on Your Palms: For upper-body movements, place ankle weights on your palms instead of wrists to avoid joint discomfort and potential injury.
Start Small: If you’re new to using weights, begin with light options like our adjustable ankle weights and gradually increase as you gain strength.
Focus on Recovery: Balance your routine with recovery sessions, such as a low-impact workout, to allow your muscles to repair and grow.
Limit Usage: Avoid using ankle weights during high-impact cardio, as this can strain your joints. Instead, focus on targeted movements for better results.

Enhance Your Training with The Sculpt Society

The Sculpt Society offers a variety of programs that incorporate resistance tools like ankle weights to challenge your strength, stability, and endurance. Here are three programs that pair perfectly with weighted exercises:

Quickie Program: These short, targeted workouts (25 minutes or less) focus on sculpting specific muscle groups, making them ideal for adding ankle weights to intensify the burn.
Intermediate Program: This 30-minute workout program delivers 4 weeks of low-impact workout sessions leveraging bodyweight exercises. Each session maximizes every minute, sculpting and toning your entire body while building strength and endurance.
Advanced Program: For those ready to turn things up a notch, this high-intensity program features 45-minute, full-body classes that can incorporate tools like ankle weights to challenge your muscles and push your limits.

With these programs, you’ll discover how ankle weight exercises can transform your routine, helping you build strength, overcome a workout plateau, and keep your fitness journey fresh and exciting. Let The Sculpt Society inspire you to move with confidence and strength, one sculpting session at a time.

Take the Next Step in Your Strength Journey

Incorporating ankle weights into your workouts is a simple yet powerful way to level up your routine, strengthen key muscle groups, and add variety to your fitness journey. Whether you’re just starting with low-impact movements or pushing yourself with high-intensity sculpt sessions, the right exercises and programs can make all the difference.

At The Sculpt Society, our thoughtfully designed programs offer the perfect balance of challenge and support, empowering you to move with confidence and strength. So strap on those ankle weights, listen to your body’s cues, and discover how small changes can deliver big results.

Sources:

Better Health. Resistance training – health benefits. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/resistance-training-health-benefits

Medpoint. Maximise Your Gym Time: Tips for Using Ankle & Wrist Weights. https://medpoint.ie/maximise-your-gym-time-tips-for-using-ankle-wrist-weights/

University Hospitals. Will Wearable Weights Improve Your Fitness?. https://www.uhhospitals.org/blog/articles/2024/07/will-wearable-weights-improve-your-fitness#:~:text=Running%20or%20walking%20with%20ankle,the%20knees%2C%20hips%20and%20back

NEW WORKOUTS EVERY WEEK

Try The Sculpt Society
FreeFor 7-Days

Get access to 900+ workout videos, anytime, anywhere on all your favorite devices.

START FREE TRIAL