Weighted Training... Anyone?

[Fivelemental]

I was curious to see if anyone else wears training weights when practicing technique? I've got a set of 5 lb ankle weights that I wear all day long just about every day, and seldom take them off. When practicing kicks, they help me develop speed and control, and practicing technique and accuracy with upper body strikes, I'll transfer the weights to my wrists to help develop better control. I've been meaning up pick up a set of 10 lb weights but I haven't had time to. When I take the weights off, the speed and strength of strikes and overal body movement just feels great.

Anyone else train with weights??

[rodders]

hmm over training with these type of weights can have bad effects on your body. I'm not too sure about the details but maybe other members will fill you in.

[Fivelemental]

I'm aware of the effects of overtraining and 5 lbs hardly sounds like over training anything... Slow movements while wearing the weights seems to help me gain much better control over my body, and so far haven't seen any negative side effects.

[sannin227]

no matter what during the day your gonna be forced to make sudden movements and when that happens it will be very bad for your joints, better take them off when your not really training.

[Fivelemental]

Hmm... ankle weights have never seemed to restrict the movements of my joints, even when making 'sudden movements' (running, etc.) but it sounds as if wearing weights is unpopular. I consider everything in my life training for something. Everyone I talk to says ankle weights are uncomfortable but I can barely tell I've got mine on.

[sannin227]

Originally Posted by Fivelemental

Hmm... ankle weights have never seemed to restrict the movements of my joints, even when making 'sudden movements' (running, etc.) but it sounds as if wearing weights is unpopular. I consider everything in my life training for something. Everyone I talk to says ankle weights are uncomfortable but I can barely tell I've got mine on.

I'm not talking about the comfortability of the weights, when you for instance kick, when the kick is fully extended your leg has to pull itself back, the force moving through the knee. Joints are meant to be compressed and not extended, so doing that or making any movement with a sudden stop will injure you if you have basically any weights on, let alone 10 lbs.

[Fivelemental]

I see what everyone is saying, and have read the information posted on the forums about wearing weights. When training techniques while wearing weights, all my movements are slowed and controlled. Moving slowly with weights builds better muscle control than flinging your limbs around out of control, which, as everyone knows, is quite dangerous. When I want to practice speed I take the weights off. Wearing the weights throughout my day helps me work with more resistence.

I'm not ignoring the advice that wearing weights can be dangerous, however, having a constant awareness of your bodily movements helps build a strong sense of control over the body. Knowing I've got the weights on means I have to be more careful with myself and control my movements, correct? This means I am more aware of what I'm doing with my body, as opposed to just letting my body move on its own without my acknowledgement.

I can't remember the last time within the past 3 months I've had to 'suddenly' front snap kick or side kick through my day while wearing my weights.

[rodders]

you might have do in a self defense situation. And you can never predict when it might happen.

[Fivelemental]

You're very right, in which case my primary self defense style doesn't involve kicking anyway but who knows what may happen. I'm not an easy person to get into a fight with since I'd much rather solve a situation quietly, however, removing my weights is as easy as pulling on a velro tab.

[Ben]

my snesai even told me not to practise kicks in the air without wieghts on because the effects on your joints wil cause major long term damage, god knows what 5lbs will do to you.

you want better kicks, horse stance, heavy punch bag.

[Fivelemental]

80% of my forms are based on the horse stance. I'm quite sure I mentioned I 'train' with weights in quite a slow motion if even that is bad for you then I wonder someone made ankle weights to begin with, or why they haven't recalled them all yet.

[sirdarksol]

Ankle/Wrist Weights

This topic has come up before. All of my comments regarding it should be in the above post.

[Fivelemental]

I've read that post and think it's great! Super imformative! However, my topic is asking if anyone else trains with weights.

[sirdarksol]

That's fine.
I was just making a link to the post to include my thoughts (and many other members' posts) on using ankle weights (and wrist weights) into the thread.

[Chapel]

Sirdarksol goes and steals everything I might say by linking to my earlier thread...

On a different thread a member named Spinach was also talking about wrist/ankle weights. If I remember what he was saying it is that training your muscles dynamically (read: snap kicks) with added weight will ruin your ability to kick regularly as you get you body to adapt to a different method of kicking. That, added to the additional risk of hyper extension, is enough to keep me away from weights for anything other than a few slower exercises like leg raises.