"I wouldn't suggest running with weights. I don't personally see any upside to it."
That advice is from Holly Rilinger [1] — an NASM-certified personal trainer, the author of LIFTED, and a Nike master trainer — and I should have asked for it before taking off on a two-mile run with one-pound Bala [2] weights strapped to my ankles.
A Shark Tank episode introduced me to the trendy fitness accessory. Every shark — including tennis legend Maria Sharapova — wanted in, and so did I. Ironically enough, I received a press email a few days later, offering a free sample.
The weighted bangles arrived on my scheduled running day — so I impatiently velcroed them in place and took off, anticipating toned legs in return for 20 mins of jogging [3].
Instead of that intense added burn, I felt sluggish at the one-mile mark, which had nothing to do with the weights and everything to do with my lack of training — trust me, this wasn't a new feeling.
For mile two, I switched the weights to my wrists, which I believed to be a stroke of genius at the time.
Still nothing. The added weight encouraged me to pump my arms a little more, causing them to fatigue slightly faster — but overall, my experiment fell flat.
It was clear to me that being an athlete doesn't mean I'm a fitness expert that can invent workouts or new uses for workout equipment at random. So, I contacted Rilinger inquiring about those toned muscles I thought were a given.
"The only reason you should add weight to any movement is because you have mastered that movement, and even still, I wouldn't necessarily suggest adding weights to running [5]," she clarified.
Rilinger believes the reason I didn't feel anything was the same reason I didn't injure myself: my weights were only one pound each.
In Rilinger's opinion, carrying weights while running can negatively affect your arm swing and alter your stride, while adding them to sensitive joints [7], like your ankles, could put you at risk for injury.
Although she doesn't recommend running [8] with weights, Rilinger did say that a light weighted vest could distribute the weight more safely and is less likely to affect your gate — but you should first check in with a certified personal trainer or your doctor before doing so.
"By altering the way you naturally run, you will stress muscles that shouldn't be stressed by running [9]. These imbalances will cause your body to adjust, and there can be a domino effect of injuries," Rilinger summarises.
So, after a short running career, I've now retired my Bala bangles to my yoga mat, where they'll be properly used throughout Pilates sessions.