Walking with dumbbells may seem an ideal way to burn lots of calories with minimal effort. It's not, Dr. Michael Yessis, The Walking Site and Internet Fitness warn. Sure, you'll burn off a few more calories, but not enough to make much of a difference. Even if you add 10 lbs. of weight to your walking workout, you're only going to increase your calorie burn by at most eight calories per mile. You're also introducing some risks.
High Blood Pressure
Walking with dumbbells can cause high blood pressure, both Dr. Michael Yessis and The Walking Site warns. High blood pressure, in turn, can lead to a host of other problems, Mayo Clinic adds. High blood pressure can eventually damage your arteries, heart and brain, leading to aneurisms, heart failure or even a stroke. Nerve damage and other eye problems often come from high blood pressure, as do a number of sudden emergencies, such as heart attacks, sudden shortness of breath and a sudden loss of kidney function.
Strains
Ligament and tendon strains are another risk of walking with dumbbells, according to Yessis and The Walking Site, especially if you make a habit of it. Continuous, repetitive movements often lead to chronic strains, Mayo Clinic notes, even when the movement includes no extra weights, as in golfing or rowing. Repetitive movements with dumbbells your arms aren't used to carrying is asking for trouble. Your arms can become fatigued and their muscles fail to properly support your joints.
Joints
Just like walking with dumbbells can stress out or fatigue your tendons and ligaments, it can do the same to your joints, Yessis and The Walking Site explain. Stressed-out joints can be painful, with pain levels ranging from mild to severe enough to prevent you from moving them, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Other Hazards
As if high blood pressure, strains and joint problems are not enough, walking with dumbbells has a couple more dangers. The dumbbells can throw off your stride, especially if you're swinging your arms at a rapid pace, Internet Fitness reports. When you're stride is out of whack, it can mess up your balance as well as put you at a bigger risk for injury. One more danger of walking with dumbbells is the risk of dropping them. Even if they are only 1 or 2 lbs., they could end up tripping you or someone else or land at just the right ankle to damage your feet or ankles.
References
- Dr. Yessis Sports Training: Should You Use Hand Weights When Running? by Dr. Michael Yessis, President of Sports Training, Inc.
- The Walking Site: Frequently Asked Questions
- Mayo Clinic: High Blood Pressure
- Mayo Clinic: Sprains and Strains
- Mayo Clinic: Joint Pain
- Internet Fitness: Walking With Weight
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