Walking with hand weights increases the calories you burn as you walk and adds resistance to tone your arm muscles. Because using hand weights may change how you swing your arms, this method should be used carefully, and isn't suitable for beginners or people with high blood pressure or heart disease. Taking time to learn proper technique will help you safely use walking with hand weights to increase your fitness. Walking and resistance training improve your cardiovascular health. This technique also helps you burn fat and keep valuable lean tissue during dieting or aging.
Step 1
Start with 1-lb. hand weights and use them for a short walk. For example, if you usually walk for 30 minutes, try the weights for a 20-minute walk to reduce the risk of excess fatigue or soreness.
Step 2
Stand up straight with your head level, your shoulders back and down, and your body lined up from your ears to your feet. Check your posture as you walk to make sure you aren't leaning forward or bending your neck to look at the ground. Grip one weight in each hand, with a firm enough pressure to hold the weight securely, but without extra tension in your hands.
Step 3
Push off from your heel and roll forward from the foot while raising your opposite arm. Keep your elbows bent like an L and swing your arms close to your body. Don't lock your elbows, and pay attention to swinging your arm naturally, without excessive force. Maintaining correct alignment while you walk with weights helps to prevent strain to your muscles, ligaments and joints.
Step 4
Warm up by walking slowly for five to 10 minutes to raise your heart rate, warm up your muscles and get used to the feel of the weights. Raise the weights in a smooth swing, maintaining a 90-degree angle bend in your elbow. Don't raise the weight higher than the level of your shoulder, and keep your wrists straight, not bent.
Step 5
Walk at your training heart rate of 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. Determine your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220. If you're out of shape, work at 60 percent of maximum and if you're an experienced exerciser, you can burn more calories by increasing your pace to walk at up to 80 percent of your maximum heart rate.
Step 6
Check yourself regularly as you walk to keep your posture erect and your arm swinging from your shoulder, close you your body. Holding the weights farther from your body or swinging your arms excessively can place unnecessary stress on your joints.
Step 7
Cool down by walking at a slower pace at the end of your walk. Continue walking at a slower pace for at least five minutes. The cooldown keeps blood from pooling in your legs. Take 10 minutes to stretch after your walk to increase flexibility, reduce soreness and stiffness and help prevent injuries.
Tips and Warnings
- Hand weights with nonslip grips remain secure in your grasp as you sweat. Walking regularly helps to maintain bone strength and reduce the risk of osteoporosis and heart disease. Increase your walking time gradually and wait 24 hours before trying the hand weights again when you're new to using them. This allows time to recover from muscle soreness and allow your body to repair the small tears in the muscle tissue caused by resistance training.
- Consult with your doctor about any medical concerns.
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