Training with ankle weights. Yay or nay?

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Can't see how ankle weights are going to be any great help unless you're coming back from an injury or something.

I would also have thought that their best use is i building up muscle when doing a long run or that. If you're using it for normal training or a match situation you are not moving uniformly so it would have to put undue stress on your ankle or knee at various times.

Basically I think your coach has lost it. Are ankle weights really going to help you put the ball over the bar more easily?

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What's the general consensus on training using ankle weights, or any other kind of weighted clothing for that matter? I can see the benefits for building power in the legs but I've heard it can be quite hard on the joints and ligaments. Any thoughts?

Generally as long as the force is balanced all round the point of wearing it then there should be no bother. However the problem is that none of us are perfectly aligned and in fact when your foot lands you distribute weight unevenly throughout the leg by introducing a force which is eccentric to the line of action of the leg. The further the eccentric force is from the joint the more effect it will have. So ankle weights shouldn't be a problem for the ankle as they are close to it. They could cause a little instability and make you twist it easier but if the foot lands correctly then it shouldn't be an issue.

The big problem is that those ankle weights are a long way from the knee joint. Eccentricity causes a sideways pull on the knee and therefore a twisting action that is not natural. over time this is likely to cause increased meniscus (cartlige) impact and swelling, pain, tearing, weakening...etc.

I personally overpronate (I'm sure most people have heard of that) and any extra weight in my ankle area causes pain in my knee.

Now weight carried above the waist evenly distributed across the shoulders is a different matter. In this case the body is not rigidly connected to the knee joint. So, even though the weight is further from the knee (or ankle for that matter), the upper body is flexible enough to redistribute the extra weight so that it transfers concentrically (down the exact line) to the leg. Though, in fairness, it will add to the force on the muscles around the waist as they work harder to align the upper body during running.

I hope this view helps

Thanks for that. Thats the kind of info I'm after.