If there’s one thing that evolves faster than trends on TikTok, it’s how quickly toxic diet culture can hide as a ‘wellness hack’. According to our TikTok feeds, our ‘hot girl walks’ have levelled up with a new accessory. The ankle weight.
But are they doing more harm than good?
Ankle weights have had quite the rebrand over the last few years. We’re seeing sleek designs, soft pastels and dare I say, they actually look kinda cute (for ankle weights). They no longer look like a relic of 80’s aerobics workouts and don’t give off the same vision as Kath and Kim with their walking weights. IYKYK.
When it comes to Pilates, I’m all for adding a bit of heat to my flows, but when TikTok tells me I ‘should’ be wearing these weights as I track my daily 10k steps, ‘promising’ to transform my lower body, I can spot the diet culture red flag from a mile away.
We’re even seeing people commit to a full day in ankle weights. Now, that screams excessive exercise in disguise.
These wellness trends lend themselves to the idea of habit stacking and wellness hacking. If we can do our weights whilst we answer emails, then that’s a win, right? Unfortunately not.
Diet culture aside, I wanted to understand whether this trend is physically (not just mentally) doing more harm than good. So, I picked the brain of Kic’s physio, Ash Ormond, whether ankle weights are fad or fact.
What exercises are ankle weights best used for? And what are the benefits?
Ankle weights definitely have a place in your fitness routine. When used intentionally, ankle weights are a great tool for adding resistance to bodyweight exercises. Think side lying-leg raises, donkey kicks, or core exercises where you want a little extra spice. They can be especially useful in rehab settings to build strength gradually, or to target specific muscle groups without loading the spine like you would with dumbbells and barbells.
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And of course, let’s not forget that resistance training isn’t just about aesthetics. There are real, meaningful health benefits like improved bone density, reducing osteoporosis risk, and building resilience in our tendons and ligaments, which is especially great if you’re a runner.
So, it’s a big ‘yes’ to ankle weights from me, just maybe not everywhere, and certainly not all of the time.
Should we be wearing ankle weights on our hot girl walks?
Short answer: No, not really. Or at least, not as a default daily ritual.
Hot girl walks are literally my Roman Empire, I love them. And whilst the thought of multitasking my way to Hayley Bieber-coded legs by strapping weights on my ankles for a walk is tempting, the risk-to-benefit ratio is actually pretty skewed. And besides, surely we’ve learnt by now that it’s not that simple.
Walking with ankle weights will inherently change the way you move; your gait, posture, and muscle recruitment, which isn’t always a good thing: they place extra load on your joints, particularly your hips, knees, and spine, which can add up quickly over time. That repetitive stress can increase your risk of tendon injuries, muscle strains, or even lower back niggles, especially if you’re wearing them to hit your 10k step goal without the right shoes, the muscle strength to support the load, or recovery in between.
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If you want to spice up your hot girl walk, skip the ankle weights and try walking faster, finding a hill, or adding some intervals, which gives you far more bang for your cardio buck, and your joints won’t be screaming at you afterwards.
Is it dangerous to use ankle weights outside of the context of exercising?
Yes, this is where we start steering into ‘red flag wellness trend’ territory.
Wearing ankle weights all day under your pants at work, while waiting in line for your coffee, or even while sitting at your desk might feel like a wellness hack, but your body doesn’t see it that way. Joints like your hips, knees, and lower back aren’t designed to be under constant load.
There’s also something to be said for the mindset behind this. If you’re strapping ankle weights on to burn extra calories or feel like you’re being “productive” even in your rest moments, maybe pause before hitting ‘add to cart.’ Ask yourself “is this supporting me, or just another sneaky wellness trap in cute packaging?”
This isn’t strength training; it’s more like low-key overtraining dressed up as wellness. Movement should support your body, not deplete it, and we deserve better than feeling like we need to earn our rest just to exist.
Have you noticed a rise in injuries or niggles related to wellness trends like this?
Absolutely.
Clients bring these trends up all the time; whether it’s 12-3-30, 75 hard, lymphatic drainage workouts, or now ankle weights. It’s often young women engaging with this content, and understandably so, as these trends are almost always marketed to them, wrapped in the language of empowerment and self-improvement. I actually really appreciate it when clients ask, “I saw this on TikTok, is it legit?” because it opens up an important conversation about what movement looks like when it’s truly supportive of their goals, their bodies, and their relationship with exercise and self-worth.
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Most of these fitness trends tend to come with a spike in overuse injuries; think Achilles or patellar tendinopathies, hip flexor flare-ups, and those classic lower back niggles. It’s usually the result of jumping into something new way too hard, way too fast, and often without much guidance. It’s the wellness equivalent of going from 0 to 100.
It’s really common for clients to come in after trying a trend they saw online, hoping it’ll help them feel stronger, fitter, or just more in routine again. And honestly, I get it. These kinds of fitness trends seem simple, motivating, and often come with big promises. But without the right build-up or support, they can lead to overload pretty quickly. Cue angry glutes, tight calves, and a very confused body.
At the end of the day, the internet is always going to be inventing new ways to tell women they need to do more to be “better.” More toned, more productive, more disciplined. Sometimes the healthiest thing we can do is zoom out, ditch the ankle weights (unless you’re using them to spice up your mat Pilates workout), and remind ourselves that movement is meant to support us, not be another way to constantly shape, shrink, or change our bodies.
It’s a pass for us
So there you have it… Another TikTok trend busted. It’s the all or nothing mindset that makes these trends so toxic. I’ve been there, I get it. Pushing your body to the edge at all points of the day may feel like it’s promising you results, but what I can promise you, is that it’s not.
I know how tempting these quick-fixes can feel; diet culture is constantly trying to tell us to shrink, tone and shape up. You do not need to do this. Continue your movement, workouts and training because you LOVE it. You do not need to do this to change your body.
You are enough, just as you are – without the ankle weights.
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