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working out on the cheap - does this item exist

I bought myself a pair of small 20# hexagon dumbels today and I was curious if there is a strap available of some kind that allows me to attach them to my ankles/legs for some leg excersizes so I don't have to buy a bunch much more stuff?

I'd dig a weight bench with the leg part built in but I don't have the space for all that mess. Also, if you have one, do you actually use it?
 
Why anyone starts attaching crap to their legs is beyond me. Here's some other stuff:
http://exercise.about.com/od/exerciseworkouts/ss/bestbuttexercis_3.htm (lol at the name..."best butt exercises" haha)
http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Gastrocnemius/WTDonkeyCalfRaise.html
Also you can do squats just holding on to the dumbbells. You can also do something that is almost exactly like squats but unweighted. Put your hands on your head and do the squat motion, but go almost all the way down (your butt should be like 6" off the ground).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLBAbqEZIeU

You can also use dumbbells to do these: http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Hamstrings/DBStrBackStrLegDeadlift.html
Those badboys will tear your hamstrings UP

etc, etc, etc
 
I have this velcro cord-wrapping stuff that I used with plates for ankle weights when I busted my leg. I wouldn't recommend it, though. And with actual dumbbells... I don't know about that. I'd suggest investing in a cheap set of plates and handles - I got 140# of plates, a barbell and a pair of dumbbell handles for like $80 last year and they keep me plenty busy. Large plates with smooth edges and a rim-and-spoke design make decent cheapo kettle bells, too.
~Joe
 
Legs carry plenty of weight and there are lots of ways to give them a workout without any need to strap weights onto them. I almost never recommend anyone listen to PK, but this time I do.
 
I almost never recommend anyone listen to PK, but this time I do.

:-O that's not nice!

But I'll take you guys' word for it and not bother then.
 
doing a squat sans weight puts something like 9 or 12 times your body weight worth of stress on your knees(forget the exact number the surgeon told me last year)........you want to work out your legs? best thing i have found is the standard workout for getting ready for elk hunting......strap on a 40 pound pack and do stairs.....that will build leg muscle faster than most anything and not do the huge amounts of stress some of the weight lifting techniques that can cause injury .....a stationary bike works well too....out of 4 kids, 3 of us have bad knees due to a genetic quirk in the structure of our knees....the three of us that do(one of which is a physical therapist) are constantly tearing into our baby brother for his idiotic habit of squatting 300 plus pounds and similar exercises "just cause he can"........between 3 of us we have 6 knee surgeries and with more likely in our futures and are trying to prevent our stubborn brother from following the same path.......there are plenty of "safe" ways to build leg muscle without weird weight training just cause its convenient..
 
But I'll take you guys' word for it and not bother then.

Real ankle weights that are built to fit well are a different story; they have ones made with sandbags or foam with weights embedded inside that are very comfortable. It's a pretty excessive training method as far as things go... all I did when I used ankle weights was walk around and do household things, with the idea being that the weights would help me stop favoring my busted foot.
I got my strength back but it didn't do anything for my overall imbalance. I think this kind of training has to be really carefully monitored and balanced. If you're going to be applying constant pressure on your body, especially with weights as big as 20#, you have to pay attention to what it's doing to your ergonomics, and then stretch and balance the weights accordingly. If you have some exercise program you want to do that calls for it specifically, then I'd consider it, but if you're just looking for stuff to do, go with pushups or something.
~Joe
 
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