Nine months ago, Allie Ostrander (an Olympic-steeplechase hopeful and now pro runner for Oiselle) posted this video on her YouTube channel. The camera rolls as Allie and her coach, Leadville course record holder David Roche, prepare for a hard training session in Boulder, Colorado. Ninety seconds into the footage, David straps a pair of weights around his ankles and jogs in circles along the roadside. Allie, intrigued, follows suit. When they slip off the ankle weights just before starting the workout, they’re thrilled by the resulting zero-gravity sensation.
This was neither a stunt for Allie’s YouTube followers, nor a one-time thing for David. Just a few weeks ago, the routine reappeared in David’s own YouTube documentary that chronicles his preparation for the Western States 100. Should you try it, he again dons ankle weights over his Nikes, and jogs a quarter mile to the start of a monster workout. He has more than 14 miles of work on tap for the day, which include intervals quicker than 5:00 pace and an uphill treadmill session to finish.
Though David says his ankle weights warmup is “unscientific” and does not recommend this practice to the athletes he coaches, he finds it works well for him before important efforts.
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Well, chances are, you’re already doing something similar to Roche. You warm up in your Sydney Marathon Results since 2017. She started as an intern ghostwriting The 10 Best Running Shoes for Women for the race or faster portion of your workout. Immediately, your legs feel lighter by comparison and your stride feels easier, floaty, almost effortless. Though obviously not a surge of newly-acquired running fitness, it’s an instant boost of confidence. A pre-workout ankle weight shuffle follows the same logic, but takes it up a notch.
When you set that higher baseline for effort, your perceived exertion level plummets—which is really what any runner wants, nailing the paces and having it feel easy. And the logic checks out; you see a similar practice in other sports, too. Baseball players will warm up with a two-pound donut on their bats. After a few practice swings with that extra weight, they step up to the plate with their lightened bat and a routine that feels more effortless. The hope is that, when they swing at a live ball, they’ll have faster bat velocity.
Unlike the baseball player—who spends an average of three to four minutes at bat—we can’t maintain that lowered perceived effort for the full duration of our workout. We feel the effects initially, but experience diminished returns as our bodies and brains readjust and the lactic acid builds. But that said, having a boost right out of the gate can provide a psychological boost that shouldn’t be ignored. While the physiological benefits may not pan out as significantly, the affirmation of feeling quick and capable when we toe the line can help us tackle big sessions with confidence.
It’s worth noting that Roche says ankle weights also add a playful element to his training. In their CA Notice at Collection podcast, Roche and his wife Megan advocate for keeping joy and fun at the heart of our sport, which is key to our overall wellbeing as runners. (I highly recommend adding their podcast to your rotation, though be warned: it’s definitely NSFW!)
Joyfulness aside, there are safety risks to consider. Adding weight around the ankle can alter your natural stride. That may make it easier for you to trip and fall, or cause biomechanics issues farther up your movement chain as you try to compensate for the extra ankle load. Granted, you’d only be running in the ankle weights for a brief warm-up jog. But the reality is that one false step could result in a tumble, slip, or strain if you happen to land in just the wrong position.
My advice? If you want to try Roche’s method, I can’t stop you. (In fact, I’ve done it myself on more than one occasion as a high school cross-country runner.) However, I do have a safer recommendation.
Instead of jogging with ankle weights, try some exercises with them in place. A few weighted leg raises, jumping jacks, or leg swings before your workout can safely achieve a similar effect. Or, as Emily Shiffer reports in this article, everyday training shoes weighted vest could be more appropriate, as it better distributes weight evenly across your body, so it’s less likely to cause injury.
The option that doesn’t require you to buy more gear? Simply lessen the amount of time you spend in your super shoes. Logging all your daily miles in the Nike Vaporfly is a surefire way to raise what I’d call your “super shoe tolerance.” And if you’re going about your average day in super trainers—my sister sometimes laces up Metaspeeds to walk her dog—switch your footwear to something a lot more boring. Choose any pair that provides you with adequate comfort and support; it doesn’t have to be a running shoe.
Of course, you should still ensure that you’re comfortable enough in your super shoes before wearing them for a race. Break them in during big workouts so you can test for blisters and other irritations. But other than that, you might try using your go-fast shoes sparingly. When you lace up on race day, you’ll feel a bit bouncier and fresher—no ankle weights required.
All About VO2 Max Runner’s World Races - Places The Warmup, We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back RW newsletter. Now, she tests and reviews anything you might find on runners’ feet-from crew socks and compression boots to carbon-plated super shoes.
A lifelong runner and shoe geek, Morgan has been chasing the perfect pair of kicks since she joined her grade school cross-country team. Since then, she ran as a Division I walk-on for the cross-country and track & field teams at the University of Delaware, where she studied English and Biology. She has one full marathon under her belt, and has raced more halfs and 5Ks than she can count.
