Many people wear weights to increase the caloric cost of walking and running. Some wear weighted vests, while others use ankle weights. Is weighted walking effective for burning more calories, and where is the best place to wear the weights?

Researchers from the University of Colorado, Boulder found that wearing weights on the ankles burned more calories than wearing them on the waist or thighs. Waist or thigh weights increased metabolism, but not as much as ankle weights.

EMG, a measure of the electrical activity of muscles, showed increased leg muscle activation during ankle loading. Caloric consumption increases by 30 percent wearing a backpack with a load equal to 20 percent of bodyweight. This study showed that the metabolic cost increases disproportionately when the load is added to the extremities.

This explains why it is more tiring carrying a weight in a suitcase than in a backpack. Weighted walking increases the caloric cost of exercise, particularly if you wear the weights on your ankles. [sources: Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, Fitness RX]