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User Research Is Storytelling
Ever since I was a boy, I’ve been fascinated with movies. I loved the characters and the excitement—but most of all the stories. I wanted to be an actor. And I believed that I’d get to do the things that Indiana Jones did and go on exciting adventures. I even dreamed up ideas for movies that my friends and I could make and star in. But they never went any further. I did, however, end up working in user experience (UX). Now, I realize that there’s an element of theater to UX—I hadn’t really considered it before, but user research is storytelling. And to get the most out of user research, you need to tell a good story where you bring stakeholders—the product team and decision makers—along and get them interested in learning more.
Think of your favorite movie. More than likely it follows a three-act structure that’s commonly seen in storytelling: the setup, the conflict, and the resolution. The first act shows what exists today, and it helps you get to know the characters and the challenges and problems that they face. Act two introduces the conflict, where the action is. Here, problems grow or get worse. And the third and final act is the resolution. This is where the issues are resolved and the characters learn and change. I believe that this structure is also a great way to think about user research, and I think that it can be especially helpful in explaining user research to others.
Use storytelling as a structure to do research
It’s sad to say, but many have come to see research as being expendable. If budgets or timelines are tight, research tends to be one of the first things to go. Instead of investing in research, some product managers rely on designers or—worse—their own opinion to make the “right” choices for users based on their experience or accepted best practices. That may get teams some of the way, but that approach can so easily miss out on solving users’ real problems. To remain user-centered, this is something we should avoid. User research elevates design. It keeps it on track, pointing to problems and opportunities. Being aware of the issues with your product and reacting to them can help you stay ahead of your competitors.
In the three-act structure, each act corresponds to a part of the process, and each part is critical to telling the whole story. Let’s look at the different acts and how they align with user research.
Act one: setup
The setup is all about understanding the background, and that’s where foundational research comes in. Foundational research (also called generative, discovery, or initial research) helps you understand users and identify their problems. You’re learning about what exists today, the challenges users have, and how the challenges affect them—just like in the movies. To do foundational research, you can conduct contextual inquiries or diary studies (or both!), which can help you start to identify problems as well as opportunities. It doesn’t need to be a huge investment in time or money.
Erika Hall writes about minimum viable ethnography, which can be as simple as spending 15 minutes with a user and asking them one thing: “‘Walk me through your day yesterday.’ That’s it. Present that one request. Shut up and listen to them for 15 minutes. Do your damndest to keep yourself and your interests out of it. Bam, you’re doing ethnography.” According to Hall, “[This] will probably prove quite illuminating. In the highly unlikely case that you didn’t learn anything new or useful, carry on with enhanced confidence in your direction.”
This makes total sense to me. And I love that this makes user research so accessible. You don’t need to prepare a lot of documentation; you can just recruit participants and do it! This can yield a wealth of information about your users, and it’ll help you better understand them and what’s going on in their lives. That’s really what act one is all about: understanding where users are coming from.
Jared Spool talks about the importance of foundational research and how it should form the bulk of your research. If you can draw from any additional user data that you can get your hands on, such as surveys or analytics, that can supplement what you’ve heard in the foundational studies or even point to areas that need further investigation. Together, all this data paints a clearer picture of the state of things and all its shortcomings. And that’s the beginning of a compelling story. It’s the point in the plot where you realize that the main characters—or the users in this case—are facing challenges that they need to overcome. Like in the movies, this is where you start to build empathy for the characters and root for them to succeed. And hopefully stakeholders are now doing the same. Their sympathy may be with their business, which could be losing money because users can’t complete certain tasks. Or maybe they do empathize with users’ struggles. Either way, act one is your initial hook to get the stakeholders interested and invested.
Once stakeholders begin to understand the value of foundational research, that can open doors to more opportunities that involve users in the decision-making process. And that can guide product teams toward being more user-centered. This benefits everyone—users, the product, and stakeholders. It’s like winning an Oscar in movie terms—it often leads to your product being well received and successful. And this can be an incentive for stakeholders to repeat this process with other products. Storytelling is the key to this process, and knowing how to tell a good story is the only way to get stakeholders to really care about doing more research.
This brings us to act two, where you iteratively evaluate a design or concept to see whether it addresses the issues.
Act two: conflict
Act two is all about digging deeper into the problems that you identified in act one. This usually involves directional research, such as usability tests, where you assess a potential solution (such as a design) to see whether it addresses the issues that you found. The issues could include unmet needs or problems with a flow or process that’s tripping users up. Like act two in a movie, more issues will crop up along the way. It’s here that you learn more about the characters as they grow and develop through this act.
Usability tests should typically include around five participants according to Jakob Nielsen, who found that that number of users can usually identify most of the problems: “As you add more and more users, you learn less and less because you will keep seeing the same things again and again… After the fifth user, you are wasting your time by observing the same findings repeatedly but not learning much new.”
There are parallels with storytelling here too; if you try to tell a story with too many characters, the plot may get lost. Having fewer participants means that each user’s struggles will be more memorable and easier to relay to other stakeholders when talking about the research. This can help convey the issues that need to be addressed while also highlighting the value of doing the research in the first place.
Researchers have run usability tests in person for decades, but you can also conduct usability tests remotely using tools like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or other teleconferencing software. This approach has become increasingly popular since the beginning of the pandemic, and it works well. You can think of in-person usability tests like going to a play and remote sessions as more like watching a movie. There are advantages and disadvantages to each. In-person usability research is a much richer experience. Stakeholders can experience the sessions with other stakeholders. You also get real-time reactions—including surprise, agreement, disagreement, and discussions about what they’re seeing. Much like going to a play, where audiences get to take in the stage, the costumes, the lighting, and the actors’ interactions, in-person research lets you see users up close, including their body language, how they interact with the moderator, and how the scene is set up.
If in-person usability testing is like watching a play—staged and controlled—then conducting usability testing in the field is like immersive theater where any two sessions might be very different from one another. You can take usability testing into the field by creating a replica of the space where users interact with the product and then conduct your research there. Or you can go out to meet users at their location to do your research. With either option, you get to see how things work in context, things come up that wouldn’t have in a lab environment—and conversion can shift in entirely different directions. As researchers, you have less control over how these sessions go, but this can sometimes help you understand users even better. Meeting users where they are can provide clues to the external forces that could be affecting how they use your product. In-person usability tests provide another level of detail that’s often missing from remote usability tests.
That’s not to say that the “movies”—remote sessions—aren’t a good option. Remote sessions can reach a wider audience. They allow a lot more stakeholders to be involved in the research and to see what’s going on. And they open the doors to a much wider geographical pool of users. But with any remote session there is the potential of time wasted if participants can’t log in or get their microphone working.
The benefit of usability testing, whether remote or in person, is that you get to see real users interact with the designs in real time, and you can ask them questions to understand their thought processes and grasp of the solution. This can help you not only identify problems but also glean why they’re problems in the first place. Furthermore, you can test hypotheses and gauge whether your thinking is correct. By the end of the sessions, you’ll have a much clearer picture of how usable the designs are and whether they work for their intended purposes. Act two is the heart of the story—where the excitement is—but there can be surprises too. This is equally true of usability tests. Often, participants will say unexpected things, which change the way that you look at things—and these twists in the story can move things in new directions.
Unfortunately, user research is sometimes seen as expendable. And too often usability testing is the only research process that some stakeholders think that they ever need. In fact, if the designs that you’re evaluating in the usability test aren’t grounded in a solid understanding of your users (foundational research), there’s not much to be gained by doing usability testing in the first place. That’s because you’re narrowing the focus of what you’re getting feedback on, without understanding the users’ needs. As a result, there’s no way of knowing whether the designs might solve a problem that users have. It’s only feedback on a particular design in the context of a usability test.
On the other hand, if you only do foundational research, while you might have set out to solve the right problem, you won’t know whether the thing that you’re building will actually solve that. This illustrates the importance of doing both foundational and directional research.
In act two, stakeholders will—hopefully—get to watch the story unfold in the user sessions, which creates the conflict and tension in the current design by surfacing their highs and lows. And in turn, this can help motivate stakeholders to address the issues that come up.
Act three: resolution
While the first two acts are about understanding the background and the tensions that can propel stakeholders into action, the third part is about resolving the problems from the first two acts. While it’s important to have an audience for the first two acts, it’s crucial that they stick around for the final act. That means the whole product team, including developers, UX practitioners, business analysts, delivery managers, product managers, and any other stakeholders that have a say in the next steps. It allows the whole team to hear users’ feedback together, ask questions, and discuss what’s possible within the project’s constraints. And it lets the UX research and design teams clarify, suggest alternatives, or give more context behind their decisions. So you can get everyone on the same page and get agreement on the way forward.
This act is mostly told in voiceover with some audience participation. The researcher is the narrator, who paints a picture of the issues and what the future of the product could look like given the things that the team has learned. They give the stakeholders their recommendations and their guidance on creating this vision.
Nancy Duarte in the Harvard Business Review offers an approach to structuring presentations that follow a persuasive story. “The most effective presenters use the same techniques as great storytellers: By reminding people of the status quo and then revealing the path to a better way, they set up a conflict that needs to be resolved,” writes Duarte. “That tension helps them persuade the audience to adopt a new mindset or behave differently.”
This type of structure aligns well with research results, and particularly results from usability tests. It provides evidence for “what is”—the problems that you’ve identified. And “what could be”—your recommendations on how to address them. And so on and so forth.
You can reinforce your recommendations with examples of things that competitors are doing that could address these issues or with examples where competitors are gaining an edge. Or they can be visual, like quick mockups of how a new design could look that solves a problem. These can help generate conversation and momentum. And this continues until the end of the session when you’ve wrapped everything up in the conclusion by summarizing the main issues and suggesting a way forward. This is the part where you reiterate the main themes or problems and what they mean for the product—the denouement of the story. This stage gives stakeholders the next steps and hopefully the momentum to take those steps!
While we are nearly at the end of this story, let’s reflect on the idea that user research is storytelling. All the elements of a good story are there in the three-act structure of user research:
- Act one: You meet the protagonists (the users) and the antagonists (the problems affecting users). This is the beginning of the plot. In act one, researchers might use methods including contextual inquiry, ethnography, diary studies, surveys, and analytics. The output of these methods can include personas, empathy maps, user journeys, and analytics dashboards.
- Act two: Next, there’s character development. There’s conflict and tension as the protagonists encounter problems and challenges, which they must overcome. In act two, researchers might use methods including usability testing, competitive benchmarking, and heuristics evaluation. The output of these can include usability findings reports, UX strategy documents, usability guidelines, and best practices.
- Act three: The protagonists triumph and you see what a better future looks like. In act three, researchers may use methods including presentation decks, storytelling, and digital media. The output of these can be: presentation decks, video clips, audio clips, and pictures.
The researcher has multiple roles: they’re the storyteller, the director, and the producer. The participants have a small role, but they are significant characters (in the research). And the stakeholders are the audience. But the most important thing is to get the story right and to use storytelling to tell users’ stories through research. By the end, the stakeholders should walk away with a purpose and an eagerness to resolve the product’s ills.
So the next time that you’re planning research with clients or you’re speaking to stakeholders about research that you’ve done, think about how you can weave in some storytelling. Ultimately, user research is a win-win for everyone, and you just need to get stakeholders interested in how the story ends.
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Channel your inner champion with a quick 20-minute boxing strength workout that’s designed not just to improve your punches but to build real, functional strength.
“This workout is half strength training with light to moderate weights and half shadowboxing,” says Bobbie Jo Davis, CPT, trainer for Rumble Boxing, who designed the workout below for our Movement of the Month Club.
Adding strength training to your boxing workouts is essential because boxing itself is part cardio and part strength. You’re not just trying to bounce and duck as you deliver fast-flying punches, you want to be able to hit hard, too.
“Think stronger, faster, and more powerful punches,” Davis says. “Force in boxing is driven from the ground up. We need a strong lower body to be able transfer this energy from our hips, to our core, to land a good punch.”
So get ready for a full-body boxing strength workout that helps you break a sweat and build muscle at the same time.
Join the movement
If you’re following along with our August 2024 Movement of the Month Club, these are the moves for week 2. You’ll do one boxing combo or exercise each day, Monday through Saturday. (But you can do this workout anytime!)
Then on Sunday, you’ll put all of the moves together to do the full boxing strength workout. Perform each combo for 45 seconds, then do some active recovery (boxer’s bounce, step or walk around, shake it out) for 15 seconds. Repeat with the second and third move or combo.
Here’s your boxing strength workout
1. Boxing warmup
Let’s get ready to rumble! This sequence opens the hips, chest, and shoulders, Davis says. Plus, it loosens up hip flexors and fires up the core.
World’s greatest stretch
- From standing, lower your hands to the floor and walk out to a high plank, with your hands under your shoulders and your body straight from head to heels.
- Place your right foot outside your right hand, landing in a low lunge.
- Lift your right arm toward the sky, rotating your torso and looking toward your raised hand.
- Place your right hand back on the ground and step back to a plank.
- Perform the same sequence on the left side. Continue alternating for 45 seconds, then take 15 seconds before moving on.
Overhead knee drive
- Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, holding one dumbbell in each hand at your hips. Extend your arms overhead.
- Keeping your arms overhead, lift your right knee up toward your chest without leaning back.
- Lower your right knee, then repeat on your left side.
- Alternate lifting each knee toward your chest, keeping arms overhead and core engaged. Continue for 45 seconds, then take 15 seconds before moving on.
Squat
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly pointed outward.
- Push your hips back as if you are sitting in an invisible chair and squat as low as you can go with good form.
- Press through your heels to straighten your legs and return to standing. Continue for 45 seconds.
2. Punch, bounce, duck
It’s time to move on the punching portion of the workout. Need a refresher on the boxing bunches? We’ve got you covered in week 1.
- Jab (1), cross (2), then bounce. Stay with this rhythm for about 45 seconds.
2. Then, try this combo: Lead-hand hook (3), rear-hand hook (4), then duck. Continue this hit, hit, duck for 45 seconds.
3. Finish with four punches: Jab (1), cross (2), lead-hand hook (3), rear-hand hook (4), continuing for 45 seconds.
3. HIIT punches
For this move, you’re combining two combos.
- Jab (1), cross (2), lead-hand hook (3). Continue for 45 seconds.
2. Lead-hand uppercut (5), rear-hand uppercut (6), lead-hand hook (3). Continue for 45 seconds.
4. Squat to alternating press
Time to take a strength break to work on your legs, core, and shoulders.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height with elbows bent.
- Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower into a squat.
- As you stand up from the squat, extend one arm overhead, pressing the dumbbell towards the ceiling.
- Lower the dumbbell back to your shoulder as you drop into squat again.
- Perform another squat, this time pressing the dumbbell in the opposite hand overhead.
- Continue alternating for 45 seconds, and repeat for three total rounds with 15 seconds of rest in between each round.
5. Row to hammer curl
Sure, the best way to get better at throwing punches is to, well, throw punches, but this combo dumbbell exercise gives your punch more power.
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in each hand, palms facing your body.
- Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back flat.
- Engage your core and row the dumbbells toward your waist, keeping your elbows close to your body and squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top.
- Extend your arms back down.
- Stand up, maintaining a slight bend in your knees.
- With your palms still facing each other, curl the dumbbells toward your shoulders, keeping your elbows at your sides.
- Slowly lower them back down and repeat for 45 seconds. Take a 15-second breather, then repeat twice, for a total of 3 rounds.
6. Reverse lunge + punches
Hit the glutes for faster footwork.
- Reverse lunge: Hold one dumbbell in each hand. From standing, step one foot back a few feet and bend both knees to 90 degrees, keeping your hands by your sides. Return to standing. Continue alternating legs for 15 seconds.
2. Get into boxing stance, then combine a lead-hand uppercut (5), lead-hand hook (3), and cross (2). Continue for 45 seconds.
3. Return to doing alternating reverse lunges for 45 seconds.
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Channel your inner champion with a quick 20-minute boxing strength workout that’s designed not just to improve your punches but to build real, functional strength.
“This workout is half strength training with light to moderate weights and half shadowboxing,” says Bobbie Jo Davis, CPT, trainer for Rumble Boxing, who designed the workout below for our Movement of the Month Club.
Adding strength training to your boxing workouts is essential because boxing itself is part cardio and part strength. You’re not just trying to bounce and duck as you deliver fast-flying punches, you want to be able to hit hard, too.
“Think stronger, faster, and more powerful punches,” Davis says. “Force in boxing is driven from the ground up. We need a strong lower body to be able transfer this energy from our hips, to our core, to land a good punch.”
So get ready for a full-body boxing strength workout that helps you break a sweat and build muscle at the same time.
Join the movement
If you’re following along with our August 2024 Movement of the Month Club, these are the moves for week 2. You’ll do one boxing combo or exercise each day, Monday through Saturday. (But you can do this workout anytime!)
Then on Sunday, you’ll put all of the moves together to do the full boxing strength workout. Perform each combo for 45 seconds, then do some active recovery (boxer’s bounce, step or walk around, shake it out) for 15 seconds. Repeat with the second and third move or combo.
Here’s your boxing strength workout
1. Boxing warmup
Let’s get ready to rumble! This sequence opens the hips, chest, and shoulders, Davis says. Plus, it loosens up hip flexors and fires up the core.
World’s greatest stretch
- From standing, lower your hands to the floor and walk out to a high plank, with your hands under your shoulders and your body straight from head to heels.
- Place your right foot outside your right hand, landing in a low lunge.
- Lift your right arm toward the sky, rotating your torso and looking toward your raised hand.
- Place your right hand back on the ground and step back to a plank.
- Perform the same sequence on the left side. Continue alternating for 45 seconds, then take 15 seconds before moving on.
Overhead knee drive
- Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, holding one dumbbell in each hand at your hips. Extend your arms overhead.
- Keeping your arms overhead, lift your right knee up toward your chest without leaning back.
- Lower your right knee, then repeat on your left side.
- Alternate lifting each knee toward your chest, keeping arms overhead and core engaged. Continue for 45 seconds, then take 15 seconds before moving on.
Squat
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly pointed outward.
- Push your hips back as if you are sitting in an invisible chair and squat as low as you can go with good form.
- Press through your heels to straighten your legs and return to standing. Continue for 45 seconds.
2. Punch, bounce, duck
It’s time to move on the punching portion of the workout. Need a refresher on the boxing bunches? We’ve got you covered in week 1.
- Jab (1), cross (2), then bounce. Stay with this rhythm for about 45 seconds.
2. Then, try this combo: Lead-hand hook (3), rear-hand hook (4), then duck. Continue this hit, hit, duck for 45 seconds.
3. Finish with four punches: Jab (1), cross (2), lead-hand hook (3), rear-hand hook (4), continuing for 45 seconds.
3. HIIT punches
For this move, you’re combining two combos.
- Jab (1), cross (2), lead-hand hook (3). Continue for 45 seconds.
2. Lead-hand uppercut (5), rear-hand uppercut (6), lead-hand hook (3). Continue for 45 seconds.
4. Squat to alternating press
Time to take a strength break to work on your legs, core, and shoulders.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height with elbows bent.
- Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower into a squat.
- As you stand up from the squat, extend one arm overhead, pressing the dumbbell towards the ceiling.
- Lower the dumbbell back to your shoulder as you drop into squat again.
- Perform another squat, this time pressing the dumbbell in the opposite hand overhead.
- Continue alternating for 45 seconds, and repeat for three total rounds with 15 seconds of rest in between each round.
5. Row to hammer curl
Sure, the best way to get better at throwing punches is to, well, throw punches, but this combo dumbbell exercise gives your punch more power.
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in each hand, palms facing your body.
- Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back flat.
- Engage your core and row the dumbbells toward your waist, keeping your elbows close to your body and squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top.
- Extend your arms back down.
- Stand up, maintaining a slight bend in your knees.
- With your palms still facing each other, curl the dumbbells toward your shoulders, keeping your elbows at your sides.
- Slowly lower them back down and repeat for 45 seconds. Take a 15-second breather, then repeat twice, for a total of 3 rounds.
6. Reverse lunge + punches
Hit the glutes for faster footwork.
- Reverse lunge: Hold one dumbbell in each hand. From standing, step one foot back a few feet and bend both knees to 90 degrees, keeping your hands by your sides. Return to standing. Continue alternating legs for 15 seconds.
2. Get into boxing stance, then combine a lead-hand uppercut (5), lead-hand hook (3), and cross (2). Continue for 45 seconds.
3. Return to doing alternating reverse lunges for 45 seconds.
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Channel your inner champion with a quick 20-minute boxing strength workout that’s designed not just to improve your punches but to build real, functional strength.
“This workout is half strength training with light to moderate weights and half shadowboxing,” says Bobbie Jo Davis, CPT, trainer for Rumble Boxing, who designed the workout below for our Movement of the Month Club.
Adding strength training to your boxing workouts is essential because boxing itself is part cardio and part strength. You’re not just trying to bounce and duck as you deliver fast-flying punches, you want to be able to hit hard, too.
“Think stronger, faster, and more powerful punches,” Davis says. “Force in boxing is driven from the ground up. We need a strong lower body to be able transfer this energy from our hips, to our core, to land a good punch.”
So get ready for a full-body boxing strength workout that helps you break a sweat and build muscle at the same time.
Join the movement
If you’re following along with our August 2024 Movement of the Month Club, these are the moves for week 2. You’ll do one boxing combo or exercise each day, Monday through Saturday. (But you can do this workout anytime!)
Then on Sunday, you’ll put all of the moves together to do the full boxing strength workout. Perform each combo for 45 seconds, then do some active recovery (boxer’s bounce, step or walk around, shake it out) for 15 seconds. Repeat with the second and third move or combo.
Here’s your boxing strength workout
1. Boxing warmup
Let’s get ready to rumble! This sequence opens the hips, chest, and shoulders, Davis says. Plus, it loosens up hip flexors and fires up the core.
World’s greatest stretch
- From standing, lower your hands to the floor and walk out to a high plank, with your hands under your shoulders and your body straight from head to heels.
- Place your right foot outside your right hand, landing in a low lunge.
- Lift your right arm toward the sky, rotating your torso and looking toward your raised hand.
- Place your right hand back on the ground and step back to a plank.
- Perform the same sequence on the left side. Continue alternating for 45 seconds, then take 15 seconds before moving on.
Overhead knee drive
- Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, holding one dumbbell in each hand at your hips. Extend your arms overhead.
- Keeping your arms overhead, lift your right knee up toward your chest without leaning back.
- Lower your right knee, then repeat on your left side.
- Alternate lifting each knee toward your chest, keeping arms overhead and core engaged. Continue for 45 seconds, then take 15 seconds before moving on.
Squat
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly pointed outward.
- Push your hips back as if you are sitting in an invisible chair and squat as low as you can go with good form.
- Press through your heels to straighten your legs and return to standing. Continue for 45 seconds.
2. Punch, bounce, duck
It’s time to move on the punching portion of the workout. Need a refresher on the boxing bunches? We’ve got you covered in week 1.
- Jab (1), cross (2), then bounce. Stay with this rhythm for about 45 seconds.
2. Then, try this combo: Lead-hand hook (3), rear-hand hook (4), then duck. Continue this hit, hit, duck for 45 seconds.
3. Finish with four punches: Jab (1), cross (2), lead-hand hook (3), rear-hand hook (4), continuing for 45 seconds.
3. HIIT punches
For this move, you’re combining two combos.
- Jab (1), cross (2), lead-hand hook (3). Continue for 45 seconds.
2. Lead-hand uppercut (5), rear-hand uppercut (6), lead-hand hook (3). Continue for 45 seconds.
4. Squat to alternating press
Time to take a strength break to work on your legs, core, and shoulders.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height with elbows bent.
- Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower into a squat.
- As you stand up from the squat, extend one arm overhead, pressing the dumbbell towards the ceiling.
- Lower the dumbbell back to your shoulder as you drop into squat again.
- Perform another squat, this time pressing the dumbbell in the opposite hand overhead.
- Continue alternating for 45 seconds, and repeat for three total rounds with 15 seconds of rest in between each round.
5. Row to hammer curl
Sure, the best way to get better at throwing punches is to, well, throw punches, but this combo dumbbell exercise gives your punch more power.
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in each hand, palms facing your body.
- Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back flat.
- Engage your core and row the dumbbells toward your waist, keeping your elbows close to your body and squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top.
- Extend your arms back down.
- Stand up, maintaining a slight bend in your knees.
- With your palms still facing each other, curl the dumbbells toward your shoulders, keeping your elbows at your sides.
- Slowly lower them back down and repeat for 45 seconds. Take a 15-second breather, then repeat twice, for a total of 3 rounds.
6. Reverse lunge + punches
Hit the glutes for faster footwork.
- Reverse lunge: Hold one dumbbell in each hand. From standing, step one foot back a few feet and bend both knees to 90 degrees, keeping your hands by your sides. Return to standing. Continue alternating legs for 15 seconds.
2. Get into boxing stance, then combine a lead-hand uppercut (5), lead-hand hook (3), and cross (2). Continue for 45 seconds.
3. Return to doing alternating reverse lunges for 45 seconds.
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Channel your inner champion with a quick 20-minute boxing strength workout that’s designed not just to improve your punches but to build real, functional strength.
“This workout is half strength training with light to moderate weights and half shadowboxing,” says Bobbie Jo Davis, CPT, trainer for Rumble Boxing, who designed the workout below for our Movement of the Month Club.
Adding strength training to your boxing workouts is essential because boxing itself is part cardio and part strength. You’re not just trying to bounce and duck as you deliver fast-flying punches, you want to be able to hit hard, too.
“Think stronger, faster, and more powerful punches,” Davis says. “Force in boxing is driven from the ground up. We need a strong lower body to be able transfer this energy from our hips, to our core, to land a good punch.”
So get ready for a full-body boxing strength workout that helps you break a sweat and build muscle at the same time.
Join the movement
If you’re following along with our August 2024 Movement of the Month Club, these are the moves for week 2. You’ll do one boxing combo or exercise each day, Monday through Saturday. (But you can do this workout anytime!)
Then on Sunday, you’ll put all of the moves together to do the full boxing strength workout. Perform each combo for 45 seconds, then do some active recovery (boxer’s bounce, step or walk around, shake it out) for 15 seconds. Repeat with the second and third move or combo.
Here’s your boxing strength workout
1. Boxing warmup
Let’s get ready to rumble! This sequence opens the hips, chest, and shoulders, Davis says. Plus, it loosens up hip flexors and fires up the core.
World’s greatest stretch
- From standing, lower your hands to the floor and walk out to a high plank, with your hands under your shoulders and your body straight from head to heels.
- Place your right foot outside your right hand, landing in a low lunge.
- Lift your right arm toward the sky, rotating your torso and looking toward your raised hand.
- Place your right hand back on the ground and step back to a plank.
- Perform the same sequence on the left side. Continue alternating for 45 seconds, then take 15 seconds before moving on.
Overhead knee drive
- Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, holding one dumbbell in each hand at your hips. Extend your arms overhead.
- Keeping your arms overhead, lift your right knee up toward your chest without leaning back.
- Lower your right knee, then repeat on your left side.
- Alternate lifting each knee toward your chest, keeping arms overhead and core engaged. Continue for 45 seconds, then take 15 seconds before moving on.
Squat
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly pointed outward.
- Push your hips back as if you are sitting in an invisible chair and squat as low as you can go with good form.
- Press through your heels to straighten your legs and return to standing. Continue for 45 seconds.
2. Punch, bounce, duck
It’s time to move on the punching portion of the workout. Need a refresher on the boxing bunches? We’ve got you covered in week 1.
- Jab (1), cross (2), then bounce. Stay with this rhythm for about 45 seconds.
2. Then, try this combo: Lead-hand hook (3), rear-hand hook (4), then duck. Continue this hit, hit, duck for 45 seconds.
3. Finish with four punches: Jab (1), cross (2), lead-hand hook (3), rear-hand hook (4), continuing for 45 seconds.
3. HIIT punches
For this move, you’re combining two combos.
- Jab (1), cross (2), lead-hand hook (3). Continue for 45 seconds.
2. Lead-hand uppercut (5), rear-hand uppercut (6), lead-hand hook (3). Continue for 45 seconds.
4. Squat to alternating press
Time to take a strength break to work on your legs, core, and shoulders.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height with elbows bent.
- Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower into a squat.
- As you stand up from the squat, extend one arm overhead, pressing the dumbbell towards the ceiling.
- Lower the dumbbell back to your shoulder as you drop into squat again.
- Perform another squat, this time pressing the dumbbell in the opposite hand overhead.
- Continue alternating for 45 seconds, and repeat for three total rounds with 15 seconds of rest in between each round.
5. Row to hammer curl
Sure, the best way to get better at throwing punches is to, well, throw punches, but this combo dumbbell exercise gives your punch more power.
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in each hand, palms facing your body.
- Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back flat.
- Engage your core and row the dumbbells toward your waist, keeping your elbows close to your body and squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top.
- Extend your arms back down.
- Stand up, maintaining a slight bend in your knees.
- With your palms still facing each other, curl the dumbbells toward your shoulders, keeping your elbows at your sides.
- Slowly lower them back down and repeat for 45 seconds. Take a 15-second breather, then repeat twice, for a total of 3 rounds.
6. Reverse lunge + punches
Hit the glutes for faster footwork.
- Reverse lunge: Hold one dumbbell in each hand. From standing, step one foot back a few feet and bend both knees to 90 degrees, keeping your hands by your sides. Return to standing. Continue alternating legs for 15 seconds.
2. Get into boxing stance, then combine a lead-hand uppercut (5), lead-hand hook (3), and cross (2). Continue for 45 seconds.
3. Return to doing alternating reverse lunges for 45 seconds.
Just Wondering: Why Does It Burn When I Pee After Sex?
It’s common, but not necessarily the norm.
Channel your inner champion with a quick 20-minute boxing strength workout that’s designed not just to improve your punches but to build real, functional strength.
“This workout is half strength training with light to moderate weights and half shadowboxing,” says Bobbie Jo Davis, CPT, trainer for Rumble Boxing, who designed the workout below for our Movement of the Month Club.
Adding strength training to your boxing workouts is essential because boxing itself is part cardio and part strength. You’re not just trying to bounce and duck as you deliver fast-flying punches, you want to be able to hit hard, too.
“Think stronger, faster, and more powerful punches,” Davis says. “Force in boxing is driven from the ground up. We need a strong lower body to be able transfer this energy from our hips, to our core, to land a good punch.”
So get ready for a full-body boxing strength workout that helps you break a sweat and build muscle at the same time.
Join the movement
If you’re following along with our August 2024 Movement of the Month Club, these are the moves for week 2. You’ll do one boxing combo or exercise each day, Monday through Saturday. (But you can do this workout anytime!)
Then on Sunday, you’ll put all of the moves together to do the full boxing strength workout. Perform each combo for 45 seconds, then do some active recovery (boxer’s bounce, step or walk around, shake it out) for 15 seconds. Repeat with the second and third move or combo.
Here’s your boxing strength workout
1. Boxing warmup
Let’s get ready to rumble! This sequence opens the hips, chest, and shoulders, Davis says. Plus, it loosens up hip flexors and fires up the core.
World’s greatest stretch
- From standing, lower your hands to the floor and walk out to a high plank, with your hands under your shoulders and your body straight from head to heels.
- Place your right foot outside your right hand, landing in a low lunge.
- Lift your right arm toward the sky, rotating your torso and looking toward your raised hand.
- Place your right hand back on the ground and step back to a plank.
- Perform the same sequence on the left side. Continue alternating for 45 seconds, then take 15 seconds before moving on.
Overhead knee drive
- Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, holding one dumbbell in each hand at your hips. Extend your arms overhead.
- Keeping your arms overhead, lift your right knee up toward your chest without leaning back.
- Lower your right knee, then repeat on your left side.
- Alternate lifting each knee toward your chest, keeping arms overhead and core engaged. Continue for 45 seconds, then take 15 seconds before moving on.
Squat
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly pointed outward.
- Push your hips back as if you are sitting in an invisible chair and squat as low as you can go with good form.
- Press through your heels to straighten your legs and return to standing. Continue for 45 seconds.
2. Punch, bounce, duck
It’s time to move on the punching portion of the workout. Need a refresher on the boxing bunches? We’ve got you covered in week 1.
- Jab (1), cross (2), then bounce. Stay with this rhythm for about 45 seconds.
2. Then, try this combo: Lead-hand hook (3), rear-hand hook (4), then duck. Continue this hit, hit, duck for 45 seconds.
3. Finish with four punches: Jab (1), cross (2), lead-hand hook (3), rear-hand hook (4), continuing for 45 seconds.
3. HIIT punches
For this move, you’re combining two combos.
- Jab (1), cross (2), lead-hand hook (3). Continue for 45 seconds.
2. Lead-hand uppercut (5), rear-hand uppercut (6), lead-hand hook (3). Continue for 45 seconds.
4. Squat to alternating press
Time to take a strength break to work on your legs, core, and shoulders.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height with elbows bent.
- Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower into a squat.
- As you stand up from the squat, extend one arm overhead, pressing the dumbbell towards the ceiling.
- Lower the dumbbell back to your shoulder as you drop into squat again.
- Perform another squat, this time pressing the dumbbell in the opposite hand overhead.
- Continue alternating for 45 seconds, and repeat for three total rounds with 15 seconds of rest in between each round.
5. Row to hammer curl
Sure, the best way to get better at throwing punches is to, well, throw punches, but this combo dumbbell exercise gives your punch more power.
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in each hand, palms facing your body.
- Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back flat.
- Engage your core and row the dumbbells toward your waist, keeping your elbows close to your body and squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top.
- Extend your arms back down.
- Stand up, maintaining a slight bend in your knees.
- With your palms still facing each other, curl the dumbbells toward your shoulders, keeping your elbows at your sides.
- Slowly lower them back down and repeat for 45 seconds. Take a 15-second breather, then repeat twice, for a total of 3 rounds.
6. Reverse lunge + punches
Hit the glutes for faster footwork.
- Reverse lunge: Hold one dumbbell in each hand. From standing, step one foot back a few feet and bend both knees to 90 degrees, keeping your hands by your sides. Return to standing. Continue alternating legs for 15 seconds.
2. Get into boxing stance, then combine a lead-hand uppercut (5), lead-hand hook (3), and cross (2). Continue for 45 seconds.
3. Return to doing alternating reverse lunges for 45 seconds.
I Traded My Daily Coffee for a Fruity Mushroom Energy Drink—Here’s What Happened to My Focus and Energy Levels
As an avid coffee lover, I was surprised by the result.
If you’ve encountered the Bala Bangles online—most likely on TikTok—I wouldn’t blame you for writing it off as another workout fad. For decades, there has always been some new and improved way to tone your arms—remember shake weights?—that only made you feel stronger by lightening up your wallet.
Now, the concept of a wrist weight isn’t new, but those I’ve encountered have either been too light, too ugly, too uncomfortable—or all of the above—for me to want to wear them consistently, let alone in public. But when I got my hands on the two-pound Bala Bangles—and saw the results people had from wearing them on walks a couple times a week—I figured it was worth a shot.
So for 30 days, I put these bad boys to the test, wearing them for three to four walks per week, ranging in distance from about one to three miles. And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but they actually worked.
First things first: What are Bala Bangles?
Bala Bangles are velcro weights that can be worn on your wrists or ankles. They were originally designed for use in Pilates, so they’re flexible, adjustable, and comfortable for long periods of wear.
The weights are also individually strung on the band so you can move them around for equal distribution no matter the size of your wrists or ankles.
Unlike many wrist weights, which are plain at best and ugly at worst, these are designed to look cute so you’ll actually want to wear them in public. That said, you can always opt for a standard wrist weight if that’s what you have at home—but if you’re looking for an upgrade, these come highly recommended (more on why in a sec!).
The benefits of wearing Bala Bangles (and other wrist weights) while walking
It seems that just walking with one to three pounds of added weight wouldn’t do that much, but even just a tiny increase in resistance can have significant results.
“The added weight engages your upper body muscles more intensely, including your shoulders, arms, and even your core,” says Benny Zhang, CPT, a certified personal trainer and fitness director of Speediance. “This can lead to improved strength and endurance over time. Additionally, the extra effort required can make your walk more challenging, turning it into a more effective cardiovascular workout.”
Bala bangles are also a great option for those with limited grip strength who can’t hang onto a dumbbell for longer periods of time, according to physical therapist Ashley Rawlins, DPT.
Altogether, walking with wrist weights is great functional fitness exercise—meaning it improves your mobility and strength for everyday activities, making them easier to do and prolonging independence as you age. Not only does this help to keep you more mobile, but heading out for a 15 to 30 minute walk per day can help to significantly decrease your risk of heart disease as well as have positive mental health benefits, such as decreasing stress and anxiety and boosting your mood.
“The added weight engages your upper body muscles more intensely, including your shoulders, arms, and even your core. This can lead to improved strength and endurance over time. Additionally, the extra effort required can make your walk more challenging, turning it into a more effective cardiovascular workout.” —Benny Zhang, CPT
Are there any cons to using wrist weights during your walks?
While wrist weights work well for a lot of people, that doesn’t mean that they will work for everyone.
“For some, wrist weights could put too much pressure on the wrists, elbows, and shoulders, which can cause joint pain or injury over time,” Zhang says.
Because wrist weights increase resistance, they can also cause your posture to fall if you aren’t careful, which could lead to back pain or discomfort.
Finally, walking with wrist weights isn’t going to quickly or significantly increase your strength or muscle tone. If you want to see some more definition, you’ll want to opt for arm exercises that involve heavier weights and lower reps, according to the experts.
How to use wrist weights safely
Although Bala Bangles (and wrist weights in general) are low in weight, they can still cause injury if you don’t take precautions. It’s best to start with a lighter weight—one pound for beginners and two pounds if you have a strong base in your shoulders and arms.
Zhang recommends maintaining a proper walking form, which means avoiding exaggerated arm movements or overextending. To stay in proper position, focus on maintaining good posture and controlling your movements.
“Make sure the weights are adjusted properly so that circulation isn’t restricted in any way,” Dr. Rawlins says. “You should be able to move your wrist and fingers comfortably without restriction. Keep in mind that some limb swelling can happen while walking, so you should adjust as needed if swelling causes [the weights] to become tighter during your workout.”
Dr. Rawlins also points out that increasing resistance can be done in two ways: by increasing the weight or by increasing your mileage. She recommends gradually increasing one element at a time. If you’re going up in weight, only increase it by about one to two pounds.
Anyone with pre-existing arm issues, specifically pain in their wrists or elbows, should be extra careful, according to Dr. Rawlins. She suggests starting with the lightest weight possible, being aware of any pain or discomfort, and speaking with your doctor to make sure this exercise is right for you.
The biggest difference I noticed, however, was that I feel better and stronger overall. My posture has improved—I’m less inclined to slouch—and I feel more confident when lifting heavy things on my own.
My experience walking with Bala Bangles for 30 days
Coming from the background of competitive running, walking always seemed a bit…boring. But as I moved away from daily running workouts and high weekly mileage, I found what I missed most was the solo time outside. So while the past couple of years have made a walker of me, I never felt like it was doing enough to supplement the tougher workouts I was used to.
But Bala Bangles have changed the game for me. The first time I wore them, I went on a two-mile walk, which took me roughly 30 to 40 minutes—it was a decent pace without feeling like I was power walking. My route had a couple of hills, but nothing too intense, so I didn’t feel much of anything—perhaps my arms felt a bit heavier by the end of the walk, but nothing like an arm day at the gym would do. The next day, however, I was shocked to find that my arms, shoulders, and chest were sore.
I found that the longer I walked, the more tired my arms would get by the end—it felt more difficult to raise and use my arms, and the weights felt heavier than when I first put them on. But I never experienced any pulling or a feeling of overdoing it.
After a month of consistent use, walking with weights got a bit easier for me. Instead of bumping up the weight, I’ve increased the amount of days and mileage that I use them. Recently, I’ve begun walking around three miles most days, but I’ll still throw a shorter walk in occasionally. I’ve noticed that now when I go for a shorter walk—about a mile—I don’t feel as fatigued as I would when I first began, which is definitely a measure of improvement of strength and endurance.
The results I saw from consistently walking with Bala Bangles
After only 30 days, I’ve gained muscle and strength in my arms. I feel stronger and more stable when doing my typical arm workout, which consists of dumbbell curls, overhead presses, and running arms. I also find it easier to do daily tasks that require heavy lifting, like carrying my groceries or moving my couch.
Lastly, walking with weights worked my shoulders and core a bit, too, which was great for days when this was my sole workout.
The biggest difference I noticed, however, was that I feel better and stronger overall. My posture has improved—I’m less inclined to slouch—and I feel more confident when lifting heavy things on my own.
Before:
After:
I do think that over time I may want to move up to a three-pound weight, but for now, the two-pounder is just fine. I can definitely say walking with Bala Bangles will be a permanent fixture in my workout routine going forward.
This 1 Type of Therapy Aids Recovery, Boosts Performance, *and* Helps Your Body Adjust to Rising Temps
And you don’t need any high-tech gadgets to do it on the reg.
If you’ve encountered the Bala Bangles online—most likely on TikTok—I wouldn’t blame you for writing it off as another workout fad. For decades, there has always been some new and improved way to tone your arms—remember shake weights?—that only made you feel stronger by lightening up your wallet.
Now, the concept of a wrist weight isn’t new, but those I’ve encountered have either been too light, too ugly, too uncomfortable—or all of the above—for me to want to wear them consistently, let alone in public. But when I got my hands on the two-pound Bala Bangles—and saw the results people had from wearing them on walks a couple times a week—I figured it was worth a shot.
So for 30 days, I put these bad boys to the test, wearing them for three to four walks per week, ranging in distance from about one to three miles. And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but they actually worked.
First things first: What are Bala Bangles?
Bala Bangles are velcro weights that can be worn on your wrists or ankles. They were originally designed for use in Pilates, so they’re flexible, adjustable, and comfortable for long periods of wear.
The weights are also individually strung on the band so you can move them around for equal distribution no matter the size of your wrists or ankles.
Unlike many wrist weights, which are plain at best and ugly at worst, these are designed to look cute so you’ll actually want to wear them in public. That said, you can always opt for a standard wrist weight if that’s what you have at home—but if you’re looking for an upgrade, these come highly recommended (more on why in a sec!).
The benefits of wearing Bala Bangles (and other wrist weights) while walking
It seems that just walking with one to three pounds of added weight wouldn’t do that much, but even just a tiny increase in resistance can have significant results.
“The added weight engages your upper body muscles more intensely, including your shoulders, arms, and even your core,” says Benny Zhang, CPT, a certified personal trainer and fitness director of Speediance. “This can lead to improved strength and endurance over time. Additionally, the extra effort required can make your walk more challenging, turning it into a more effective cardiovascular workout.”
Bala bangles are also a great option for those with limited grip strength who can’t hang onto a dumbbell for longer periods of time, according to physical therapist Ashley Rawlins, DPT.
Altogether, walking with wrist weights is great functional fitness exercise—meaning it improves your mobility and strength for everyday activities, making them easier to do and prolonging independence as you age. Not only does this help to keep you more mobile, but heading out for a 15 to 30 minute walk per day can help to significantly decrease your risk of heart disease as well as have positive mental health benefits, such as decreasing stress and anxiety and boosting your mood.
“The added weight engages your upper body muscles more intensely, including your shoulders, arms, and even your core. This can lead to improved strength and endurance over time. Additionally, the extra effort required can make your walk more challenging, turning it into a more effective cardiovascular workout.” —Benny Zhang, CPT
Are there any cons to using wrist weights during your walks?
While wrist weights work well for a lot of people, that doesn’t mean that they will work for everyone.
“For some, wrist weights could put too much pressure on the wrists, elbows, and shoulders, which can cause joint pain or injury over time,” Zhang says.
Because wrist weights increase resistance, they can also cause your posture to fall if you aren’t careful, which could lead to back pain or discomfort.
Finally, walking with wrist weights isn’t going to quickly or significantly increase your strength or muscle tone. If you want to see some more definition, you’ll want to opt for arm exercises that involve heavier weights and lower reps, according to the experts.
How to use wrist weights safely
Although Bala Bangles (and wrist weights in general) are low in weight, they can still cause injury if you don’t take precautions. It’s best to start with a lighter weight—one pound for beginners and two pounds if you have a strong base in your shoulders and arms.
Zhang recommends maintaining a proper walking form, which means avoiding exaggerated arm movements or overextending. To stay in proper position, focus on maintaining good posture and controlling your movements.
“Make sure the weights are adjusted properly so that circulation isn’t restricted in any way,” Dr. Rawlins says. “You should be able to move your wrist and fingers comfortably without restriction. Keep in mind that some limb swelling can happen while walking, so you should adjust as needed if swelling causes [the weights] to become tighter during your workout.”
Dr. Rawlins also points out that increasing resistance can be done in two ways: by increasing the weight or by increasing your mileage. She recommends gradually increasing one element at a time. If you’re going up in weight, only increase it by about one to two pounds.
Anyone with pre-existing arm issues, specifically pain in their wrists or elbows, should be extra careful, according to Dr. Rawlins. She suggests starting with the lightest weight possible, being aware of any pain or discomfort, and speaking with your doctor to make sure this exercise is right for you.
The biggest difference I noticed, however, was that I feel better and stronger overall. My posture has improved—I’m less inclined to slouch—and I feel more confident when lifting heavy things on my own.
My experience walking with Bala Bangles for 30 days
Coming from the background of competitive running, walking always seemed a bit…boring. But as I moved away from daily running workouts and high weekly mileage, I found what I missed most was the solo time outside. So while the past couple of years have made a walker of me, I never felt like it was doing enough to supplement the tougher workouts I was used to.
But Bala Bangles have changed the game for me. The first time I wore them, I went on a two-mile walk, which took me roughly 30 to 40 minutes—it was a decent pace without feeling like I was power walking. My route had a couple of hills, but nothing too intense, so I didn’t feel much of anything—perhaps my arms felt a bit heavier by the end of the walk, but nothing like an arm day at the gym would do. The next day, however, I was shocked to find that my arms, shoulders, and chest were sore.
I found that the longer I walked, the more tired my arms would get by the end—it felt more difficult to raise and use my arms, and the weights felt heavier than when I first put them on. But I never experienced any pulling or a feeling of overdoing it.
After a month of consistent use, walking with weights got a bit easier for me. Instead of bumping up the weight, I’ve increased the amount of days and mileage that I use them. Recently, I’ve begun walking around three miles most days, but I’ll still throw a shorter walk in occasionally. I’ve noticed that now when I go for a shorter walk—about a mile—I don’t feel as fatigued as I would when I first began, which is definitely a measure of improvement of strength and endurance.
The results I saw from consistently walking with Bala Bangles
After only 30 days, I’ve gained muscle and strength in my arms. I feel stronger and more stable when doing my typical arm workout, which consists of dumbbell curls, overhead presses, and running arms. I also find it easier to do daily tasks that require heavy lifting, like carrying my groceries or moving my couch.
Lastly, walking with weights worked my shoulders and core a bit, too, which was great for days when this was my sole workout.
The biggest difference I noticed, however, was that I feel better and stronger overall. My posture has improved—I’m less inclined to slouch—and I feel more confident when lifting heavy things on my own.
Before:
After:
I do think that over time I may want to move up to a three-pound weight, but for now, the two-pounder is just fine. I can definitely say walking with Bala Bangles will be a permanent fixture in my workout routine going forward.
It’s Almost Soup Season—Get on My Level of Hype With This Le Creuset Soup Pot (It’s 22% Off Right Now)
Soup freaks, unite.
If you’ve encountered the Bala Bangles online—most likely on TikTok—I wouldn’t blame you for writing it off as another workout fad. For decades, there has always been some new and improved way to tone your arms—remember shake weights?—that only made you feel stronger by lightening up your wallet.
Now, the concept of a wrist weight isn’t new, but those I’ve encountered have either been too light, too ugly, too uncomfortable—or all of the above—for me to want to wear them consistently, let alone in public. But when I got my hands on the two-pound Bala Bangles—and saw the results people had from wearing them on walks a couple times a week—I figured it was worth a shot.
So for 30 days, I put these bad boys to the test, wearing them for three to four walks per week, ranging in distance from about one to three miles. And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but they actually worked.
First things first: What are Bala Bangles?
Bala Bangles are velcro weights that can be worn on your wrists or ankles. They were originally designed for use in Pilates, so they’re flexible, adjustable, and comfortable for long periods of wear.
The weights are also individually strung on the band so you can move them around for equal distribution no matter the size of your wrists or ankles.
Unlike many wrist weights, which are plain at best and ugly at worst, these are designed to look cute so you’ll actually want to wear them in public. That said, you can always opt for a standard wrist weight if that’s what you have at home—but if you’re looking for an upgrade, these come highly recommended (more on why in a sec!).
The benefits of wearing Bala Bangles (and other wrist weights) while walking
It seems that just walking with one to three pounds of added weight wouldn’t do that much, but even just a tiny increase in resistance can have significant results.
“The added weight engages your upper body muscles more intensely, including your shoulders, arms, and even your core,” says Benny Zhang, CPT, a certified personal trainer and fitness director of Speediance. “This can lead to improved strength and endurance over time. Additionally, the extra effort required can make your walk more challenging, turning it into a more effective cardiovascular workout.”
Bala bangles are also a great option for those with limited grip strength who can’t hang onto a dumbbell for longer periods of time, according to physical therapist Ashley Rawlins, DPT.
Altogether, walking with wrist weights is great functional fitness exercise—meaning it improves your mobility and strength for everyday activities, making them easier to do and prolonging independence as you age. Not only does this help to keep you more mobile, but heading out for a 15 to 30 minute walk per day can help to significantly decrease your risk of heart disease as well as have positive mental health benefits, such as decreasing stress and anxiety and boosting your mood.
“The added weight engages your upper body muscles more intensely, including your shoulders, arms, and even your core. This can lead to improved strength and endurance over time. Additionally, the extra effort required can make your walk more challenging, turning it into a more effective cardiovascular workout.” —Benny Zhang, CPT
Are there any cons to using wrist weights during your walks?
While wrist weights work well for a lot of people, that doesn’t mean that they will work for everyone.
“For some, wrist weights could put too much pressure on the wrists, elbows, and shoulders, which can cause joint pain or injury over time,” Zhang says.
Because wrist weights increase resistance, they can also cause your posture to fall if you aren’t careful, which could lead to back pain or discomfort.
Finally, walking with wrist weights isn’t going to quickly or significantly increase your strength or muscle tone. If you want to see some more definition, you’ll want to opt for arm exercises that involve heavier weights and lower reps, according to the experts.
How to use wrist weights safely
Although Bala Bangles (and wrist weights in general) are low in weight, they can still cause injury if you don’t take precautions. It’s best to start with a lighter weight—one pound for beginners and two pounds if you have a strong base in your shoulders and arms.
Zhang recommends maintaining a proper walking form, which means avoiding exaggerated arm movements or overextending. To stay in proper position, focus on maintaining good posture and controlling your movements.
“Make sure the weights are adjusted properly so that circulation isn’t restricted in any way,” Dr. Rawlins says. “You should be able to move your wrist and fingers comfortably without restriction. Keep in mind that some limb swelling can happen while walking, so you should adjust as needed if swelling causes [the weights] to become tighter during your workout.”
Dr. Rawlins also points out that increasing resistance can be done in two ways: by increasing the weight or by increasing your mileage. She recommends gradually increasing one element at a time. If you’re going up in weight, only increase it by about one to two pounds.
Anyone with pre-existing arm issues, specifically pain in their wrists or elbows, should be extra careful, according to Dr. Rawlins. She suggests starting with the lightest weight possible, being aware of any pain or discomfort, and speaking with your doctor to make sure this exercise is right for you.
The biggest difference I noticed, however, was that I feel better and stronger overall. My posture has improved—I’m less inclined to slouch—and I feel more confident when lifting heavy things on my own.
My experience walking with Bala Bangles for 30 days
Coming from the background of competitive running, walking always seemed a bit…boring. But as I moved away from daily running workouts and high weekly mileage, I found what I missed most was the solo time outside. So while the past couple of years have made a walker of me, I never felt like it was doing enough to supplement the tougher workouts I was used to.
But Bala Bangles have changed the game for me. The first time I wore them, I went on a two-mile walk, which took me roughly 30 to 40 minutes—it was a decent pace without feeling like I was power walking. My route had a couple of hills, but nothing too intense, so I didn’t feel much of anything—perhaps my arms felt a bit heavier by the end of the walk, but nothing like an arm day at the gym would do. The next day, however, I was shocked to find that my arms, shoulders, and chest were sore.
I found that the longer I walked, the more tired my arms would get by the end—it felt more difficult to raise and use my arms, and the weights felt heavier than when I first put them on. But I never experienced any pulling or a feeling of overdoing it.
After a month of consistent use, walking with weights got a bit easier for me. Instead of bumping up the weight, I’ve increased the amount of days and mileage that I use them. Recently, I’ve begun walking around three miles most days, but I’ll still throw a shorter walk in occasionally. I’ve noticed that now when I go for a shorter walk—about a mile—I don’t feel as fatigued as I would when I first began, which is definitely a measure of improvement of strength and endurance.
The results I saw from consistently walking with Bala Bangles
After only 30 days, I’ve gained muscle and strength in my arms. I feel stronger and more stable when doing my typical arm workout, which consists of dumbbell curls, overhead presses, and running arms. I also find it easier to do daily tasks that require heavy lifting, like carrying my groceries or moving my couch.
Lastly, walking with weights worked my shoulders and core a bit, too, which was great for days when this was my sole workout.
The biggest difference I noticed, however, was that I feel better and stronger overall. My posture has improved—I’m less inclined to slouch—and I feel more confident when lifting heavy things on my own.
Before:
After:
I do think that over time I may want to move up to a three-pound weight, but for now, the two-pounder is just fine. I can definitely say walking with Bala Bangles will be a permanent fixture in my workout routine going forward.
Your Weekly Horoscope for August 11 to 17, 2024
Mercury retrograde continues to be the absolute worst.
If you’ve encountered the Bala Bangles online—most likely on TikTok—I wouldn’t blame you for writing it off as another workout fad. For decades, there has always been some new and improved way to tone your arms—remember shake weights?—that only made you feel stronger by lightening up your wallet.
Now, the concept of a wrist weight isn’t new, but those I’ve encountered have either been too light, too ugly, too uncomfortable—or all of the above—for me to want to wear them consistently, let alone in public. But when I got my hands on the two-pound Bala Bangles—and saw the results people had from wearing them on walks a couple times a week—I figured it was worth a shot.
So for 30 days, I put these bad boys to the test, wearing them for three to four walks per week, ranging in distance from about one to three miles. And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but they actually worked.
First things first: What are Bala Bangles?
Bala Bangles are velcro weights that can be worn on your wrists or ankles. They were originally designed for use in Pilates, so they’re flexible, adjustable, and comfortable for long periods of wear.
The weights are also individually strung on the band so you can move them around for equal distribution no matter the size of your wrists or ankles.
Unlike many wrist weights, which are plain at best and ugly at worst, these are designed to look cute so you’ll actually want to wear them in public. That said, you can always opt for a standard wrist weight if that’s what you have at home—but if you’re looking for an upgrade, these come highly recommended (more on why in a sec!).
The benefits of wearing Bala Bangles (and other wrist weights) while walking
It seems that just walking with one to three pounds of added weight wouldn’t do that much, but even just a tiny increase in resistance can have significant results.
“The added weight engages your upper body muscles more intensely, including your shoulders, arms, and even your core,” says Benny Zhang, CPT, a certified personal trainer and fitness director of Speediance. “This can lead to improved strength and endurance over time. Additionally, the extra effort required can make your walk more challenging, turning it into a more effective cardiovascular workout.”
Bala bangles are also a great option for those with limited grip strength who can’t hang onto a dumbbell for longer periods of time, according to physical therapist Ashley Rawlins, DPT.
Altogether, walking with wrist weights is great functional fitness exercise—meaning it improves your mobility and strength for everyday activities, making them easier to do and prolonging independence as you age. Not only does this help to keep you more mobile, but heading out for a 15 to 30 minute walk per day can help to significantly decrease your risk of heart disease as well as have positive mental health benefits, such as decreasing stress and anxiety and boosting your mood.
“The added weight engages your upper body muscles more intensely, including your shoulders, arms, and even your core. This can lead to improved strength and endurance over time. Additionally, the extra effort required can make your walk more challenging, turning it into a more effective cardiovascular workout.” —Benny Zhang, CPT
Are there any cons to using wrist weights during your walks?
While wrist weights work well for a lot of people, that doesn’t mean that they will work for everyone.
“For some, wrist weights could put too much pressure on the wrists, elbows, and shoulders, which can cause joint pain or injury over time,” Zhang says.
Because wrist weights increase resistance, they can also cause your posture to fall if you aren’t careful, which could lead to back pain or discomfort.
Finally, walking with wrist weights isn’t going to quickly or significantly increase your strength or muscle tone. If you want to see some more definition, you’ll want to opt for arm exercises that involve heavier weights and lower reps, according to the experts.
How to use wrist weights safely
Although Bala Bangles (and wrist weights in general) are low in weight, they can still cause injury if you don’t take precautions. It’s best to start with a lighter weight—one pound for beginners and two pounds if you have a strong base in your shoulders and arms.
Zhang recommends maintaining a proper walking form, which means avoiding exaggerated arm movements or overextending. To stay in proper position, focus on maintaining good posture and controlling your movements.
“Make sure the weights are adjusted properly so that circulation isn’t restricted in any way,” Dr. Rawlins says. “You should be able to move your wrist and fingers comfortably without restriction. Keep in mind that some limb swelling can happen while walking, so you should adjust as needed if swelling causes [the weights] to become tighter during your workout.”
Dr. Rawlins also points out that increasing resistance can be done in two ways: by increasing the weight or by increasing your mileage. She recommends gradually increasing one element at a time. If you’re going up in weight, only increase it by about one to two pounds.
Anyone with pre-existing arm issues, specifically pain in their wrists or elbows, should be extra careful, according to Dr. Rawlins. She suggests starting with the lightest weight possible, being aware of any pain or discomfort, and speaking with your doctor to make sure this exercise is right for you.
The biggest difference I noticed, however, was that I feel better and stronger overall. My posture has improved—I’m less inclined to slouch—and I feel more confident when lifting heavy things on my own.
My experience walking with Bala Bangles for 30 days
Coming from the background of competitive running, walking always seemed a bit…boring. But as I moved away from daily running workouts and high weekly mileage, I found what I missed most was the solo time outside. So while the past couple of years have made a walker of me, I never felt like it was doing enough to supplement the tougher workouts I was used to.
But Bala Bangles have changed the game for me. The first time I wore them, I went on a two-mile walk, which took me roughly 30 to 40 minutes—it was a decent pace without feeling like I was power walking. My route had a couple of hills, but nothing too intense, so I didn’t feel much of anything—perhaps my arms felt a bit heavier by the end of the walk, but nothing like an arm day at the gym would do. The next day, however, I was shocked to find that my arms, shoulders, and chest were sore.
I found that the longer I walked, the more tired my arms would get by the end—it felt more difficult to raise and use my arms, and the weights felt heavier than when I first put them on. But I never experienced any pulling or a feeling of overdoing it.
After a month of consistent use, walking with weights got a bit easier for me. Instead of bumping up the weight, I’ve increased the amount of days and mileage that I use them. Recently, I’ve begun walking around three miles most days, but I’ll still throw a shorter walk in occasionally. I’ve noticed that now when I go for a shorter walk—about a mile—I don’t feel as fatigued as I would when I first began, which is definitely a measure of improvement of strength and endurance.
The results I saw from consistently walking with Bala Bangles
After only 30 days, I’ve gained muscle and strength in my arms. I feel stronger and more stable when doing my typical arm workout, which consists of dumbbell curls, overhead presses, and running arms. I also find it easier to do daily tasks that require heavy lifting, like carrying my groceries or moving my couch.
Lastly, walking with weights worked my shoulders and core a bit, too, which was great for days when this was my sole workout.
The biggest difference I noticed, however, was that I feel better and stronger overall. My posture has improved—I’m less inclined to slouch—and I feel more confident when lifting heavy things on my own.
Before:
After:
I do think that over time I may want to move up to a three-pound weight, but for now, the two-pounder is just fine. I can definitely say walking with Bala Bangles will be a permanent fixture in my workout routine going forward.