We put weights on our legs, arms, torso and train.

Eh! I remember one good old film from my distant childhood... And it was called “Hong Gil Dong”. There, the main character, while still a very young boy, came to an old master of martial arts, and he taught him all the intricacies of this matter. I especially remember the moment in this film where the Master trained his ward by putting weights on his legs. These were special metal cuffs in which the main character learned to run, jump and perform complex tricks - all kinds of acrobatic techniques of the great art of Taoism...

By the way, it was then, with the all-Union release of this film in our cinemas, that similar weighted bracelets appeared in our sports stores at the same time. By the way, you begin to think: “Wasn’t this a subtle advertising marketing ploy?” Anyway. I remember: as boys we bought these devices for ourselves, and carried them around all day without taking them off. At the same time, they ran, and jumped, and played football, and rode bikes, but these bracelets were like a mandatory element of clothing. Everyone wanted to become like Hong Gil Dong and be able to jump over trees. What a pity that this is impossible, and the film was just another Chinese fairy tale, albeit a beautiful and very believable one...

Nevertheless, the effect of these sports equipment was definitely there. My legs were getting tired, and the impact of the training was quite noticeable. In any case, I remember in the evening you drag yourself home on your last legs, your legs are buzzing, you have no more strength... You take off these bracelets, and then suddenly for just a minute such an interesting feeling arises. It seems: you wave your leg like some kind of fluff, well, just like Van Damme, and if you jump, you can really jump over a tree... it’s a pity that this feeling quickly disappears..

1. For brushes, like gloves,
2. For the forearms,
3. For fastening on the shins,
4. Special weight vests for the torso,
5. And even weighted helmets for the head.

These accessories are used in a wide variety of ways. Let's give some examples... Well, running and high jumping, I think, are not even worth mentioning after our introduction to this article. Boxers, kickboxers, taekwondo wrestlers and other representatives of martial arts practice swings and strikes with additional weighting of the limbs. Basketball players, as well as representatives of other team sports, wear weighted vests during training in order to further improve their speed and strength qualities. Well, I also think about bodybuilders and fitness models, everything is clear: we all know these exercises:

1. Pull-ups on the bar with additional weight,
2. Leg raises with weighted legs,
3. Dips with extras,
4. …and others.

Few people know, but this technology is used even in swimming. For example, the famous invincible American record-breaking swimmer Michael Phelps regularly adds swimming with a weighted headgear or, alternatively, swimming in a special heavy vest to his training. It is clear that such accessories must be waterproof, and the requirements for them are much higher than for similar “ground weights”. However, the fact remains...