Last Updated on May 22, 2023 by Michael Brockbank
One of my favorite things to do when playing the Xbox Kinect is wearing weighted gloves. Even something as minimal as a single extra pound per hand can have a profound impact on your workout. And since most of these weights are inexpensive, they might be worth buying for yourself.
Of course, this greatly depends on the type of workout you do. However, I found playing something like Tennis on the Xbox to be far more effective while wearing weighted gloves. In fact, I plan on increase the weight on my next payday.
Higher Calorie Burn
When I started losing weight, I did a study regarding how many calories I burn playing the Xbox with and without gloves. What I found is adding an extra 1.5 pounds with my Gold’s Gym gloves increased the calorie burn on average by two or three per minute.
Now this may not sound like a lot until you consider that my workouts usually ranged around the 30-minute mark. This means I could burn an extra 90 calories by wearing weighted gloves, which is quite a bit in the grand scheme of things.
Why was I burning more calories while being weighed down? Because of the effort behind moving my arms and hands was increased. I was exerting more energy to compensate for the increase of the 1.5 pounds per hand.
This is part of how I lost about 20 pounds in roughly a month and a half.
Toning and Enhancing Muscle Mass
Adding the extra weight also affects toning and muscle development. While I doubt you’ll instantly bulk up by adding one to two pounds per hand while playing the Xbox, you’ll definitely feel the impact of the workout.
Take this morning, for example. I spent the last two weeks playing Virtual Smash from Fitness Evolved without gloves. I wore them this morning and I can feel the burn in my shoulder and pecs from the added weight.
Like burning calories, wearing weighted gloves increases the amount of effort your muscles put into movements. And because I tried to keep a constantly fast pace during play, my upper body received a decent workout.
This increased effort leads to creating density in muscle mass while toning. Essentially, you’re training your body to handle a heavier load so it builds mass to compensate. In reality, it’s the same process for building biceps with dumbbells or using a bench press.
It’s all about giving your body a reason to create muscle density.
Improves Reflexes and Speed
Muscle bulk isn’t the only thing wearing weighted gloves improves. Because your body is used to handling a heavier workload, certain movements you make will be enhanced.
For instance, I’ve noticed a significant different in speed when serving a tennis ball without gloves after training with them for so long. At one point, I even impressed myself with how fast I was serving.
Without the resistance of the extra weight, you’re moving faster while performing the same movement.
And it’s not just playing games on the Xbox where I’ve noticed a considerable power increase. I even found swinging a golf club to take far less effort, which has increased my drive by about 20 yards so far.
Keep in mind that I rarely lift weights outside of wearing weighted gloves. I don’t hit the gym very often and I haven’t used my dumbbells in about two years. This is all from just adding extra weight while playing the Xbox Kinect.
Improves Endurance and Longevity
Because the weighted gloves train your body to compensate for extra effort, endurance and longevity are also affected. Over time, you’ll find that you can commit to various repeated movements while experiencing less fatigue.
Of course, this is true in just about any workout. However, I’ve noticed a huge difference in my activity after using the gloves. For instance, I was able to sweep my entire back patio yesterday without hesitation…something I couldn’t do last year.
It’s like training your body to be more efficient when it comes to how you metabolize carbs to provide energy. Unfortunately, everyone metabolizes differently. It’s up to you to find the key diet and activity that will keep you healthy while staving off obesity. [note]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2897177/[/note]
All I can do is tell you from personal experience that I find myself going further in a variety of activities requiring my arms, shoulders and back after wearing weighted gloves during workouts.
Working Up More of a Sweat
This is another personal experience that I want to share. It seems I work up far more of a sweat with the gloves than without. Don’t get me wrong, I work up a good sweat every morning playing the Xbox. But I just seem to be far more soaked after I put on the gloves.
Even after burning roughly the same number of calories with and without the gloves, putting them on seemed to heat up my body faster. This makes sense when you think about the energy I am expending to move an extra pound of weight on each hand.
At first I thought maybe it was because the ambient temperature of the room is higher today than yesterday. In fact, it was cooler and I still worked up more of a sweat.
I am excited to see what adding extra weight does for calorie burn, muscle effect and sweating next week.
Boost Your Workout by Wearing Weighted Gloves
I picked up my Fila 2-lbs gloves from Kohls for about $15. However, the Gold’s Gym set that I liked so much was only $10 from Walmart. Although I like the heavier Gold’s Gym set more, both glove brands have made an impact on my workouts.
In reality, any extra weight to your limbs is going to add extra work. Ankle weights, adding them to your wrists or even holding dumbbells while moving is going to enhance burn and muscle mass. I just like gloves because they’re more sleek, easier to handle and I don’t have to worry about dropping them on my foot.
Find a set that works for you and add more to your activity. Whether you’re doing aerobics in the living room or playing the Xbox Kinect, you’ll feel the effect of the extra weight after the first day or two.[template id=”3591″]
About Author
