What's inside ankle weights?

[Stephen Tashiro]

What's the black sooty material that's used inside many ankle and wrist weights?

I've owned several pairs of 10 lb ankle weights. They contain bags of material that can eventually break open and is inappropriate for use in a residence. It's a black granular material that includes a fine black sooty powder.

[Chris Damm]

I had some that broke apart and were filled with iron shot and a lot of what looked like carbon dust.

[William Chain]

It's graphite. Inocuous, can't hurt you. It's just a nuisance to clean up (if that is what you mean by 'inappropriate').

[Stephen Tashiro]

It's graphite. Inocuous, can't hurt you. It's just a nuisance to clean up (if that is what you mean by 'inappropriate').

Yes, by "inappropriate' I mean too much of a problem to clean up. I think of graphite as the material in pencil "leads". I assume the type in weights is a denser material. Why not use lead shot instead? - more expensive? more of an environmental hazard if discarded?

[Tom M King]

Thanks for posting this. Mine are probably over 25 years old. I think I'll toss, and replace them.

[William Chain]

Lead is very expensive. Lead (metallic lead, lead(0)) itself isn’t terribly dangerous. Lead(II) in components of say, paint, or batteries is another story.


Yes, by "inappropriate' I mean too much of a problem to clean up. I think of graphite as the material in pencil "leads". I assume the type in weights is a denser material. Why not use lead shot instead? - more expensive? more of an environmental hazard if discarded?

[David L Morse]

It seems to me that two important characteristics would be low cost and high density. Lead is certainly dense but not cheap. Graphite is neither. Cast Iron is both and the waste from grinding the castings even cheaper. It would also have the Black, sooty dust. Stephen, can you check the stuff with a magnet?

[Tom M King]

Just found some from Rogue fitness that don't have the sand, or powder in them. Probably not that comfortable, but the only thing I do with them is hanging leg raises anyway. I certainly don't want to have to clean that stuff up, off of rubber flooring.

https://www.roguefitness.com/mir-adjustable-ankle-wrist-weights

[curtis woodall]

Google "Heavy Sand" (aka zirconium silicate). We use it forearm and buttstock bags in benchrest shooting. It's heavy.......

[Bill Dufour]

I had some that used cast iron hot dogs. At the lab they used heavy aggregate to make concrete shielding blocks. It was just iron ore, gravel sized, for extra weight. Kind of the opposite of cinder block.
Bil lD