# 1kg on each leg - how much extra energy expenditure in one day?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1kg-on-each-leg-how-much-extra-energy-expenditure-in-one-day/521514
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [December 16, 2009, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1kg-on-each-leg-how-much-extra-energy-expenditure-in-one-day/521514 "2009-12-16T19:34:02Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2009, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1kg-on-each-leg-how-much-extra-energy-expenditure-in-one-day/521514/1 "2009-12-16T19:34:02Z")
I have these 1kg weights that I can strap to my ankle. If I wear them all day, how much extra energy will I expend?
Assume that on an average day I walk about 5km at roughly 1m per step, and go up and down a 3m staircase 15 times.
I think I’ve got the vertical component down (rounding g to 10 and assuming I raise each weight by 5cm per step, that’s 10 \* (0.05 \* 5,000 + 3 \* 15) = 2,950 joules, or about 0.7 kilocalories, which ain’t much) - but have no idea how to work out the horizontal bit. It’s been quite some time since I did physics. Anyone care to help me out?
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### Author:  [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2009, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1kg-on-each-leg-how-much-extra-energy-expenditure-in-one-day/521514/2 "2009-12-16T19:43:42Z")
Try this article: [Should You Buy Walking Weights?](http://walking.about.com/od/gear/bb/weights.htm)
Summary is that you’re probably only burning an extra 3-4 calories or so per mile walked (I’m assuming 1 kg on each ankle), and the weights increase the chance that you’ll be injured.
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### Author:  [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2009, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1kg-on-each-leg-how-much-extra-energy-expenditure-in-one-day/521514/3 "2009-12-16T20:21:48Z")
> [@dracoi](#):
>
> Try this article: [http://walking.about.com/od/gear/bb/weights.htm](http://walking.about.com/od/gear/bb/weights.htm)
>
> Summary is that you’re probably only burning an extra 3-4 calories or so per mile walked (I’m assuming 1 kg on each ankle), and the weights increase the chance that you’ll be injured.
Thanks for that. Wonder how they worked that out. However, I’m not really concerned about effectiveness or injury - more about how to do the calculation.