It's kinda a joke. A lot of people train with a 16lb kettelbell. I thought about it for a while, then after talking to my martial arts master he told me that I absolutely should not do that. He said it's good for jumping, but that's it.
I already run distance with a camelbak, and it helps quite a bit with endurance. Last time I did the TM, I didn't have anything but gloves, athletic pants, and vibram five fingers. No underwear, no socks, no shirt, and it totally helped when getting out of the water (all six or seven times.)