If you’ve ever been on a hike or trekked through the airport with a heavy backpack, you know what it feels like to have weight pulling on your back. It’s often uncomfortable and leaves you looking for every opportunity to take it off. But there may be something more to moving your body with added weight.
In recent years, weighted vests have sparked interest in the fitness community. Using weighted vests when exercising has proven benefits, but it may not be right for everyone. Keep reading to learn more about weighted vests, including how they work, benefits, risks and how to implement them into your workouts.
What Are Weighted Vests and What Do They Do?
Weighted vests have become a popular addition to weekly exercise routines. While there are varying types of vests, the basic idea of them all is the same. They’re a compact vest that wraps around your torso, usually with pockets to add or remove weight depending on your preference. Unlike the uncomfortable backpack at the airport straining your back, one of the key features of these vests is their ability to distribute the weight equally on your body.
But what do weighted vests do? The purpose is to intentionally add strain to the body when exercising to build muscle, endurance and overall health. They can be used for aerobic activities like walking, running and hiking. It’s recommended to start with a vest that’s 10% of your body weight. For example, if you’re 150 pounds, you should get a 15-pound vest. Adding too much weight can result in unnecessary strain on the body and could even cause injury. It’s best to start with a lighter weight and work your way up.
Benefits of Weighted Vests
Using weighted vests during workouts carries numerous benefits, including:
Building Bone Density
Weighted vests put extra strain, or load, on your bones during exercise. The added load stimulates bone-forming cells to create new tissue, leading to stronger and denser bones.
Helping You Burn More Calories
Weighted vests increase your heart and respiration rates, resulting in more calories burned. Because there’s added weight, your body must work harder than normal, which increases your metabolism.
Cardiovascular Health
Since your body must work harder when you’re wearing a weighted vest, your heart rate and oxygen consumption increase. Over time, this strengthens the heart muscle, boosts circulation, improves endurance, lowers your blood pressure and allows you to endure cardiovascular strain with greater ease.
Increasing Your Strength
Exercising with a weighted vest is a form of weight training, meaning your muscles must work harder than normal. With consistent use, you’ll gain muscle mass and increase your strength.
Promoting Weight Loss
To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. Wearing a weighted vest to exercise burns more calories than normal, which increases your caloric deficit and promotes weight loss. So, wearing a weighted vest for weight loss has become a go-to for many.
The Drawbacks of Weighted Vests and Who Should Avoid Them
Although weighted vests come with many health benefits, there are certain drawbacks to consider, including:
- Breathing challenges
- Discomfort and chafing
- Joint or back pain
- Limited range of motion
- Overuse injuries
- Poor posture
- Risk of overheating
Weighted vests may not be right for everyone. Certain individuals should avoid using them, including:
- Individuals with cardiovascular conditions
- People with preexisting neck or back pain
- Those with respiratory illnesses
- Women who are pregnant
- Young children and adolescents
Before using a weighted vest during physical activity, talk with your doctor to determine if it’s safe for you.
How to Use a Weighted Vest for Exercise
Regularly exercising is one of the best things you can do to nurture your health. Whether you frequently go on walks or practice resistance training in the gym, consistently moving your body has numerous benefits. Exercising with a weighted vest can enhance your workouts and optimize your performance by forcing your body to work harder to achieve the same outcome. For strength training, you can use your weighted vest for push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, squats, lunges and burpees.
But be careful not to overwork yourself. The added weight can lead to overexertion, which could result in injury. It’s important to pay attention to the cues your body is sending and to make necessary adjustments.
Is a Weighted Vest Good for Running?
Running is a great way to improve stamina and endurance while strengthening your cardiovascular health. Adding a weighted vest when you run makes it even more challenging. This additional weight forces your muscles to work harder, which results in an elevated heart rate. In moderation, running with a weighted vest can bring many health benefits like increased stamina, stronger core muscles and improved posture.
However, it’s important that you lower the weight in your vest before going on a run compared to when you’re strength training. Since running by itself increases your heart rate significantly more than walking, the additional stress on your body could lead to injury and even cardiovascular and pulmonary issues.
Supporting Your Journey to Wholeness
Whether you’re looking to optimize your strength training or find a new way to lose weight, we’re here to support you every way we can. Visit us here to learn more about our bariatric and weight care services, or schedule an appointment. No matter your goals, we’re here to help you succeed.
