Sharing some tips if you want to incorporate a weighed vest in your routine!
Hi friends! How’s the week treating ya? We’re in the 874th day of January and I’m ready to move on lol. With the fam being sick, it’s thrown off all of our routines, but thankfully they’re feeling better and back into it.
For today’s post, I wanted to share something that I’ve been using in my own routine and have seen them surge in popularity: weighted vests! They can be a great way to add an additional stressor and challenge your fitness routine when used correctly. I wanted to chat about some benefits, potential drawbacks, and everything you need to know before incorporating a weighed vest into your routine. As always, check with a doctor before making any fitness changes. Honor your body and modify as needed. Here are some things to consider while wearing a weighed vest.
What Is a Weighted Vest?
A weighed vest is exactly how it sounds: it’s a vest that you can wear with different weights and sizes available. You can use them for a variety of activities including, walking, running, strength training, bodyweight exercises — even chores.
Benefits of Using a Weighted Vest
Here are some of the potential benefits of wearing a weighed vest.
Improve Strength and Endurance:
Adding extra weight challenges your muscles and cardiovascular system, leading to increased strength and endurance.
Bone Density Benefits:
Weighted vests can help strengthen bones through weight-bearing activities. Research published in the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity demonstrated that exercise training with weighted vests improved bone mineral density and muscle strength in postmenopausal women.
Enhanced Calorie Burn:
Wearing a weighted vest increases the intensity of workouts, leading to higher calorie expenditure. In this study, individuals wearing a vest that added 10% of their body weight burned significantly more calories than those not wearing any weight.
Improved Posture and Core Strength:
Carrying weight on the upper body can activate core muscles and encourage better posture.
Things to Consider While Wearing a Weighted Vest
While all of this sounds fine and dandy, there are absolutely some cases where a weighted vest isn’t warranted or may even be counterproductive.
Posture Matters
For some people, they start off with too heavy or a vest or the wrong fit, or they may already have compromised posture and alignment. So often we’re in a forward leaning position, hunched over our phones and computer screens. A vest can make it worse, especially if you have tight chest muscles and weak upper back muscles. Make sure your alignment is on point with shoulders down and back, core engaged, neck long, and spine neutral.
Start Slow and Build Gradually
I think it’s so important to focus on consistency before adding intensity. For many humans, they’re not walking 30 minutes most days of the week. I think this would be an excellent starting goal instead of focusing on simply adding weight. Focus on a solid and consistent walking routine before adding extra resistance.
If you’re ready to get started, I’d recommend a light weight (5-10% of body weight) and increasing over time.
Activity Choice
Different activities require different weight distributions. Ask yourself if adding a weighted vest makes sense for the activity you’re doing. If you’re doing upper body strength training, it might not be necessary (or helpful). For bodyweight work, like lunges and squats, it might be some nice extra resistance if you have solid form set up. For high-impact exercises (like running), make sure to take extra care to avoid injury.
Know Your Limits
Too much weight can cause strain on joints, especially knees and ankles. You may also feel it in your back if it’s too heavy for your body. This can also cause poor core stabiity and can affect back pain, hips, and pelvic floor function. In some cases, it’s just not worth it. Focus on consistency and solid form before adding any addiitonal resistance or stressors to your routine.
As always, listen to your body and avoid overloading.
(always the X39 patch!)
Pros and Cons of Weighted Vests
Pros:
– Can build strength, endurance, and increase calorie burn.
– Versatile for different workouts.
– Easy way to increase intensity without changing equipment.
Cons:
– Improper use can cause strain or injury.
– Not ideal for those with joint pain or injuries.
– Requires time to adapt to the added weight.
How to Incorporate a Weighted Vest into Your Routine
Here are some of my tips for beginners:
– Start with walking or light bodyweight exercises. Try 5-10 minutes and see how you feel. Don’t be afraid to build up over time.
– Gradually progress to higher-intensity workouts like lunges, squats, or stairs.
As always, consistency is key to building strength without overexerting.
My Favorite Weighted Vest
This is the weighted vest I’ve been using and loving. It was very inexpensive from Amazon, and it fits well, is durable, and easy to adjust.
If you’d like a full guide with my favorite wellness resources, get the freebie and all of the info here.
So tell me, friends: do you wear a weighted vest with your workouts?
What fitness gadgets or tools are you loving right now?
xoxo
Gina
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