Exercise training while wearing a weighted vest is having something of a renaissance. Social media Posts And Trainers are promoting them as a possible strategy for improving fitness and health.
Exercising with extra weight attached to the body is nothing latest. This idea has been used with soldiers. Thousands of years, if not centuries – Think about long trips with heavy packs.
Modern weight vests are available in many designs which can be more comfortable and will be adjusted depending on weight gain. But can anyone make it easier to?
What does the research say?
One of the earliest research studies, Reported in 1993followed 36 older people wearing a weighted vest during a weekly exercise class and at home for 20 weeks. Wear was related to improvements in bone health, pain and physical function.
since then, Dozens of papers have examined the exercise effects of wearing a weighted vest, reporting several advantages.
Not surprisingly, exercise with a weighted vest. Increases physical stress. – or how hard the body has to work – as indicated by increased oxygen uptake, heart rate, carbohydrate consumption and energy expenditure.
Adding weight equal to 10% of body weight is effective. But The body doesn't seem to work significantly harder. When wearing only 5% extra weight in comparison with body weight.
Does a better load mean a better risk of injury?
A small one 2021 study Recommended extra weights don’t alter the biomechanics of walking or running. These are vital considerations for lower limb injury risk.
There are safety considerations for exercising with a weighted vest. Reported In a biomechanical study of treadmill running with an extra weight of 1% to 10% of body weight.
While the physical demand (reflected by heart rate) was greater with added weight and muscular forces, running motion was not negatively affected.
No research studies thus far have reported a rise in injuries as a result of wearing weight vests for recreational exercise. However, a 2018 clinical study found weight reduction in obese people. 25% of those who wear such a vest have back pain.. Whether this will be translated into recreational use in individuals who should not obese is difficult to say. As at all times, you must reduce weight or stop vest training if pain or discomfort is experienced.
Better for weight reduction or bone health?
Although wearing a weighted vest increases the energy expenditure of aerobic and resistance exercise, research to indicate that it results in greater fat loss or muscle mass retention is somewhat inconclusive.
one Old studies investigated treadmill walking for half-hour thrice per week in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. The researchers found greater fat loss and muscle gain in participants who wore the weighted vest (at 4–8% of body weight). But later Research in obese older adults couldn’t show greater fat loss in participants who wore the weighted vest a median of 6.7 hours per day.
There has been considerable interest in using weighted vests to enhance bone health in older people. one A 2003 study reported significant improvements in bone density in a gaggle of ladies over 32 weeks of weighted vest walking and strength training in comparison with a sedentary control group.
But oh A 2012 study No difference in bone metabolism was found between groups of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis who walked on a treadmill with or with no weighted vest.
are developing
As with any exercise, there’s a risk of injury if it will not be done appropriately. But the chance of weight vest training appears to be low and will be managed with proper exercise progression and technique.
If you’re latest to training, the priority must be to easily start exercising and never complicate it by wearing a weight vest. Just using body weight will probably be enough to get you on the right track. Substantial gains in fitness.
Once you will have a superb foundation of strength, aerobic fitness and suppleness for muscles, joints and bones, using a weighted vest can provide greater loading intensity in addition to variation.
It is vital to begin with light weights (comparable to 5% body weight) and never exceed 10% body weight for ground impact exercises comparable to running, jogging or walking.
For resistance training comparable to squats, push-ups or chin-ups, progression will be achieved by increasing the load and adjusting the variety of repetitions for every set to around 10 to fifteen. Therefore, more load but less repetition, then load with time to construct to extend.
Although a weight vest will be used for resistance training, it might be easier and more convenient to make use of barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells or weight bags.
Geert Pieters/Unsplash
The bottom line
Weight vest training is only one tool in an entire plethora of kit, techniques and systems. Yes, walking or jogging with about 10% extra body weight increases energy expenditure and intensity. But training for less time or more intensity can achieve similar results.
Wearing a weighted vest during terrestrial exercise comparable to walking or jogging could have advantages for bone health. But similar and even greater stimulation for bone growth will be achieved through resistance training and even its introduction. Impact training Like hopping, jumping or bound.
Exercising with a weighted vest is not going to increase your risk of injury. But it must be approached intelligently, taking into consideration fitness level, current and former injuries, and appropriate progression for intensity and repetition.