should you invest in a weighted vest?
Those of you that know me know I am pretty straight forward. training with me typically revolves around variations off of the six core movement patterns which are of course: upper push and pull, lower push and pull, lunge and carry. For strength training this is what yields the best results and helps you become a more resilient human, preparing you for whatever life throws at you. with that said, this is only one slice of the cake to living an active healthy lifestyle —albeit a big slice but nevertheless just a slice. the other two slices are daily activity which is anything active that’s not structured exercise such as walking the dog, doing chores, things of that nature and cardio, which is structured exercises at various intensities ranging from easy (heart rate zone 1 and 2), moderate (heart rate zone 3 and 4) and very hard (heart rate zone 4 and 5). the reason I’m mentioning these slices of a healthy lifestyle is because whenever something novel hits the wellness market I always ask myself, “does this thing fall into one of these categories and if so does it dramatically improve the benefits you’ll receive from these categories?” so that’s what this article will discuss with the novel item today being weighted vests, hope you enjoy and learn something.
can a weighted vest improve strength?
Let’s look at this from a strength training point of view. weighted vests can be a great addition to a calisthenics style training plan as this is one way to implement progressive overload to your bodyweight program. a weighted vest is much easier to transport than a pair of dumbbells and kettlebells to a local park, if you plan to train outside like I see many people doing at mccarren park in williamsburg brooklyn. A limiter with calisthenics is that in order to continue seeing progress you’ll need to constantly add volume since the weight your lifting (your bodyweight) is fixed. This can be a limiter for people short on time or unable to maintain good form at higher reps. Adding weight with a vest can help you achieve similar (if not better) results without the volume needed just lifting your bodyweight. One thing I will caution is that I’d recommend only investing in a weighted vest after a few months of consistent calisthenics style training. when first starting out you’ll progress fine with just your bodyweight, use a weighted vest as a tool to break through a plateau not to work overload from the get-go.
Outside of calisthenics, weighted vests do have their time and place in the weight room. at my gym some of my clients use a weighted vest for planks, push ups, pull ups, and dead hangs to overload the body slightly on some of the bodyweight movements we do. can this replace lifting weights entirely? no. It certainly does have utility in a training program, but I consider this an accessory at best when looking to improve your strength in the gym. nothing beats traditional strength training.
does a weighted vest help burn fat?
burning fat is dictated by the effectiveness of your metabolism, how your body stores and uses the food you eat. the overall best way to improve your metabolism and “burn fat” more efficiently is by increasing your overall strength through consistent strength training. So, if you’re using a weighted vest to add load to your training plan, as mentioned previously, then inadvertently yes, a weighted vest can have a role in helping you burn fat. if you’re not using it to strength train and instead thinking about wearing a weighted vest on your daily walks, then I would recommend spending your money elsewhere.
as I mentioned previously, daily activity is an essential part of a healthy active lifestyle. being more active will absolutely help you to improve your metabolism as this type of activity can account for the majority of your calories burned per day. the caveat here is that this type of activity needs to be consistent and prolonged throughout the day, think easy walking, taking the stairs, gardening, and even fidgeting. while wearing a weighted vest can slightly increase the rate of calories burned when compared to doing these activities without additional weight, the wearers rate of perceived exertion will also likely increase, making walking for example, feel harder to do. this increase in intensity could become a deterrent to doing that activity longer or on a more consistent basis. when it comes to non-exercise activity consistency is key so if you can increase or maintain your activity level with a weighted vest —without aches, pains or a drop in enjoyment— then have at it. speaking for myself, i much prefer walking my dog at a leisurely pace with no additional weight on me than wearing a 20 pound backpack to the dog park — but hey, that’s just me.
should I use a weighted vest for endurance training?
this depends on the type of event you’re training for. if you’re training for mountain climbing, through-hiking, or backpacking then sure, use a weighted vest as it will mimic similar conditions that you’ll face when doing that event. in the end all performance strength training really does is prepare you to be stronger and more adept at doing your event. sprinters practice sprinting along with heavy strength and power work to mimic the explosive movements they do in their event, baseball players throw and swing a bat along with strength, power, and rotational exercises to mimic the torque experienced in baseball specific movements, etc. so if your event calls for you to wear a weighted backpack, or something similar, then it would be in your best interest to train with a similar load to prepare.
if your event does not call for additional load, like biking or running, then I’d say you can skip the weighted vest. Let’s take running for example. running is already extremely tendon, ligament, and joint dominant with a high risk of injury. running with additional weight will only increase that injury risk while really only really burning a few extra calories. the juice ain’t worth the squeeze. If you really want to spend your money buy better running shoes, or book a movement evaluation with a strength and conditioning professional. I offer this type of movement evaluation at my gym in greenpoint, feel free to reach out to schedule a session! the same goes for biking. with road biking you’re already in a pretty aggressive aero position which requires core strength and can put your low back in a compromised position. adding a weighted vest will require your core to work even harder and could put you at a higher risk of injury. to train this position just do more planks instead of wearing a weighted vest.
the only exception to this would be if you’re bikepacking or trail running and plan to wear a water bladder during your event. in this case a light weighted vest could prep you for those conditions. however even then, it would probably just be better to wear the water pack you’ll be using during the event. at the end of the day more load is not always the best thing, you need to consider what you’re training for and if this additional weight will support or detract from what you’re working towards.
