It’s rare for me to suggest taking on a few pounds.
However, when I do it this, it’s made of muscles or … drumroll … an erect vest.
And, now, you’re likely picturing a terrifying miltary-like person in a weighted 50-pound vest and performing intense bootcamp-style exercises while thinking “I’m certainly not cut for this.”
However, before you decide to write them off, be aware that weighted vests have developed significantly in the past few years, allowing you an array of weight levels and styles , so you don’t appear like the Hulk in one (unless you’d like to obviously! ).
There are numerous benefits of adding weight to your training and vests are one of the easiest ways to accomplish this.
Check out some of the benefits of weighted vests you’ll experience when you add vests to your fitness arsenal.
4 Major Weighted Vest Benefits
1. Increase Fat Burn
We all know that the intensity of your workout is crucial in the quest for fast and efficient fat loss.
While jogging or walking for hours at a comfortable rate on treadmills could seem like a good method to burn fat but studies have shown that it’s actually among the most ineffective methods to lose calories (unless it’s a weighted vest , of course!).
On the other hand the short, high-intensity intervals that incorporate resistance training have proven repeatedly to be the fastest and most efficient method to burn fat and increase muscles.
The most important reason is the intense nature of these exercises, which makes our body create permanent changes in our cells. These changes encourage fat burning and the appearance of leanness.
What’s the most efficient method of increasing intensity of any exercise (aside from performing an unimaginable amount of burpees)?
Include a vest with a weight.
The body will be forced to boost your energy (aka calories) it consumes to help you maintain an increased weight. Indeed, one study revealed that wearing a vest with a weight during a stand-up workout boosts calorie burning by as much as 12 percent.
2. Increase Bone and Muscle Strength and Strength
The addition of a vest with a weight to your body is a clever way to force your muscles to to be able to carry you with your “new” load.
The growth isn’t over. Through weighted vest workouts, your bones adapt to the stress by building greater bone mass. This leads to denser bones connective tissue, as well as an overall more robust muscles and skeletal system.
If your musculoskeletal system has been stronger, your future workouts and movements are much more comfortable and the risk of injury is reduced significantly due to increased strength and stability.
In addition that having strong bones aids in preventing degenerative bone disease such as osteoarthritis as you get older.
3. Boost Cardiovascular Benefits
Although cardio activities like running and skipping are fantastic for strengthening your cardiovascular system and heart however, they’re not the only method to engage into a good cardiovascular exercise.
You might be aware that while lifting weights your heart rate can increase substantially and you might get short of breath.
This is due to the fact that no matter the sport the weight added to it will increase the metabolic cost, which is also known as “energy expense.”
As a response to the growing requirement for energy, our body puts the cardiovascular system into high gear, thereby strengthening the lungs and heart, and increasing our body’s ability absorb oxygen more efficiently.
The use of a vest with weights while exercising can enhance the effect and increase the intensity of your bodyweight workout to give you the full cardio exercise.
The advantages of challenging your lungs and heart will eventually trickle down to other areas of your exercise in the process.
For instance, a research published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology discovered that endurance athletes who were wearing weighted vests for training performed longer and harder until exhaustion and climbed stairs faster and also had higher maximum VO2 (a measurement of physical fitness) when compared with study athletes who did not wear a vest with weights.
4. Increase Core Strength
If you think that keeping your balance or holding a plank on your back without the aid of a vest that was weighted was hard, try it with a vest.
The extra weight on top of your torso will help to jolt your abdominal muscles by pushing your core muscles to support and balance the weight of a greater load.
Since we depend on the stabilizer muscles in our core for even the most basic of tasks like bent over, you’ll be able to see the difference an exercise vest that is weighted has on your abs even when you’re not engaged in an intense core workout.
Weighted Vest How-To
Before we go into which type of vest you should choose ensure that you can complete the exercises without difficulty and safely without the need for the need for additional weight.
I’m saying this because although vest exercises are meant to be tough but they shouldn’t be too demanding that they can cause an injury.
It is essential to build the strength of your ligaments and muscles before taking on new levels of intensity otherwise, you could end up going to the bed instead of hitting the fitness center.
That being said I’d recommend that you start with a solid, steady 4 to six months of strength training in your system before you attempt exercises using an exercise vest.
If you’re ready to wear a vest, begin with a weight of 10 pounds. Although it may not sound that too much, but trust me when I say that you’ll beg you to disagree.
Workouts in a Weighted Vest
Here are two examples of weighted vest exercises that will not just provide your muscles with extra energy but also help to burn fat and calories by making your heart beat.
You should do these exercises at least 2 times per week to get the best outcomes. If you’d like, wear a vest that is weighted when you walk or during other aerobic workouts for an additional burning calories.
Dynamic Warmup
It’s vital to make sure your muscles are warm and blood flowing before you put on your vest. Start by doing a 10-minute active warm-up that doesn’t require a vest and includes these exercises.
The Core Workout and the Upper Body
Work through this core and upper body circuit three times, taking only little rest between workouts. Take a break for one minute between each round.
1. Overhand Pull-Up (10-12 repetitions)
Beginners: Take weight off your vest and/or employ chairs or stools to assist you in pulling. You can also do “negatives,” by only lifting the portion that you lower. Begin by lifting the bar above it and extremely slowly lower. Make use of a chair in order to get to the top of the bar. repeat the exercise for 6-8 repetitions.
Intermediate and advanced Weights: Add more weights on your belt if you’re doing 10-12 repetitions.
2. Mountain Climbers (20 repetitions)
For beginners: Try the plank or pushup position.
Intermediate and advanced Do you want to add weight to your vest, or add to a plank that lasts 30 seconds hold after your 20 reps.
Exercise 3 The exercise 3 is Low Knees (30 seconds)
For beginners: Start running in a straight line.
Advanced Athletes: Try box jumps or jump ropes.
Exercise 4: Tricep Dips (8-12 reps)
Beginners: Take weight off your vest for this workout.
Advanced Weight: Put on your vest.
Workout 5: Plank using the shoulder Taps (20 second)
For beginners: Do a plank, but not using shoulder taps.
Advanced: Add weights to your vest, or perform the pushups using a vest that is weighted instead.
Exercise for the lower body
Perform this powerful low-body circuit 3 times with a minimum of rest between exercises. Take a break for 1 minute between each round.
Training 1: Bulgarian Split-Squat (10 reps each leg)
Beginners: Take weight off your vest and/or do alternating lunges in reverse instead.
Intermediate and advanced Weights can be added on your jacket.
Exercise 2: Squats (10-15 reps)
For beginners: Wear an easier vest.
Intermediate and advanced Incorporate weights to your vest, or perform jump squats.
Exercise 3 The lateral Lunges (10 reps for each leg)
Beginners: Take weight off your vest.
Advanced You can add weight to your vest.
Exercise 4: Burpees (5-10 reps)
For beginners Do High knees and hold for 30 seconds.
Advanced: Perform more reps.
5. Sumo Squats (10-15 reps)
For those who are new to the sport, use a lower vest weight.
Advanced: Pick the heavier vest.
Exercise 6 Single-Leg Bridge (10-15 repetitions per leg)
Beginners Do the bridge using both feet planted on the ground.
Intermediate and advanced Bridges that are elevated by propped your foot up on a bench that is low or a stability ball.
Vests with Benefits
If you’re in the right place, investing in a vest that is weighted will likely be among the best choices you could make to push your fitness into the highest level. From increasing fat-burning to strengthening bones, the advantages exceed the negatives of this piece of equipment.
Let’s start packing those pounds, shall we?
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