What Does a Weight Vest Do To Your Body?

If you’re asking yourself this question, you probably just recently discovered the concept of a weighted vest. Maybe someone was wearing one at the gym or you saw something about them online? Maybe you’re wondering what a weight vest even is?

But what exactly does a weight vest do to your body? Does it help you lose weight? Build muscle? Increase your cardiovascular endurance? The answer is simply, yes. It all depends on how you use it.

Check out this video from Dick’s Sporting Goods for an in-depth explanation of the benefits of wearing a weight vest.

What Is a Weight Vest?

Weighted vests are used to add extra weight in addition to your bodyweight.

The most common design for a weight vest is similar to a life jacket with several small pockets, front and back. These pockets will then be filled with small sandbags, steel weights, etc. The pockets and the weights that you insert in them are specifically designed to fit tightly so that the weight does not move or shift while you’re working out. The Valeo Weighted Vest is well-built, adjustable, and affordable. A perfect entry-level vest.

Related Reading: How To Choose The Right Weighted Vest

What Does a Weight Vest Do?

A weight vest adds extra resistance to your workout, helping you to burn fat faster or build muscle mass, depending on how you use it.

·    Increases Heart Rate

Carrying heavy loads while walking and running, or doing any strenuous activity for that matter, increases your heart rate. As your muscles work overtime to carry the additional weight, they require more oxygen. Your heart rate escalates to pump more oxygen-rich blood to support those hard working muscles. This gives your entire cardiovascular system a healthy workout, boosting your metabolism and burning through extra calories in the process.

The Prodigen Weight Vest is padded and reflective, perfect for running. It also comes in a variety of colors.

·    Improves Speed and Power

Have you ever seen a professional athlete sprinting with a parachute trailing behind them or pulling a weighted sled? The logic behind this is that it forces your body to perform at a level that will support the added resistance. A weighted vest achieves this same goal. Practice a specific activity while wearing a weight vest over the course of a few weeks. Once you remove the vest and try the same activity, you’ll immediately notice a difference. With less resistance, your body is able to perform at a much higher level.

Check out this video of NFL Wide Receiver Antonio Brown’s offseason workout. Notice how he incorporates a weighted vest into his training. From push-ups and plyometric work to treadmill running and football-specific drills, he’s conditioning his body to run faster, jump higher, and be much quicker and explosive. You want to improve your body from head to toe? Train like an NFL wide receiver.

·    Improves VO2max

VO2max is essentially the volume of air that your lungs can actually absorb the oxygen from at any given time. The harder your muscles work, the more oxygen they need. The blood that your heart pumps through your body carries that oxygen. Wearing a weight vest forces your muscles to work harder which increases your body’s need for oxygen. When you’re out of shape, your VO2max is reduced, and that’s why you’re bent over gasping for breath with your heart beating out of your chest. By improving your VO2max, you’ll begin to notice that you can breath more easily and last longer during rigorous exercise.

·    Increases Stamina and Endurance

Wearing a weighted vest while you run will help to improve your cardiovascular endurance. Your VO2max is a good indicator, as it increases, you’ll be able to run faster and for longer periods because you’re now better supporting your body with the oxygen it needs. If you're training for a race, running with a weighted vest on will get you in better shape and help you reduce your time. Click To Tweet You’ll be conditioning your body to perform as if it’s carrying that extra weight. Remove the vest on raceday and you’ll be ready to hit a new personal record.

The RUNFast Weighted Vest is our top rated vest at STE.

·    Develops and Tones Muscle

Wearing a weight vest while performing bodyweight strength training is a great way to build and tone muscles. Push-ups, pull-ups, squats, lunges, etc. are limited in the amount of muscle they can help you build by your own bodyweight. The vest allows you to continually add more weight to your body, forcing your muscles to adapt and grow stronger to support the additional weight.

Related Reading: Best Weight Vests for Men / for Women

·    Improves Metabolism

Having a high heart rate and VO2max means that your body needs more fuel (calories) to burn. This skyrockets your metabolism and helps you shed unwanted bodyfat faster.

·    Helps in Weight Loss

Add weight to lose weight. It may sound contradictory, but as demonstrated above, adding a weighted vest to your routine increases your heart rate and boosts your metabolism. That equates to more calories burned and faster weight loss.

Most Effective use of a Weight Vest

Just wearing a weight vest around the house doing chores or yardwork will help you burn extra calories and improve your physical health. But to get the most out of the vest, your best options are going to be exercises in which the vest can add to the intensity of the activity.

• Cardio Workouts like running, jogging and even walking maximize the benefits of using a weight vest. It increases the rate at which you burn calories, helping you to lose weight quicker.
• Bodyweight Exercises like push-ups, squats, and burpees depend on your body’s weight to tone and develop muscles. Wearing a weight vest increases the resistance during these exercises which allows you to build a stronger, leaner, better looking body.

Related Reading: Best Weighted Vest Workouts

Sport-Specific

Working out with a weighted vest improves functional movement and muscle development which can improve performance in many sports. Some specific benefits include:

·    Basketball

Improved vertical leap, run faster, better reaction time

·    Football

Increased full-body strength, run faster, improved durability

·    Marathon Running

Higher endurance levels and improved VO2max

·    Cycling

Higher endurance levels and improved VO2max

·    Swimming

Improved VO2max and upper body strength, higher endurance levels

Precautions

Just like any other training program or piece of equipment, there are things you’ll need to consider and familiarize yourself with before trying out a weight vest.

·    Master your Technique

Before you add a weight vest to your routine, make sure you’ve got your form down. If you’re doing bodyweight exercises – push-ups, pull-ups, squats – bad form is the quickest way to debilitating injuries and a poorly developed physique.

·    Higher Risk of Injury

Adding any amount of weight to any exercise inherently comes with a higher risk of injury. Don’t let your ego get in the way, add weight slowly and work your way up.

Check out our top ten weighted vests to start your journey to a better body today.