Weighted Vest for Cardio/Conditioning

[Robert Rowland]

A friend of mine swears by using a weighted vest for fat loss/cardio.  He uses the vest to power walk an inclined treadmill for ~20 minutes and when moving around the house.

 

I would use it for similar activities and certainly not while performing GST movements.  I'm wondering if there are any reservations with regard to the affect a weighted vest might have on one's soft tissues, tendons, and ligaments.  My intuition tells me to steer clear from running while wearing one.

 

Thoughts?

[Douglas Wadle]

I think they are good and probably safe if you're walking or hiking, especially hill climbing.  As you suspect, I would not recommend running or jumping with them.  There may be a role for weighted jumps in some circumstances, but they would be very individual and require proper build up.  Weighted hill climbs are a good conditioning activity if used properly, and probably safer than sprinting for most people.

[Jon Douglas]

Running on flat surfaces is not generally a good idea with added weight.

Long walks are good, but be conservative with the weight and ramp up slowly. There are plenty of specific rucking guidelines on military prep websites if you are curious about this route-- it is very effective for conditioning, but is not always fun

Hill sprints are particularly good IMO, but there's no point going too heavy-- if it slows you down too much you are defeating the purpose of sprinting and are better off hauling more weight at a trot. Avoid the 'power waddle'

I don't like to go more than 10kg for hill sprints for myself (BW around 85kg) and even then I find it's doing much more for leg strength than my lungs. So it depends on what you're going for there

[Jon Douglas]

Personally I think wearing them around the house is excellent if done right, but I find it uncomfortable (hot country) and if you work regular hours you probably won't spend enough time moving / standing in it to be worth it anyway.

[Robert Rowland]

Thanks, gents.

[Jesse Frigo]

I don't have much experience with weight vests, but I've worn body armor for a significant amount of time.  Walking is great.  Running, only if you really have your form dialed in.  The biggest thing to get it comfortable is to have it tight.  You want the vest to simulate an extra amount of weight in your body.  If it slops around at all it will be very uncomfortable.

 

I used to stick my thumbs under the shoulder straps, then have my buddy tighten the side straps, squeezing my chest.  It would restrict my deepest breathing a tiny bit, but it moved when I moved, and changed direction when I did.

[Peter Smrek]

I have it for my climbing session and for running uphill only.

[cmoore]

I'll use them occasionally on the high bar to break my "heavy" body weight perception. A few muscle ups, kips, and such with the extra weight, makes me feel positively anti-gravity once it's just me again. GL.