If you have never used a weighted vest in your workouts and exercise before, after reading this article, you will feel motivated to do it. Just continue reading.
A weighted vest as the name suggests looks similar to a bulletproof vest and it is designed with pockets all around for weights, which are mainly bags of sand. In fact, when you put on a weighted vest, one can mistake you with a member of the SWAT, which is not so.
There are plenty of benefits you can get from a weighted vest during workouts which are meant to help you get fit, healthy and boost your general physical performance.
In this article, we’ve shared the benefits of a weighted vest. Note that these are just a few of the benefits you can get by exercising with this tool.
Table Of Contents
What Is A Weighted Vest?
A weighted vest is a fitness tool that looks like a bulletproof jacket and is made of a weighty material with pockets around it. The pockets are meant for putting weights; mainly small sandbags and tiny steel bars. It is worn around the chest and offers changeable amounts of resistance.
What Is The Purpose of a Weighted Vest?
A weighted vest is meant to provide even distribution of weights in the body which makes it difficult for you to run, jog or when exercising. The vest is tightly worn around your torso where you insert small weights and carry them while exercising which gives you a hard time to fight against gravity.
Common Exercises You Can Use Weighted Vest
- Jogging
- Sit-ups
- Rope climbing
- Tricep Dips
- Push-ups
- Pull-ups
- And many other body exercises.
The Main Benefits of a Weight Vest
1. Benefits of Weighted Vest- Weight Loss
You may want to lose weight at some point in your life. One of the surefire ways to lose weight is to workout frequently. One of the easiest ways to enhance weight loss during workouts is to use a weighted vest. In fact, experts recommend the ZFOsports Weighted Vest as the best since it’s one size fits most and it has varied weights of 40lbs, 60lbs, and 80lbs.
As you know that when exercising you need strength and energy where there is more consumption and conversion into energy that is necessary when it comes to keeping your whole body going. Note that a weighted vest will increase the burning of calories during exercise.
This is due to the extra weight of the vest that makes your exercise more difficult and your muscles work harder especially when rowing, jogging, running and many other exercises. The more your muscles strain, the more calories needed by your body to keep it going which results in burning of the calories and fat in the body and hence resulting in greater weight loss.
The more calories and fats are burned the better your metabolic rate gets. Your body converts the consumed calories into energy and when you have insufficient calories to keep your body going, the body consumed the fat deposits which also enhance weight loss.
According to the latest study by the American Council on Exercise (ACE), exercising with a weighted vest that is 15% of your body weight can help to burn up to 12% more calories.
2. Increased Strength and Endurance
Another incredible benefit of wearing a weighted vest during exercise is the ability to get stronger rapidly as well as greater endurance. Note that this applies to any exercise you do regularly. Whether you do press ups, sit ups, run, cycle a weighted vest will make your exercise harder and thus enabling you to get more benefits.
This is because a weighted vest will increase the load on your muscles, which makes them work harder and hence get stronger. A weighted vest enhances endurance since the body muscles will have a tough time during workouts.
3. Enhances Cardiovascular System
As we have mentioned above that wearing a vest during exercise is a hard task. During this time, the heart tends to pump rapidly and you might also feel difficult to breathe. The weights you insert into the pockets of a weighted vest gives your muscles hard time which forces your heart and lungs to work harder to suffice the heart and muscles with fresh air. So a weighted vest contributes significantly when it comes to lungs and heart health. Note that the stronger your lungs become, the more oxygen is pumped throughout your body.
4. Varied strength
Another huge benefit of using a weighted vest during workouts is the flexibility when it comes to intensity. This is because you can start with the vest without adding any weights to it, and then keep on adding a 10-pound increment in weight to raise the strength in your exercise.
5. Healthier Balance and Posture
Wearing a weighted vest during various workouts promotes healthier balance and posture. Because of the increased weight on your upper body as a result of the weighted vest, your body tends to get more balanced. You will always experience a pull towards the ground and this will force your body to balance.
Moreover, a weighted vest can help to keep your back straight thus giving your body a better posture. This is due to the difficulty your muscles get as a result of the weighted vest that makes the muscles to work harder thus getting stronger in order to support your spine and hence keeping you in an upright posture.
6. A weighted vest strengthens your bones
The last but not the least benefit of wearing a weighted vest in our list is the ability to strengthen your bones. In this case, you will need to wear the vest when squirting, running or during push-ups where you have to hold the weight on your own. Note that the stronger your bones get the lesser chances they become to break easily and the more resistant to diseases they become.
Final Words
As you have read in this article, wearing a weighted vest during exercise brings more benefits to your body. Weight loss, strength and endurance, healthier balance and posture and stronger bones are just a few of the benefits you can get but there are many others.
However, while a weighted vest is beneficial to your body during exercise, you should use it occasionally to avoid overuse and probable injuries. Also, ensure to seek advice from your trainer before you can start exercising with a weighted vest.
