Weighted vests are excellent ways to improve any fitness training. If you’re looking for more of a challenge or broadening your fitness routine, these vests will provide you with versatility and the opportunity to lose weight while earning muscle mass at a more efficient rate.
Weighted Vests Explained
Weighted vests are pretty self-explanatory. They’re like vests, but with extra weight in them, and people love to use them to provide more intensity in their exercises. You’re wrong if you think you can get this same quality workout by using a weight in a backpack.
These vests are specially designed with fitness in mind. Each vest has a specific weight maximum attached and has small weights evenly distributed across them. Distributing these weights like this is a big reason these are so beneficial. If you were to try to do the same workout with a weighted vest and a dumbbell in a backpack, the latter would probably give you back pain.
These vests are often made with unique materials and can usually be altered to take weights out or add more in, so you can tailor your vest to your specific needs. There are tons of exercises you can do with a weighted vest, and many people use them to provide extra resistance during regular workouts or as a great way to work for muscle rehabilitation.
All of these tools just look like a regular tactical or fishing vest, and even though most of them have the ability to add or take away weights, not all of them have this versatility. Some people love using vests since they can add a little something extra to regular tiring exercises, but some people don’t find these vests as fun. It’s worth making sure you’re comfortable with having weight on your chest during a workout before purchasing them. When used correctly, these offer numerous health benefits, but if you’re uncomfortable while using them, you’ll never be able to reap all the benefits.
Benefits of Weighted Vests
Simply put, the weighted vest benefits the wearer since they add extra resistance. The more you have to fight gravity during a movement, the harder your body works and the stronger you get as a result. These vests are great at increasing strength training, and many people have seen the gains observed when people bench press or perform pushups with weighted vests on. These vests have helped younger fitness enthusiasts and older ones develop a lot of strength gains. They’re also recommended for people with bone mineral issues since they can improve mineral density and decrease the risk of fractures.
Cardiovascular benefits are also a huge bonus that weighted vests offer. Some studies have found that runners who use weighted vests develop a better blood lactate threshold. This is a fancy way of saying that these people were able to tolerate faster speed for more significant periods of time before tiring out during their runs. This helped these runners develop improvements during their sprints and long-distance endurance runs.
Also, another study suggests that these vests can help the body metabolize fat more efficiently, and this helps people burn calories quicker and keep an overall leaner physique.
The Many Types of Workouts You Can Do With a Weighted Vest
These vests are excellent additions to otherwise normal workout routines. You can perform runs, pushups, squats, jogs, or other exercises that allow you to push against the weight of the vest. If you’re going to ride a bike for a mile, this is no doubt a great exercise, but a weighted vest will do very little to help you.
Before using these vests to work out, users should make sure they only purchase vests that are lighter in weight since it takes time to acclimate to working out with a vest on, and if you’re new to working out with these vests, you should try to work with a vest that allows you to remove smaller weights.
After finding the right size and weight vest for you, you’ll want to avoid any exercises that require you to be more bent-over, like deadlifts or bent-over rows. These can accidentally cause excessive strain on the back and increase the risk of injury. Pushups and pullups are great choices to practice using a weighted vest with.
For pushups, you should begin as you normally would, but when you keep your core tight and push up from the ground, ensure you hold yourself up at the top to really allow the weight of the vest to resist your body. If you can’t lower your chest enough without your vest bumping into the floor, try to elevate your hands on something like a wooden board or pushup bar.
When practicing pullups, you can participate as you would typically without the vest. If you’re finding it more difficult to rise to the bar, you can try controlled lowered pullups, but starting at the top of the movement and slowly lowering yourself down with control.
You should try to buy a vest that aligns with your needs. People looking to run in these vests might want ones that have padding under their shoulders. But, people who plan on doing pushups might care more about finding a vest that has adjustable straps, so your vest doesn’t accidentally touch the floor during your pushups. Luckily, these seven vests are great options for lots of different types of workouts.
How To Pick the Right Weighted Vest for You
The best weighted vest will be the vest that fits you best and helps you feel the most comfortable.
If you’re new to weighted vests, getting one of the heavier options can be tempting. But a vest pro knows you have to work up to weight distributions before you can begin training with heavier weight options.
Extra weight makes strength training more efficient, but using too much weight can cause poor health and might tire you out faster. A workout vest should be used in a way that you consider your body weight, muscle mass, and the exercises you intend to practice with your weight vest.
An adjustable weighted vest is a great place to start as a beginner. The adjustable weight will allow you to change the load thanks to its removable weights. If you’re a beginner, you should start with a vest that weighs no more than 20 pounds. You might see that the added weight and your bodyweight exercise make any strength training or cardio workout extra hard.
A heavier vest can also be painful for some people with smaller frames simply because the shoulder straps can dig into your skin in an undesirable way. It’s best to start your workout with a shoulder pad so you can make sure you don’t irritate your skin during your training.
More experienced weighted vest users should experiment with different styles of vests and different weights to ensure they get the most out of their workout vest. If you’ve never used shoulder pads before, try adding them to your weighted vest workout, you might find it more comfortable. Or you can try to experiment with added weight by combining ankle weights with your weighted vest, and this can really help maximize your weight distribution to your entire body.
The 7 Best Weighted Vests for Any Type of Workout
1. Aduro Sport Weighted Vest Workout Equipment
Workout vests are great for cardio and intense weight training. The heavier they are, the more intense workouts can get, and Audro Sport weighted vests can add extra to your normal body weight. These vests add weight evenly across the body and won’t slip during any activities. When you’re already exerting so much energy, you don’t want to worry about your vest slipping off, so you want to make sure you buy the right size and get one that won’t slip off you. These vests are designed for men and women with an adjustable front belt and a soft material. Neoprene is used to help comfort the wearer.
Mesh pockets are located on the back of this vest which saves room if you need pockets for your phone, wallet, or other essentials. This way, you can run without bulky clothing that has its own pockets. This vest has a lifetime warranty to ensure anyone who buys it is completely satisfied with their purchase. Anyone can purchase a size corresponding to their needs. These vests come in four pounds, six pounds, twelve pounds, sixteen pounds, twenty pounds, twenty-five pounds, and thirty pounds. Each can correspond to a more intensive workout if you want a vert with heavier weights.
2. Henkelion Weighted Vest Weight Vest for Men Women Kids
This Henkelion weighted vest comes in multiple colors to ensure you can buy the right aesthetic for your style. Functionality and safety are important when choosing workout equipment, but you want to make sure you’re getting equipment that makes you excited to work out. Since you can pick between black, blue, gray, pink, and purple, there is a great color choice for every individual. Depending on the intensity of the weights, you can choose a four-pound, twelve-pound, or sixteen-pound vest.
Weighted vests should be comfortable, and Henkelion prepared an elastic waist on this vest to ensure it has a snug and comfortable fit. The vest is also filled with premium iron pellets and metal rocks rather than using cheap river sand. This makes these vests higher quality, and they will last longer. An ergonomic design allows the weight to be distributed evenly throughout the vest. Since this also has an adjustable strap, it’s sure to prevent any slipping or sliding during exercise routines.
This vest also has functionality in mind since it has soft neoprene material to make it comfortable and mesh pockets on the back to save room to add extra weight. The pockets located at the front and back of the vest allow for maximum comfort during all workouts without straining your back and shoulders.
3. RUNFast/Max 12lbs-140lbs Adjustable Weighted Vest
RUNFast made comfortable vests that have the option of including shoulder vests, and you can purchase them without vests as well. Anyone can pick different weights to decide how intense they want their workout to be. The vest comes with weights that can be removed to make them be more tailored to the user. These vests come in multiple weight sizes, such as 12-pounds, 20-pounds, 40-pounds, 50-pounds, 60-pounds, 80-pounds, 100-pounds, 120-pounds, and 140-pounds. These vests are great for cross-training and workout training. If you’re looking for strength training or a great vest to run in, then these vests are great options.
RUNFast vests come as one-size-fits-most, and they have empty pockets that can be filled with weights to make for a more intense workout. Each vest’s listed weight is its max weight capacity.
4. RUNmax Pro Weighted Vest
RUNmax Pro created weighted vests that are perfect for all types of workout routines. These vests can be purchased with shoulder pads for comfort or without them if you don’t like that feeling. These vests come in different sizes, like 12-pounds, 20-pounds, 40-pounds, 50-pounds, and 60-pounds, so you can pick the size that best fits your needs.
All the weights come included with these vests. You can add or remove weights to tailor your fit, but the weight listed on the vest is its maximum weight limit. These vests also come with a lifetime warranty to ensure their customers are worry-free. This weighted vest also comes with phone pockets and a water bottle holder, which is extra convenient. Nice accessories like these aren’t included in most vests and make it very convenient for anyone working out or running in these vests.
5. CAP Barbell 20-150 lb Adjustable Weighted Vest
These weighted vests come in a lot of different size options to accommodate anyone purchasing them. CAP Barbell weighed vests are different than others because they can also come in regular and short options to accommodate people of different heights, making the experience of wearing a weigher vest more positive. These vests come in multiple weight sizes, like 20-pounds, 40-pounds, 50-pounds, 60-pounds, 70-pounds, 80-pounds, and 150-pounds. All of the weighted vests are made with polyester and reinforced nylon. Fully adjustable straps allow for a secure, snug fit. It’s important to feel secure in your vests so you aren’t distracted while you work out and have a safe fit while putting all your energy and focus into your routine.
The total weight is decided by a vest’s weight listed, but anyone can pull individual weights out of each weight packet to provide a more specific weight guide for each workout. This also means that each packet is filled with 2.5 pounds of iron ore fines, ensuring the weights are durable and long-lasting. These flexible vests still offer resistance for any bodyweight training, but it doesn’t prevent certain movements and allows to wearer to move as freely as they would with a regular shirt. The anchor hooks on the vest are an add-on designed for parachute run training and they include reflective strips for easy visibility if you’re using them during walking or running exercises.
6. CAP Barbell (HHWV-CB020C) Adjustable Weighted Vest
CAP offers tons of excellent fitness materials, and they have alloy steel in these weights and neoprene material with 20-pound weights in the vest. The vest has a clip to lock in place and adjustable conditioning with steel-shot weight packets. These packets each weigh approximately .75-pounds, allowing you to gain strength and burn calories during your exercise. The neoprene is designed to add comfort, and there is an integrated pocket for cell phone comfort. The integrated pockets offer you to store other essentials like wallets or earphones too. The breathable mesh straps allow you to use adjustable clips to match your body type best, so you feel comfortable, safe, and secure while working out.
7. Adurance Weighted Vest Workout Equipment
Adurance created multiple weighted vests so the buyer could pick the best size for their needs. You can choose between a 6-pound, 10-pound, 14-pound, and 18-pound vest to help support your exercise routine best. These vests also come with a lifetime warranty to ensure the buyer is completely satisfied with their surface. This equipment is excellent for cardio and weight training as they allow people to increase the intensity of their workout. This adds extra resistance to bodyweight, preventing you from slipping or sliding during activities. These vests are designed for men, women, and children and have adjustable straps that can be fixed to fit any body type. Mesh pockets on the back of the vest allow the workout equipment to save room for you and add extra weight pockets if you decide you need a heavier weight.
Conclusion
The best weighted vest will offer variability with removable weights. Whether you are a pro or not, weight training is hard, and you might not be able to run as much as you think. Focus on the workout routines you intend to perform with your vest and decide for yourself if adjustable straps, reflective straps, or shoulder pads would be useful in your situation. If you plan on doing pushups and pullups with your vest, shoulder pads won’t be as helpful as they would for a person who wants to run in their vest. As always, it’s important to look for functionality, but the best options will offer supreme functionality, comfort, and style. Purchase a vest that makes you excited to work out.
