What are the benefits of a weighted vest? How to use it to progressand gain strength, explosiveness?
You may have seen people training or running with a weighted vest. Indeed, this fitness equipmentis seen by many athletes as a powerful tool to improve calorie burning, increase strength and muscle growth, while promoting fat loss.
Discover without further delay 5 types of training to perform with a weighted vest, and our advice for choosing the right model. Maybe it's time for you to take it to the next level?
What is a weighted vest?
A weighted jacket
A weighted vest is simply a weighted vest, either made from a heavy material or equipped with small pockets that can be filled with tiny sandbags, small steel bars or other weighted objects.
The general purpose of a weighted vest is to add extra weight for bodyweight exercises, walking, running, or speed drills , agility and speed. A companion article: Weighted vest: How to gain muscle and strength?
If you have a goal of increasing your endurance, a weighted vest of 10% or more of your weight is sufficient. If you want to put on muscle mass, choose heavier vests, which can support 20% or more of your weight.
Strength gain objective
As for the influence of a weighted vest on performance, the use of this type of additional load during a sprint or a speed exercise requires more work on the part of of your lower body muscles.
They then generate more force against the ground, allowing you to improve your powerand explosiveness. You will also be more agile and endurance. This fitness accessory is also known to improve the balance of athletes.
Indeed, with this extra weight, your body has to adapt and work more to stay in balance.
Accessible to all
But even if you're not a professional athlete, you can still benefit from using a weighted vest.
In fact, simply doing your daily activities with a little extra weight can significantly increase your metabolic cost, that is, your calorie consumption. To complete your knowledge: What are the 4 best proteins for your mass gain?
It can also increase the intensity of an activity or exercise that would normally be easy, and even help improve your bone density by loading your skeletal system.
5 ways to train with a weighted vest
Perform bodyweight exercises
The advantage of bodyweight exercises, is that they can be done at home. But it can also be difficult to progress or increase the level of difficulty.
With a weighted vest , it is now very easy to turn a bodyweight workout into a challenging routine, more demanding and therefore source of progress .
For example, here is a routine that you can do several times a week, in the form of circuit-training.Repeat the 5 movements below per circuit of 4 or 6 turns:
- 2-minute run;
- 20 weighted push-ups;
- 20 weighted squats;
- 20 passages from lying down to standing, always with a weighted vest;
- 20 weighted reverse lunges
Go for walks and hikes
If you take Sunday walks with your family or are lucky enough to have hiking trails near you, take advantage of them! You can then wear a weighted vesttointensify the workout and turn that ride into a more intense workout.
Plus, you can easily wear it under your coat. The advantage of the weighted vest is therefore that it can be worn everywhere, for any type of trip or movement. If you want to increase your breathing capacity: Altitude mask: How to increase your cardio?
Going for bike rides
Taking the trail with your bike while wearing a weighted vest is another great strategy for gaining strength. This works especially well on an uneven trail, and when you frequently alternate between standing and sitting to get a bit of an upper body workout.
You can also wear a weighted vest when riding a stationary exercise bike. Whether training indoors or outdoors, you can follow this pattern:
- 1.5 km warm-up;
- alternate standing and sitting, holding each position for 30 seconds, repeating 10 times in a row;
- rests 5 minutes;
- ride 1.5 km as fast and as hard as possible (while seated);
- slow down and recover for 1.5 km.
Wear your gilet every day
Whether you're doing the laundry, gardening, walking up and down the stairs in your home, or any other household chore, you can burn calories easily just by adding a little weight extra on your body.
So, with the weight vest, you're burning calories without even realizing it. For this type of activity, you can even amp up the benefits of a weighted vest by wearing ankle or wrist weights. An article on this subject: How to properly strengthen the wrists in bodybuilding?
Also, if you care about other people's eyes and don't dare to wear your weighted accessories to the gym, you're totally safe here! No one will notice, and you can go about your normal business.
Intensify strength training
You can escalate any strength training routine by wearing a Weighted Vest. For example, you can do a 5x5 workout while wearing a vest.
This consists of doing 5 sets of 5 deadlifts, 5 squats, 5 bench presses, 5 barbell rows and 5 barbell cleans. Your abs, lower back, inspiratory and expiratory muscles will then have to work much harder, along with all the other muscles you are working.
This results in an additional calorie burn and challenges every muscle in your body.If you want to go further: What are the benefits of jumping rope and how to take advantage of them?
What to consider when choosing your weighted vest?
Main characteristics
There are 3 main points to consider when choosing a weighted vest:
- Your current fitness level: Ask yourself if you are ready for a more intense workout? You must know your physical abilities, be familiar with the movements, rest well the day after a session, and work regularly to constantly progress The addition of additional resistance must be done when you feel sufficiently comfortable.
- Your Exercise Routine: Just because a weight vest can be worn with most forms of exercise doesn't mean you have to wear it constantly. Ask yourself the question of its relevance, and what it can bring you. There may be times when you need to focus on technique, your body position, or the trajectory of the movement. Consider the weighted vest when it's time to push your limits.
- The Weight of the Weighted Vest: How much extra weight will you be carrying? Keep in mind that adding weight adds difficulty to your routines. Even a 500 gram weight can make a huge difference in your training and your body may not be used to it. Don't carry too much too often, so as not to put too much strain on your joints and knees.
Weighted vests with adjustable weight
There are dozens of weight vest designs, and it can be hard to navigate. If you're still not sure how to choose, the ideal is to choose a weighted vest whose load is adjustable and customizable .
For example, the Fitness-Superhuman™ Military Weighted Vest™ can support up to 50 kg of additional load. It has been designed with 12 pockets, in which you can add the necessary sand or steel for weight gain. This weighted vest adapts to all body types and increases the difficulty of your training and exercises: it has been designed for intense efforts.
Solid and comfortable, it offers you excellent support so as not to overload your back and shoulders. This sports accessory is worthy of US military training!
In summary: weighted vests
Now you know all about weight vests! These vests, specially designed to intensify sporting effort, consist of adding an additional load. This allows athletes to improve their endurance and increase their strength.
Available to everyone, there are 5 main ways to train with a weighted vest:
- Perform bodyweight exercises at home.
- Go for walks and hikes.
- Do bike tricks.
- Wear the weighted vest everyday.
- Intensify weight training.
To choose the weighted vest that best suits your needs, we advise you to take into consideration your level, your exercise routine and the weight of the vest.
Generally, it's an advantage that the latter is customizable, because you can then adapt the load to your workouts and your goals.It is for this reason that we recommend the Military Weighted Vest™ from Fitness-Superhuman™, whose weight is fully adjustable and therefore suitable for all athletes
It's up to you now! Your first weight vest workout is waiting for you!
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