How a workout vest can help you build strength and power

What is a workout vest

This vest is made of durable artificial material, which is fastened to the body with slings or zippers. It is used to increase stress during exercise.

Most vests have special pockets for inserting weights, such as sandbags or metal cylinders. This allows you to adjust the weight according to your capabilities, as well as for different types of exercises.

Training vests are used in a variety of sports and fitness disciplines. In such equipment, you can run and climb stairs, do jumping exercises, do weightlifting, and also increase the load in exercises with your body weight, for example pull-ups, dips or squats.

What You Can Achieve With a Training Vest

Increase jump height

For sports where jump height is important, training with a vest canAcute kinematic and kinetic adaptations to wearable resistance during vertical jumping improve your performance.

In experimentThe effect of extra-load conditioning on muscle performance…: Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise

with 14 adult sprinters, they found that three weeks of training in a 7–8% bodyweight vest significantly increased jump height and power in the lower extremities.

In other small studies, vest training helped jumpers and throwers improve their jump test results.The influence of extra load on the mechanical behavior of skeletal muscle, basketball playersEffects of a Plyometric Training Program With and Without…: The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, weightliftersRedistributing load using wearable resistance during power clean training improves athletic performance and rugby playersEffect of 8 days of a hypergravity condition on the sprinting speed and lower-body power of elite rugby players, female athletesHypergravity Training: Women’s Track and Field: The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research and unsportsmanlike young menEffect of weighted vest suit worn during daily activities on running speed, jumping power, and agility in young menwho did not exercise, but just walked in a vest all day.

Improve weightlifting performance

Since explosive leg strength is critical to weightlifting performance, it can be assumed that exercising with a vest will be beneficial for this sport as well.

So, one small studyRedistributing load using wearable resistance during power clean training improves athletic performance with the participation of 16 weightlifters showed that five weeks of training in a vest with 12% of body weight increased one repetition maximum in the chest by 4.2%, while exercises without a vest in the control group - only by 1.8%.

In addition, such workouts increased the speed of lifting the bar while working with 90% of 1RM and improved its trajectory when working with weights of 70 and 90% of 1RM.

Burn more calories in your workout

Dr. Len Kravitz from the University of New Mexico conducted an experimentACE Research: Improve Walking Workouts with Weighted Vestsin which women with a low level of fitness were engaged in walking in a vest with weights.

After measuring the maximum oxygen consumption while walking at a speed of 4 km / h, the doctor noted that weighting 15% of body weight increases calorie expenditure by 12% and does not significantly affect perceived efforts.

In meta-analysisThe Effects of Wearable Resistance Training on Metabolic, Kinematic and Kinetic Variables During Walking, Running, Sprint Running and Jumping: A Systematic Review Studies of vest training have also noted that weights significantly increase energy expenditure in all exercise, walking and running.

And even just wearing a vest can help throw off excess fat. So, in one studyIncreased weight loading reduces body weight and body fat in obese subjects - A proof of concept randomized clinical trial Thirty-six untrained obese people wore a vest with 10% of body weight for 8 hours a day and after three weeks lost an average of 1.61 kg and their fat percentage by 3.18% without any diet or exercise.

Older women also lost excess weight and fat in two small studies.Effects of Exercise Training with Weighted Vests on Bone Turnover and Isokinetic Strength in Postmenopausal Women, Effects of Exercise on Bone Density, Balance, and Self-Efficacy in Older Women. Here, the participants no longer walked in vests all the time, but engaged in weights - they performed strength training, climbed the stairs.

Thus, it can be assumed that cardio and strength in a vest will help you spend more energy in training. (without increasing the time of the session), create a significant calorie deficit and get rid of excess ones faster kilograms.

Increase muscle strength and size without a gym

If you are doing calisthenics - do exercises with your body weight at home or on platform with horizontal bars, an increase in the load often occurs only due to a larger number of repetitions.

And while training to muscle failure does a good job of increasing muscle size across a wide rep rangeStrength and Hypertrophy Adaptations Between Low- vs. High ‑ Load Resistance Training: A Systematic Review and Meta ‑ analysis., additional weighting will provide the body with an unusual load. And this can have a positive effect on progress.

Moreover, if your goal is to increase strength, not muscle size, a vest is a must. For the development of this quality are best suitedEffects of different resistance training volumes on strength and power in team sport athletes short sets with weights of 2-5 reps.

Wearing a vest will reduce your reps to muscle failure and give your body the stimulus it needs to develop strength.

Plus, by making it heavier, your workouts will be shortened in time without sacrificing efficiency.

What to look for when choosing a vest

Vests are not the cheapest equipment. The specific price depends on the model and can be either 3 or 16 thousand rubles. In order not to waste your money, pay attention to the following parameters.

The ability to change weight

In some models of vests, weights in the form of sand or metal weights are sewn into the product, so you cannot change the weight.

On the one hand, it is convenient, because you do not have to fiddle with sand and buy additional cargo. On the other hand, it will not be possible to regulate the load in different exercises and use the vest for people with different body weights and training levels.

Moreover, it is better to start training in a vest with small weights of 5% of body weight so that the body gets used to the stress. And only then increase the weight to 10-15% or more, depending on the type of exercise.

So it is better to consider options with the ability to adjust weight. Just keep in mind that loads are often sold separately from the vest and you will have to pay extra for them.

What to buy:

• Vest with weighting Evergrip Weighted 10LB (4.5kg), 4,990 rubles →
• Weighted vest Everlast "F.I.T. 40LB ". Weight 18 kg, 15 490 rubles →

Weights type

Cargoes can be presented in the form:

• sandbags;
• bags of shot;
• steel bars or cylinders;
• metal plates.

Sandy options are usually the cheapest. However, they have several disadvantages: they are quite voluminous, so perform push ups, burpees and many other movements will be uncomfortable.

In addition, over time, the sand starts to fall asleep, especially if you buy a model that is not of the highest quality.

Some vests use plates as weights - such weights provide a more even distribution loads on the body, in contrast to the same bars with which the weight can be concentrated only in the lower or upper parts products.

However, with plates, you won't be able to flexibly change the weight of the equipment. While the bars allow you to add 500-900 g, the slabs have a mass of 2.5-10 kg or more.

So if you want to add weight gradually, you might want to consider adding weights in the form of bars or bags of shot.

What to buy

• Iron Star weight vest 10 kg, 5 990 rubles →
• Vest with weights Original FitTools SWAT 14 kg, 13 190 rubles →
• Vest-weighting Iron Star S4 Professional, 9 990 rubles →

Type of fasteners

The type of fixing elements determines how tight the vest will sit during the load and whether it will not unfasten from your movements.

If you're going to be doing low-intensity cardio or strength training in the vest, the strap and plastic buckle options are fine.

And for running, jumping or interval complexes with a wide range of motion, it is better to consider models with double Velcro. They provide reliable fixation of the equipment and are unlikely to break under heavy load.

How to wear a workout vest

Do cardio workouts

If you've never dealt with runningDo not start with training in a vest, no matter how strong your motivation is. Weighting puts an unusual strain on joints and connective tissues, so overdoing it with intensity can cause injury.

For beginners, you can try walking with a vest. Choose a weight of 5-10% of your body weight and start walking at 4 km / h. When your body gets used to the load, you can increase your walking speed to 6 km / h or experiment with the incline of the treadmill.

You can wear a vest every cardio session, but don't go running until you've mastered it without a vest.

If you are well prepared and have been running for a long time, start by walking anyway. For the first workout, put on a vest with 10% of your body weight and walk at a speed of about 6 km / h, getting used to the load.

If you feel comfortable, you can switch to light jogging at a speed of no more than 8 km / h. Even after getting used to the vest, you should not carry out long-term, as well as interval and high-speed training in it, since the risk of injury increases greatly.

Use vest running on short, easy 3–5 km runs or cross training days. For example, you can combine a short run in a vest with a strength block. And do it at the beginning of the season - when there is a lot of time left before the competition and you can arrange a small test for your body without consequences.

Do jumping exercises

As in the case of running, only those who have been practicing for a long time can try jumping in a vest. plyometric training and is looking for a way to increase jump height, lower limb power and explosive power.

If plyometrics are not new to you, try the following vest movements with 5-10% of your body weight:

• jumping to a dais;
• jump squats;
• alternating legs in a lunge with a jump;
• jumping from a height followed by jumping up;
• long jump from a place.

Choose 3-5 exercises and do 2-3 sets of 5 reps. Rest no more than 30 seconds between sets, 1-2 minutes between exercises.

Do this workout 1-2 times a week on light-duty days. Avoid combining plyometric movements with heavy training as this increases the risk of injury.

Do strength exercises

The vest can provide additional stress in various movements with weight your body. But before you try it, make sure you can do 3 sets of 10 repetitions without weight without any problems.

If you are ready, try the following movements with the 10% bodyweight vest:

• pull-ups;
• inclined pull-ups;
• pushups;
• push-ups on the uneven bars;
• split squats;
• lunges;
• jump squats;
• squat pistols;
• plank.

As you get used to the load, you can gradually increase the weight of the vest up to 25% of your body weight. This is especially true for movements for pumping legs, since the muscles there are difficult to load without weights.

You can also compose an interval set of exercises and perform it in a vest. Remember, however, that your heart rate will be higher than if you were exercising without weights. Adjust the rest time between intervals so that you can catch your breath, and include in the complex only those movements that you can perform technically correctly, even if you are tired.

What to consider for those who train in a vest

Warm up well

Any workout requires a good warm-up, and training in a vest especially. As your body weight increases, joints and connective tissues are more stressed, so warming up your muscles is imperative.

Dedicate at least 10 minutes to warm-up: do joint exercises, five minutes of light cardio - walking, light jogging, jump rope, ellipse, dynamic exercises stretch marks.

Rate your technique

You should not do movements with additional weight if you are not completely familiar with the correct execution technique.

The vest provides an unfamiliar load on the muscles, so all your technical mistakes will manifest themselves much brighter and earlier, increasing the risk of injury. Therefore, only wear a vest if you are doing the movement perfectly.

Monitor your condition

Training in a vest, especially at first, requires attention to your body. If your pulse rises sharply, there is severe shortness of breath or nausea, relieve the weight. Most likely, you overestimated your capabilities and took on the weight too early.

Also monitor the condition of the joints and spine. If exercising with the vest causes pain during or after exercise, don't continue hoping your body will get used to it.

And be sure to follow the technique. If during training you cannot perform the exercise technically correctly, take off the vest and finish the approach without it.