Walking with Weighted Vests: How to Get Started and Benefits

Have you considered walking with weighted vests? It’s a form of exercise in which you wear a vest that has small pockets or compartments filled with weights. This additional resistance adds a certain level of challenge to your walking movements, and helps you burn more calories, build strength, and increase endurance.

People with different levels of fitness can consider walking with weighted vests as a workout, given that it’s a low-impact exercise. It can be done outdoors or indoors on a treadmill or other walking equipment. The weight of the vest can be adjusted to suit your fitness level, ranging from a few pounds to more than 50 pounds.

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How to Get Started with Walking with Weighted Vests?

Exercise to stay fit! (Photo via Fortune Vieyra/Unsplash)

Here are some of the factors that you must keep in mind before you start walking with weighted vests.

Start slowly

If you're new to walking with a weighted vest, start with a light vest and gradually increase the weight using progressive overload. This will help you avoid injury and allow your body to adjust to the added weight.

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Use proper form

Maintaining proper posture and form is important when walking with a weighted vest. Keep your shoulders relaxed, chest up, and your core engaged.

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Choose the right vest

Ensure you choose a vest that fits evenly and distributes the weight across your torso. Avoid vests that are too loose or heavy, as these can cause strain on your back or shoulders.

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Vary your routine

To prevent your body from hitting a plateau and continue challenging your body, mix up your routine by alternating between different weights, walking speeds, and distances.

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Give yourself rest

Your body will often make you aware of when it’s experiencing pain or some form of discomfort. It’s important to give your body time to rest and recover before walking with weighted vests again.

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Weighted Vest Walking Benefits

Muscles (Photo via Nigel Msipa/Unsplash)

Every type of workout equipment comes with its own set of benefits. So when you start walking with weighted vests, you’ll be able to reap certain benefits that will help with your overall healthy lifestyle.

Increased calorie burn

Walking with weighted vests adds resistance to the overall exercise. Hence, the body needs to burn more calories to generate the extra energy required to work with the added resistance.

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Improved cardiovascular health

Weighted vest walking adds to the workload on the heart and lungs. This helps with improving cardiovascular health over time.

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Strengthened muscles

Walking with weighted vests engages multiple muscle groups such as legs and core muscles. Even your shoulders take on some of the resistance as well. Over time, all engaged muscle groups become stronger.

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Improved bone density

Weight-bearing exercises like walking with a weighted vest can help improve bone density, which can reduce the risk of osteoporosis and other bone-related conditions.

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Improved balance and stability

The added weight of the vest can challenge your balance and stability, which can help improve your overall coordination and reduce the risk of falls.

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Usually, athletes and fitness enthusiasts use weighted vests to increase their workout’s intensity while building strength and endurance. Additionally, walking with weighted vests is used as a method to assist people to recover from injuries and surgeries.

It’s extremely important to pay attention to your body when you’re purchasing a weighted vest. It needs to fit properly and evenly distribute the weight.

Furthermore, you must give your body time to get used to the weight. The best approach is to start with ten minutes and push your limits as you become stronger. Remaining patient is one of the best ways to work with new workout equipment without injuring yourself.