A weight vest is one of the most versatile training aids available today, and have been used by everyone from serious athletes to casual keep-fitters to improve fitness, endurance, speed and strength.

Their versatility extends to almost any sport or discipline.

Weight vests are reasonably expensive, they need to withstand the rigors of training and hold large amounts of weight. So if you’re considering purchasing one, you’ll be making something of an investment. Here are four things you should consider when choosing a weight vest.

The 10/20% Rule

Whether or you’re looking to do some serious training, or simply just want to wear it round the house to burn off a few more calories, it’s best to start with small weights and work your way up. If you’re doing something reasonably low-impact, e.g. pressups, burpees then you can start with 10% of your body weight5% of your body weight should be the starting weight for high impact exercises like running and jumps

Your joints and body need time to get used to the extra load. Increase the weight gradually over time. Beginners or intermediates should not use more than 20% of their body weight in a weight vest when starting out.Too much weight too soon increases the risk of injury. Working out with a weight vest is intense, so if you’re not used to it, play it safe and don’t risk injury.

So, get a weight vest that you can change the weight of and covers 10%-20% of your body weight. E.g. if you’re a 200 pound man, get one that goes from 20 pounds up to 40 pounds. Most modern weight vests allow you to remove weights from them to make them lighter or add more to increase the load.

You Need a Good Fit

Extra weight needs to be held close to your core Weight vests that are too loose will allow the weights to swing and move.If the weights move too much, it will affect your balance and lead to injury. In fact, they can sometimes swing so much that they strike you in the face. (It’s happened to me before with cheap weight vests!).

Equally it’s can’t be too tight, as it will restrict your breathing. Extra weight on your chest and core is going to make breathing marginally harder anyway, simply because of the extra weight on the ribcage, so you don’t want to make it even harder for yourself by adding something that is too tight and stifling. If you get a weight vest that fits properly, it won’t chafe very much. It’ll be much more comfortable to wear and you’ll be motivated to use it a lot more.

Most cheap weight vests come in a one-size-fits all which is typically for a chest of about 38″-40″. Most of us are unfortunately not that size and it also doesn’t cater for the ladies. Look for a supplier that makes them in different sizes

Make a Training Plan

Think about the exercises you want to do with the weight vest on. The weight vest should not restrict your movements You have to find a compromise here. If you want to use very heavy weights (e.g. 70lbs or more) then the shoulder straps of the weight vest will have to be fairly wide. Your overhead range of motion may be affected. Equally, weight vests with lighter loads can have narrower shoulder straps but you won’t be able to load them up as much.

Not restricting your range of motion is important for skill and technique based drills. E.g. rock climbing, tennis. Your body will get used to the movement with the weight vest on, and this in turn will have a detrimental affect on your technique once you remove it. So, having an idea of what drills you’re going to do will also help you figure out what sort of weight vest will best suit your needs.

You should consider if your exercises are high or low impact.High impact exercises will require lower weights

Is it Washable?

Rarely thought of, because we’re only going to use it for training right? If you get on with your weight vest, and use it a lot it’s going to get dirty sooner or later. It’s gonna start smelling a little strange. Some manufacturers allow their weight vests to be cleaned easilyThere are quite a few budget weight vests that can’t be cleaned.

Conclusion

We recommend the XVest weight vest. It ticks all of the boxes mentioned above, can be adjusted to carry light or heavy weights, is available in a variety of sizes from Extra Small to Extra Large, and is reasonably priced.

Tags: weight vest, weighted vest
Filed under: Build Muscle