Are weighted vests worth it?

You certainly are aware of the weighted vests recent rise in popularity as they became part of many athletes' workout gear. You see MMA fighters, gymnastics, Crossfit athletes, and - obviously - the determined everyday people using it. 

But do you know how many benefits you could acquire from training with a weighted vest?

Here we are to explain the pros of wearing a weighted vest and to get that final question answered - are they really worth it?

1. Get faster results

Wearing a weighted vest requires more endurance and pushes your limits but also gives you faster results!

Your muscles have to work harder to sustain the extra load on your body, so it basically follows the principle that the more weight used, the more the muscles have to adapt to the higher weight - which means you're building strength and muscular endurance.

The heavier weight you lift, the more you will be increasing the strain on your muscles, which then increases your muscle strength and size over time. 

2. Increase endurance

One of the main benefits of wearing a weighted vest is that it increases your endurance. The reason behind this is: as your muscles have to work harder to compensate for the extra weight, they'll also grow accustomed to this extra weight, meaning that if you can do it with the vest on, imagine what you can do without it…

It's simply pushing your limits.

The more accustomed your muscles are to carrying extra weight, the more you'll increase your endurance.

3. Better balance

When you add more weight to your upper body, you improve your balance. That is because gravity pulls your weight down, forcing your body to keep its balance.

When you add extra weight on top, gravity will pull you harder, and your body will have to work to the extremes to maintain balance.

Same as before, this means when you're not wearing the weighted vest, you'll notice an improvement in your normal balance.

4. Improve your posture

One of the main areas where you feel the weighted vest's effect is your core muscles. As the extra weight impacts the strain and stress of your strengths, your core will get stronger.

That being, it'll be easier for you to hold up your body weight and support your spine. These factors will work together to improve your posture.

5. Gain more muscle

If you're looking to augment your muscle mass, training with a weighted vest can be just what you need! We all know one of the ways to improve muscle mass is to do Resistance training.

That will positively impact your muscle gain, but combining that with a weighted vest can take your results to the next level.

6. Burn fat

Wearing a weighted vest can make a big difference in how your body deals with burning fat. Because the weighted vest will help you build more muscle mass, it will help your body be better armed to burn calories and lose fat.

Gaining more muscle vastly affects your ability to control your weight.

7. Improve your speed

It's well known that MMA fighters, boxers, and gymnasts train weighted wearing vests. Studies have shown the addition of a weighted vest to help improve the speed of the runners participating. That is because adding a weighted vest to speed training increases agility tenfold.

As other results seen before in this article, this one happens due to the extreme conditions your body gets used to, and how much more it can't do without the extra weight.

Trust us, you're gonna be moving quicker than you ever have before.

8. Immense cardio benefits

Ok, now this is one many people heard about and probably one of the most important reasons you should consider using a weighted vest. Wearing a weighted vest benefits your cardiovascular system hugely.

By placing extra resistance on your body, you will send your cardiovascular system into overdrive. 

That means your lungs will be strengthened as a result of this as well as your Vo2 Max (the measure of how much oxygen your body can consume).

The cardiovascular activity also strengthens your heart muscle, positively impacting your heart's ability to pump blood throughout your lungs and around your body, resulting in increased blood flow to muscles and rising oxygen levels.

9. Different Intensities

Finally, one of the great reasons weighted vests are worth it is the freedom it gives you to vary the intensity of your training.

What if your daily training is not giving you that strain on any particular muscles, or you're just finding it easier than usual?

You throw a weighted vest in the mix, and everything will change. It can reignite the intensity of your workouts and help you feel the full impact.

Another great advantage of the varied intensity weighted vests offers is that you'll be able to train for a shorter amount of time when using one but to have the equivalent benefits of a longer workout without one.

The workout with a weighted vest can feel far more effective than the one without, and you still save some time. 

Smart, right?

You can vary the intensity even more with a selection of weighted vests.

The vest only already weighs about 2kg, and with a range from 7kg to 40kg, you can find the right size weight to tailor your workout to your requirements and goals.

‍

So, what do you say? 

We say it's definitely worth it! 

Pushing your limits and taking your workouts to the next level will have amazing results. But don't just take our word for it; add a weighted vest to your workouts and feel the force for yourself. 

‍

Article written by:

Jack Stocking

Force Fitness

https://force-fit.co.uk/

https://www.instagram.com/forcefitnessuk/

https://www.facebook.com/ForceFitnessUK