Weighted vest

peejay34mason
peejay34mason Posts: 131 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am looking to purchase a weighted vest to help take my workout routines (both strength training and running) to the next level. I have heard that MIR is a great brand to consider, but I wondered what you use, why and would you suggest it. I am a woman, who likes to push some serious weights, I am rather small chested so less concerned about how it would fit/wear on my chest. I could see many of the brands causing my body temperature to really skyrocket as they seem to be full coverage in some cases. Also, I am not certain how high weight I would need. Keep in mind I am becoming pretty extreme with my workouts! I was considering 40-50 lbs.

So any help on this would be greatly appreciated~!~

Replies

  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    LOL I'm lame- back pack with a belly strap- I can't be bothered to buy a weighted vest. Or I'd buy a utility vest and load it up. Again- I'm lame- and cheap LOL

    But I hear they are handy- my friend has one- she uses all the time- no idea what brand- I suspect any main stream brand would get you what you want.
  • princessnuriko
    princessnuriko Posts: 50 Member
    I got a 20 pound weighted vest. I found that to be PLENTY. It by ZFO Sports. I got it off Amazon. I've used it with those 5 miles advance walk DVD by Leslie Sansone and I since I just got the vest, I reduced the weights to 8 pounds to start off with and I'll eventually work my way up to 20, but WOW with 8 pounds, I really could feel and notice the difference with my aerobic work out. Not sure if I will used it with Turbo Fire just yet, I'm thinking about a weighted belt for that since getting ready to start my second round of Turbo Fire advanced. The vest I got, isn't made for Turbo because it's high impact aerobics, but it works great also for push ups, squats, ect. BTW. My kid weight 60 pounds, and I'm carrying him all the time, but the 20 pound weighted vest, I find is no joke. I love mine.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    I bought one of these

    http://shop.weightvest.com/

    they are more price then most, but you can adjust how much weight you put in them and they have additional oppitions like a airbalder for comfort (didn't do much for me) or a add on water pack.

    In the end, i bought it because its made out of cordura, a fabric as strong or stronger then any motorcycle jacket i have.

    many other reviews i read of other brands said that the fabric was some what questionable. if your going to wear a 45 lbs vest and jump around, i don't think cheap fabric will last long. hell even if you just hang it up, i don't think cheap fabric will hold up very long.

    i hang mine from my pullup bar. but i guess you could just leave it on the floor or take the wieghts out and hang it. they also offer a heavy duty hanger lol. many different colors if that matters.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    for some reason putting on the vest and wearing it seems a lot more heavy then lifting a 45 lbs plate.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    for some reason putting on the vest and wearing it seems a lot more heavy then lifting a 45 lbs plate.

    probably because most people don't walk around holding 45 plates - they just do the thing then stop doing the thing- you do EVERYTHING with a vest on it starts to wear on you.

    We did "ruck training" at home with my dad- we used to go all sorts of places with a weighted backpack LOL his idea of fun for 10 year olds LMAO
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    actually a lot of the people that bothered to review these were service men.

    I've always had a healthy respect for them, but after putting on of these on, there is no way i could run three miles and do whatever else with a back pack that probably weights more then 45 lbs.

    very impressed
  • VegasFit
    VegasFit Posts: 1,232 Member
    I have used one at my gym when required in certain workouts. I know they make female friendly ones but the unisex ones at the gym I've used were fine. Used for sprint work mostly. I bought my BF one for Christmas and he seems pretty happy with it. Adjustable to 40 lbs.

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002P60ZZC/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    actually a lot of the people that bothered to review these were service men.

    I've always had a healthy respect for them, but after putting on of these on, there is no way i could run three miles and do whatever else with a back pack that probably weights more then 45 lbs.

    very impressed

    having done a significant amount of rucking with a 12 lb rifle... it sucks.

    I personally have no interest in doing these GoRucks' popping up- just seems like a waste of money to make myself miserable. But to each their own.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    treking in the woods with a lot of extra weight might be fun for some but its definetly a high risk of injury then most workout IMO
  • astronomicals
    astronomicals Posts: 1,537 Member
    nothing smarter than doing endurance workouts that force your body to endure stress that its not built for.

    Put on some minimal shoes while you're at it..

    All sarcasm aside, there aren't really any benefits you'll get that you couldnt achieve doing much safer activities. Theres much better ways to get fasterat short sprints and faster on distance runs.

    IMO, if you dont plan on carrying that weight around all the time there is no reason to train with it while running. It makes perfect sense for service men to train with added weight. But, if you must, go ahead. It'll [likely] be a long time before the [avoidable] damage is perceived.

    ETA:
    Im all for weight vests for pullups, pushups, dips, etc. I hang weight from a belt, but, I would love a vest.

    ETA2:
    I also hate people running with backpacks that hang weight on your shoulders rather than a waist strap that loads your hips (like a backpacking backpack). On that note, I train before backpacking trips with a weighted hiking pack (doing hikes or walks... not running).
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    it wouldnt' be insane to do plyo with an extra 10-15 lbs and it would make a meaningful difference in how many calories you burned, not to mention the resistance aspect

    Definetly substantially increase the risk of injury though.

    discourage anyone from using it as an everyday thing.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    i was wearing a 20 lbs vest for some insanity workouts.

    holy **** it made it harder (of course)

    full disclosure: i injured my lower back lol.

    but i wasn't wearing the vest during the workout where i injured myself.

    did the vest contribute to it? i think it may have, but more so that i was fudging my form to make it work.

    done with less weight, or more intelligently, i could have avoided the injury.

    thats what i bought it for, but to your point, i've only used it for pull ups since then.
  • peejay34mason
    peejay34mason Posts: 131 Member
    I bought one of these

    http://shop.weightvest.com/

    they are more price then most, but you can adjust how much weight you put in them and they have additional oppitions like a airbalder for comfort (didn't do much for me) or a add on water pack.

    In the end, i bought it because its made out of cordura, a fabric as strong or stronger then any motorcycle jacket i have.

    many other reviews i read of other brands said that the fabric was some what questionable. if your going to wear a 45 lbs vest and jump around, i don't think cheap fabric will last long. hell even if you just hang it up, i don't think cheap fabric will hold up very long.

    i hang mine from my pullup bar. but i guess you could just leave it on the floor or take the wieghts out and hang it. they also offer a heavy duty hanger lol. many different colors if that matters.

    I really like the concept behind the VMax ones for ladies. Seems like the right solution especially knowing the fabric is top notch!
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    yeah, if i remember correctly there were definetly cheaper options, but i felt as tho this one was worth it.

    It is a very substantial garment. sadly i do not use it as often as i thought i would but its nice to have and i hope to incorperate it more in the future.
  • peejay34mason
    peejay34mason Posts: 131 Member
    Also, if it makes any difference I am body building right now and my goal is to bulk up more. So I want the added weight to build more muscle. I don't envision doing INSANITY with this sucker on! Hell to the NO. I don't like INSANITY without the added weight!!! I would possibly look to also run with the weighted vest, but that would be much lower weights just to get the heart rate racing and make it more HIIT, versus a long sustainable run!
  • peejay34mason
    peejay34mason Posts: 131 Member
    I'm willing to pay for quality, because I truly believe that you get what you pay for! Just would really like to see if anyone has any personal experience that they can share that would sway me one way or another.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Also, if it makes any difference I am body building right now and my goal is to bulk up more. So I want the added weight to build more muscle. I don't envision doing INSANITY with this sucker on! Hell to the NO. I don't like INSANITY without the added weight!!! I would possibly look to also run with the weighted vest, but that would be much lower weights just to get the heart rate racing and make it more HIIT, versus a long sustainable run!

    well i'm not sure that's really a good application to be honest.

    body building is about detailing- and you aren't going to be lifting with a weighted vest- that's just not really a good way to go about it. and you certainly aren't going to be wanting to be running a lot much less with a vest.

    I think you are confused about the process of bulking.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    I would possibly look to also run with the weighted vest, but that would be much lower weights just to get the heart rate racing and make it more HIIT, versus a long sustainable run!

    Personally I'd advise against it unless you actually need to, particularly as you're bodybuilding as your objective set.

    Having had to run in body armour and wearing a daysac full of ammunition it doesn't really do anything for you except improving your running whilst wearing body armour and a daysac full of ammunition. Your injury risk increases significantly as you're running under load. If you're finding that your high intensity sessions aren't doing what you want then find a more controllable method of increasing the intensity; gradient, shorter rests etc.

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