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.
You can use them in almost any discipline, and in almost any drill you can think of.
Weight vests are reasonably expensive, they have to be made well 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. There are generally four things you should consider when choosing a weight vest.
The 10/20% Rule
If you want to wear it round the house to burn a few more calories, or if you want to do some serious training, it’s best to start with small weights. Work your way up We recommend you start with about 10% of your body weight and increase this over timeIf you’re doing something high impact like running, we’d even go as low as 5%.
Your joints and body need time to get used to the extra load. Increase the weight gradually over time. If you’re a beginner to intermediate athlete, we wouldn’t suggest you use more than 20% of your own body weight when working out.Too much weight on your joints can wear them out fast. 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, the weight vest must be configurable. You need to be able to add and remove weights as required to cover 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.
It’s got to fit well
A good weight vest should hold the weights close to your core. A weight vest that is too loose can allow the weights to swing around. Weights that move around will affect your balance, and the extra strain needed to keep your balance could 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. Good fitting is also necessary to prevent chafing It’ll be much more comfortable to wear and you’ll be motivated to use it a lot more.
Most cheap weight vests are a one-size-fits-all. This doesn’t help you if you’re small or very big, so it pays to look around for suppliers that make them in different sizes
Make a Training Plan
Plan out what exercises you intend to do with the weight vest. Study the movements you’ll be doing Choose a weight vest that does 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. This could restrict your overhead range of motion. Lighter weight vests have narrower shoulder straps. They’re more comfortable, but don’t give you as much resistance.
Range of motion should not be restricted for skill and technique drills. E.g. rock climbing, basketball. 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. It’s therefore important to have an idea of what exercises you’re going to use the weight vest for to make sure you can do these to their full potential.
You should consider if your exercises are high or low impact.High impact exercises will require lower weights
Make Sure It’s Easy To Clean
Rarely thought of, because we’re only going to use it for training right? A regularly used weight vest is going to get dirty. It’s gonna start to pong. A cleanable or washable weight vest is definitely a must.Some of the cheaper weight vests out there 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.
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