I’ve fielded quite a few questions about weighted vests over the past few weeks, so I decided to do a little research myself. Weighted vests must be trending hard on social media right now, because there is a lot of information floating around- some helpful, some… not so much. Let’s cut through the noise. Here are the primary benefits of adding a weighted vest to your toolbox of fitness tools:
1. Boosted Work Capacity (Even While Walking)
By simply adding weight to your body, you naturally have to work harder to move from point A to point B. If you’re looking to burn more calories and build baseline cardiovascular endurance, this is a solid, low-impact way to do it.
2. Improved Kinesthetic Awareness
Wearing a vest challenges your body awareness and posture. It can help strengthen the muscles responsible for keeping your head, neck, and upper back in alignment—especially helpful for those with rounded shoulders. Just remember: the weight must be manageable. Too heavy or worn too long can do more harm than good.
3. Bone Density Benefits
Like other forms of resistance training, wearing a weighted vest can help increase bone density, which is especially important as we age. For bone-building effects, you’ll typically need to wear around 20% or more of your body weight.
4. Greater Strength Gains with Bodyweight Training
If you train at home or have limited equipment, a vest turns basic bodyweight movements (like push-ups, pull-ups, or squats) into serious strength-builders by increasing the resistance.
How to Add a Weighted Vest to Your Routine
Start by getting a vest that allows you to load up to 40 lbs. For most people, the sweet spot is 5–20% of your body weight. Any more than that, and you may start to feel like you’re being weighed down- literally!
Begin by wearing the vest during household chores or on short walks of 15–20 minutes. As you adapt, increase the weight or the duration—up to 60–90 minutes if it feels good.
Bottom Line
There are enough benefits to weighted vest training that it’s worth recommending—especially if your current routine is light on activity. For example, if you’re only lifting 1–2 times per week and not doing much else, adding a weighted vest walk or even just daily wear can offer big benefits without a major time commitment.
Yours in strength,
Nick, Tom, and Hunter
