Smart resistance: How does a weighted vest turn ordinary walking into an effective workout?

Recently, weighted vests have emerged as a simple and effective tool in the world of physical fitness, transitioning from exclusive use by professional athletes to a popular method among amateurs and daily practitioners. Their popularity has particularly increased among women during menopause, due to their role in supporting bone and muscle health and mitigating the effects of aging. They add an extra degree of resistance during walking, exercise, or even while performing daily tasks. However, fitness experts emphasize the importance of choosing the right vest and using it consciously to avoid injuries and ensure its benefits are achieved safely.

What are Weighted Vests?

Weighted vests are exercise-specific vests containing pockets where small weights can be added, distributed around the torso to increase resistance during movement. They help enhance strength and balance by naturally pushing the body to exert more effort, and are widely used in physical training and rehabilitation programs. They first appeared in the United States during the 1970s as a training tool for athletes, military personnel, and football players, before becoming an essential part of general fitness programs.

Benefits of Weighted Vests

• Enhancing Muscle Strength and Endurance

Wearing a weighted vest during walking or light exercise adds more resistance to natural movement, stimulating muscles to work harder. This, in turn, can contribute to improving muscular endurance, strengthening muscle fibers, and enhancing balance, which is particularly important for those at risk of falls.

• Supporting Bone Density

Experts agree that one of the most prominent advantages of weighted vests is their ability to mechanically stimulate bones. The additional weights force the body to constantly maintain its balance. This extra effort activates bone remodeling, where new bone cells form and integrate into the bone tissue. This effect is particularly important during menopause, as it helps limit bone density loss and prevent osteoporosis associated with aging.

• Intelligently Boosting the Efficiency of Daily Activities

Weighted vests transform simple daily activities like walking and climbing stairs into effective exercise that enhances fitness and increases calorie burn. They can be worn during routine tasks like cleaning or light carrying without dedicating specific time for exercise. However, it is recommended to use them during stable movements and avoid fast or bending activities to prevent injuries and ensure safety.

How to Choose the Right Weighted Vest?

1. Determining the Appropriate Weight

Experts recommend starting with a light weight, typically not exceeding 5 to 7% of body weight, and then gradually increasing it over time. The vest’s total weight should preferably not exceed 10% of body weight to ensure muscle and joint adaptation and avoid injuries or excessive strain.

2. Choosing a Comfortable Design and Balanced Weight Distribution

A poor design or uneven weight distribution can cause pressure on the back or shoulders, or lead to poor body posture during movement. Therefore, it is advisable to choose vests equipped with adjustable straps and supportive padding, with balanced weight distribution around the torso.

3. Choosing Adjustable Vests

Vests that allow adding or removing weights are a practical and flexible choice, giving the user the ability to start with a low weight and increase it gradually according to the body’s capacity. They can also be shared among family members, making them a better long-term investment.

Do Weighted Vests Benefit the Entire Body?

The effectiveness of a weighted vest depends on several key factors, including the vest’s weight, frequency of use, and the nature of the accompanying physical activity.

Wearing weighted vests may enhance the strength of core and lower body muscles due to the increased pressure on the lower back and leg muscles during movement. However, contrary to what some may believe, these vests do not directly target upper body muscles like the arms and chest. Therefore, they cannot be relied upon alone to build those muscles but should be used as part of a comprehensive training program.

How to Get the Best Use from Weighted Vests?

• Start Gradually and Monitor Your Body’s Signals

It is best to start using the vest for short periods of only 10 to 15 minutes, then