{"id":40324,"date":"2015-05-29T07:15:03","date_gmt":"2015-05-29T11:15:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=40324"},"modified":"2021-05-13T10:53:55","modified_gmt":"2021-05-13T14:53:55","slug":"weight-vest-workout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/weight-vest-workout\/","title":{"rendered":"Weight Vest Training: When It Pays to Put on Pounds"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Trpe3D2HxMI\" width=\"620\" height=\"349\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Grabbing a heavier dumbbell or <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/kettlebell-swing-workout-benefits\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">kettlebell<\/a> isn\u2019t the only way to step up your weight game. When you find yourself breezing through <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/ab-challenge-planks-workout\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bodyweight workouts<\/a>, one of the simplest ways to add resistance is with a weighted vest. By packing on an extra eight (to 150!) pounds around your torso, basic movements like burpees and pull-ups become a whole lot more of a challenge \u2014 without throwing you off balance. \u201cThe extra load of a&nbsp;weighted&nbsp;vest also&nbsp;allows you to add resistance to conditioning drills you typically wouldn&#8217;t use&nbsp;weight during, like sprints and footwork drills,\u201d explains Curtis Williams, former professional NFL player and owner of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.trainingcamp-nyc.com\/).\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Team Training C.A.M.P.<\/a> in New York City.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/burpee-workout-bodyweight-exercises\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">7 Kick-Butt Burpee Variations You\u2019ll Love to Hate<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/burpee-workout-bodyweight-exercises\/\"><br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>The Benefits of Weight Vests<\/h3>\n<p>Another upside to the heavy pack? It\u2019s great for sports-specific training. \u201cMost sports utilize training with a&nbsp;weighted&nbsp;vest&nbsp;at some capacity, especially basketball, football and soccer,\u201d Williams says. \u201cYou\u2019re bound to jump higher, run faster, and have quicker feet when you remove 10 to 15 pounds of resistance from your body.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Will Hinkson, CrossFit trainer and owner of Huron River CrossFit in Ann Arbor, Michigan, was first introduced to weight vest training in the armed services. But instead of hanging up his 40-pound bulletproof vest post-retirement, he says, \u201cI started using it as a weight vest for CrossFit.\u201d Hinkson explains that the extra layer lets you easily add weight to movements where it\u2019s impractical to hold a <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/strength-training-for-beginners-reps-sets\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">barbell or dumbbells<\/a>, like push-ups, pull-ups or running.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Caution: Heavy When Weighted<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s important to use good judgment and ease into weighted training \u2014 especially for newbies. \u201cI would start conservatively and limit vest work at first to someone that has at least six months of training experience,\u201d Hinkson says. \u201cWalk or jog an easy mile or do three sets of weighted <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/how-to-do-pull-ups-add-reps\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pull-ups<\/a> and push-ups. See how you recover from that, then up the time, sets and reps accordingly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Adding resistance to poor technique will only exacerbate the problem, so make sure you\u2019ve got your form down, Williams says. \u201cI don\u2019t recommend that someone train with a&nbsp;weighted&nbsp;vest&nbsp;until he or she can perform <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/fat-burning-bodyweight-exercises\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">basic bodyweight movements<\/a>,\u201d he says. \u201cAdding any piece of fitness equipment without establishing your foundation will only make your imbalances worse which is when injuries happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/muscle-imbalances-functional-movement-screen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">5 Ways to Test for Muscle Imbalances<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><strong>The Weight Vest CrossFit Workout<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>When you get your form down and become comfortable with the added pounds, it\u2019s time to put your strength and conditioning to the test.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are only a few <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/hardest-crossfit-workouts-wods\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CrossFit<\/a> workouts that require a vest, and they\u2019re all Hero WODs, [a workout of the day named after people who have fallen in the line of duty],&#8221; Hinkson says. Here\u2019s one <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/beginner-crossfit-workouts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bodyweight WOD<\/a> that\u2019ll get way more intense with a weight vest. (If you\u2019re up to the task, Hinkson recommends a 20-pound vest.)<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_40434\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-40434\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-40434 size-full\" title=\"Weight Vest Workout: The Brenton CrossFit WOD\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-life.dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/10041652\/The-Weight-Vest-CrossFit-Workout.jpg\" alt=\"Weight Vest Workout: The Brenton CrossFit WOD\" width=\"620\" height=\"623\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn-life.dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/10041652\/The-Weight-Vest-CrossFit-Workout.jpg 620w, https:\/\/cdn-life.dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/10041652\/The-Weight-Vest-CrossFit-Workout-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/cdn-life.dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/10041652\/The-Weight-Vest-CrossFit-Workout-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn-life.dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/10041652\/The-Weight-Vest-CrossFit-Workout-115x115.jpg 115w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-40434\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pond5.com\/photo\/42491660\/fitness-beach.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Time to In-Vest?<\/h3>\n<p>Some gyms will keep a vest or two on hand, otherwise you&#8217;ll have to shop around.\u201cYou want to be able to move in your&nbsp;vest&nbsp;as naturally as possible \u2014 without having to focus on constantly adjusting it throughout your workout,\u201d Williams&nbsp;says.<\/p>\n<p>Compression vests&nbsp;are one solution, as they hold&nbsp;weight especially close&nbsp;to the body and minimize movement.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thematrixxpowersuit.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Matrixx Power Suit<\/a> ($500 for men\u2019s, $400 for women\u2019s) is a combination of a weighted compression vest and weighted forearm and calf sleeves, adding up to 15 pounds. If you want your weight to sit mostly against your core, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B00E65FVCC\/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B00E65FVCC&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=lifbydai-20&amp;linkId=TOR45SNQTK2YUZBN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Titin Tech<\/a> offers an eight-pound compression shirt ($250) and four-and-a-half-pound compression shorts.&nbsp;Looking for a more versatile option? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B00BT890US\/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B00BT890US&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=lifbydai-20&amp;linkId=36H5S3SFLN4VHSQI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The HumanX by Harbinger 40-pound Weight Vest<\/a> ($150) can go from two to 40-pounds in two-pound increments. It doesn\u2019t offer the same compression as the others, but it allow you to up the scale more (and for half the price).<\/p>\n<p>Also, consider the comfort of the people working around you \u2014 you\u2019re going to be doing some sweating in this piece, so it\u2019ll help if you can clean the vest from time to time. \u201cThis will assure you keep your skin safe and you don&#8217;t smell offensive to those you&#8217;re training around,\u201d says Williams.&nbsp;\u201cYou do not want to be <a href=\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/worst-people-gym-etiquette\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>that <\/em>person in the gym<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Breezing through bodyweight workouts? Take your training to the next level with a weight vest, which can add resistance without the extra bulk. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":40433,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,24,6,14],"tags":[32,288,37,83,281,341,371,154,100],"class_list":["post-40324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cardio","category-exercise","category-fitness","category-strength-training","tag-bodyweight","tag-cardio","tag-crossfit","tag-resistance-training","tag-strength-training","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2mens-health","tag-weight-training","tag-workout"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/60"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40324"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40324\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}