A weighted vest is a specially designed garment with built-in pockets or compartments to hold weights. It’s used to add extra resistance to your body during exercises and daily activities. This extra resistance increases the challenge of your workouts and can help stimulate greater improvements in strength, endurance and fitness. Examples include:
Bodyweight Strength Exercises: A weighted vest is commonly used for bodyweight exercises like push-ups, pull-ups, squats, lunges and planks. The added weight intensifies these movements and helps build muscle and strength.
Walking, Hiking and Trekking: When hiking or trekking, a weighted vest can simulate the feel of carrying a backpack. This increases the cardiovascular demand of the workout and will enhance calorie burn and endurance.
Like with any form of external resistance it’s important to choose an appropriate weight for your fitness level, start gradually and slowly increase the weight as you get fitter!