Weight loading, or training with weighted vests, is becoming one of the most popular methods of training, not to mention that this type of exercise offers a range of benefits for people of all ages. While running and walking increase your calorie burn rate, a weighted vest will give a boost to metabolism and increase your calorie burn rate even more. If you want to know more about weight loading and why many people are now interested in it, continue reading to find out.
Weight Loading
As the name suggests, these exercises can be done while wearing weight vests, which are typically made of composite materials or heavy-duty vinyl. You can increase or decrease your vest weight to control the intensity of your exercises. Normally, weight vests are worn while doing cardio exercises like walking, jogging, running, or hiking, but you can also wear them for bodyweight exercises or any speed or agility exercises. Make sure that you’re controlling the intensity so you won’t burn out quickly or sustain any muscle injuries.
Choose the Right Weight Vest
When you shop for a weight vest, you’ll find a lot of variations on the market, which can be a bit confusing if you haven’t tried one before. As we mentioned earlier, you should buy a weight vest depending on your fitness along with other factors, like the material for instance, what type of exercises you’re doing, and your fitness goals. Luckily, weight vests are highly adjustable, which makes most weight vest models suitable for almost all types of exercises. You should also make sure that the vest fits well, or else you won’t be able to do your workouts as effectively as you did without wearing it. Vests must be snug and comfortable around your body and it shouldn’t throw your balance off. If this isn’t the case for you, it might be time to adjust the weights or get a brand new one.
Consider Your Shape and Exercises
What shape you’re currently in will significantly affect your options when it comes to the size and weight of weight vests. Luckily, they come in all shapes and sizes, so your body mass won’t prevent you from using them. However, make sure that the weight in these vests correlates with your body mass, especially if it’s hindering you from exercising for longer periods. After you lose some weight, you can add more weights to your vests and continue with your exercises as usual. As for your exercises, make sure that you can execute them without exhausting all of your stamina. Once they become easier, you can add more weights.
Why Weight Loading Is Important
Weight vests are designed to up the difficulty of your exercises, so it doesn’t matter what type of activity you’re doing, as you’ll certainly struggle with a layer of weight added to your overall body mass. Despite how exhausting that might sound, it can be highly beneficial. Here is how.
Improve Your Strength
Weight vests are known to increase strength and endurance, mainly because carrying extra weight requires more strength; hence, more oxygen, and all of that happens while your energy is being depleted. However, your body will soon adapt to the added weight and will be able to make up for the depleted energy and oxygen, which can increase your strength and improve your endurance in the process.
Musculoskeletal Benefits
Your bones will also be positively affected by the newly added weight as much as your muscles are. Wearing a weight vest increases the load that is transmitted through your bones, which will stimulate the osteoblasts cells in your bones to create new bone material; therefore, your bone mass will increase as well. This is a natural response induced by the newly added weight to your body, which will make your bones stronger and denser to carry the extra weight you add to them.
Better Posture
A poor posture can have a drastic effect on your overall productivity, as it can lead to pain and discomfort while working out or while you’re sitting on a chair. Luckily, you can improve your posture by simply wearing a weight vest. These vests can help you stand up straight, which will prevent you from slouching and help you develop a better posture eventually.
Weight loading can be one of the best adjustments you add to your training exercises, but make sure that you’re doing it correctly in order to garner all of its benefits. Finding the right weight vest can factor into the quality of your weight loading exercises, so consider the factors mentioned here before buying one. Finally, make sure to add some variety to your workouts to improve all your body muscles strength, and endurance.
