The Benefits of Weight Vest Training

Perhaps you've seen people wearing vests over their clothing at the gym, and wondered what they were. Weight vests, or weighted vests, are essentially heavy vests designed to be used in addition to your regular exercise routine. By adding temporary weight to your body, you have to work harder during exercise - which will lead to much better are a great tool when used as a supplement to exercise routines; most of the fitness equipment you find at the gym can be used while wearing a weight vest. The weight of the vest you should choose depends on your size and how much extra work you want to put in, but it might be best to start with a light vest, gradually moving to heavier vests as you get used to the extra weight.

Before you decide to integrate a weight vest into your training, you probably want to know how it can benefit your routine. So, how can weight vest training help you to reach your goals?

Weight Vests Bring Variety into Your Routine
Variation is the key to a successful long-term exercise routine. If you want to keep seeing results - whether it's losing weight, building muscle or improving strength you are focusing on - it is important not to let your body become too content. Weight vests are an easy way to introduce variety; most of the routines you are already doing can be easily improved by adding a weight vest. If you feel like you've hit a plateau, bringing out the weight vest is an easy fix.

Weight Vests Can Improve the Benefits of Cardio and Resistance Training
Cardio is a great tool for weight loss and improved stamina, and its benefits can be greatly improved by the introduction of weighted vests. Your body will have to work a lot harder to complete your usual routines on the bike or treadmill if you're carrying extra weight, and studies have shown that endurance improves when using a weight vest.

Weight vests also work well as a supplement for resistance training; in one study, two groups, only one of which used weight vests, were compared in their progress in resistance training. The group wearing weight vests improved significantly more than the group who did not wear them.


Weight Vests are Versatile and Easy to Adapt To
Perhaps the best benefit of weight vests is their ease of use. Adapting to a weight vest may seem daunting, but you will soon get used to it, and once you see the results they will help you to achieve, you'll wonder why you didn't pick one up earlier!

The best tried-and-tested weighted vest workouts include overhand pull-ups, in which you should pull yourself up on a bar until your chin crosses the bar; box jumps, in which you should squat before a box, swing your arms behind you, and jump onto the box; and squats, in which you perform normal squats while wearing the vest.

You might also consider using weight vests outside of the gym. Next time you go on a long walk, why not wear a vest? You might even occasionally wear it in your everyday life; it will make walking a little more difficult than usual, but the benefits will far outweigh the cost.

Remember to use weight vests as a supplement for your training, not as a crucial part of all of your exercise. The benefits of wearing a weight vest are due in part to their ability to introduce variety, so using them for every aspect of your routine will quickly lessen their effectiveness!


Article kindly provided by industrialathletic.com

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