If, like me, you’re sold on making movement a daily non-negotiable but sometimes struggle to find time to workout, trust me when I say you’re going to love a weighted vest. Despite my penchant for Pilates and a bordering-on obsessional devotion to running, walking is fast becoming my favourite way to work out, destress and clear my ever-racing mind. So, when I was asked to try out a weighted vest on my winter walks, I jumped at the chance.
Long hailed as the ultimate way to level up your daily walk, the premise of weighted vest workouts couldn’t be simpler: just strap it onto your body (I found wearing it underneath my jacket easiest) and you’re good to go. The benefits? Research (such as this study, published in the journal Ergonomics) shows that wearing a weighted vest during exercise increases the stress on our bodies (which is actually a good thing), causing runners to use more oxygen and have a higher heart rate than they would have otherwise.
I’m all for easy, affordable tweaks to my daily routine that make keeping fit and healthy achievable – and, importantly, aren’t too time-consuming. Looking at the research, it’s clear that adding a weighted vest to my walks is going to make me work harder, without impacting my day – win, win.
But I was keen to find out whether the vest would be yet another item gathering dust by my front door – so, with this in mind, I set myself a challenge to use it as much as possible for a month. Keep scrolling to find out how I got on.
Keen to learn more about how beneficial walking can be to boost your overall wellbeing? Our explainers on the benefits of walking and walking workouts are a great place to start. For more reviews, find out how one of our Health Writers fared walking every day for two weeks.
I tried walking with a weighted vest for a month – and can’t believe how much I loved it
What is a weighted vest?
Put simply, a weighted vest is kind of like a gilet, with padded sections for weights. These can be removeable, enabling you to adjust the weight.
“A weighted vest is a piece of fitness equipment worn on the torso,” explains personal trainer and founder of Owning Your Menopause, Kate Rowe Ham. “It’s normally a jacket and it’s designed to add extra weight to the body during physical activities. These vests typically have adjustable weights (often small sandbags or metal bars) that can be inserted into pockets or compartments, allowing you to play around with the load according to your fitness level and goals.”
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What are the benefits of walking with a weighted vest?
We’re all pretty familiar now with the benefits of walking generally; from improving cardiovascular health and bone density (particularly important for women as we age) to boosting mental wellbeing and lowering stress levels, walking is truly medicine in fitness form.
And adding a weighted vest to your stroll only serves to up the gains.
1. They increase strength and endurance
“A weighted vest makes normal bodyweight exercises such as walking more challenging bu increasing resistance,” says Rowe Ham. “This means you’ll be exerting yourself more , improving both strength and endurance over time.”
2. They improve cardiovascular fitness
As the jacket adds weight in turn it will increase your cardiovascular fitness. Wearing a weighted vest during activities like walking or hiking increases the cardiovascular challenge, burning more calories and improving endurance.
3. They help us maintain a healthy body composition
While we don’t advocate working out solely for aesthetic reasons, it’s undeniable that walking with a weighted vest can help you shift excess pounds, should you need to.
According to one study, participants who jogged wearing a weighted vest had a higher rate and burned more calories than those without the vest – so, if weight loss is one of your goals, a weighted vest might be a good, low-impact way to strength train and increase your calorie expenditure while you walk.
4. They can boost athletic performance
While studies into the benefits of walking with a weighted vest are few and far between, this study looked at the effect of wearing a vest while undertaking a range of military-style fitness activities – and found that those wearing the weighted vest showed a 4% improvement in performance.
And the effects aren’t limited to high-intensity exercises, either, with the same study showing gains assiciated with walking as well as jogging, so if you’re less military and more, well, average, there are still rewards to be reaped.
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Who is walking with a weighted vest best for?
Generally speaking, walking with a weighted vests is a great way to increase fitness and endurance for most people – particularly if you’re able to add and remove weights yourself.
“Doing something as simple as wearing a weighted vest on your daily dog walk could have a big benefit to your physical health – including your cardiovascular health and metabolism,” Christopher Gaffney, senior lecturer in integretive physiology at the University of Lancaster says in The Conversation. “Most people in good health who don’t have any existing injuries can probably safely use a weighted vest during their workouts.”
All this being said, it is important to note that some degree of fitness is preferable before you begin using a weighted vest.
“I would ensure that you have good core strength and no spinal injuries if using a vest,” cautions Rowe Ham. “You’ll need to make sure you have good strength and balance before using heavy weights, in order to avoid strain and/or injury.”
The heavier the weight, the more potential it’ll alter how you walk (your gait) which can, over time, lead to stress and strains – so, especially if you’re a beginner, go easy.
I tried walking with a weighted vest for a month – here are my thoughts
Weeks one and two
As mentioned above, I love a good walk, so I was excited to get started with this challenge. And day one is my lucky day, as despite it being mid-November, it’s bright and crisp -perfect conditions for a tramp through the woods.
The vest was super easy to put on; I chose to wear it over my sweatshirt but underneath my coat. Full disclosure: it did squash my chest a bit, but I think mainly because I couldn’t quite work out how to loosen the straps, so use error rather than a flaw with the vest itself.
That said, it was really comfortable to wear, even after I’d been striding for 45 minutes and had worked up a sweat – although I’m not sure I’d fancy wearing it in warmer weather, as I reckon it would chafe after a while.
I definitely felt as though I was working harder than on a normal walk – my exertion level was lower than a run, but more than a stroll – but I didn’t feel I needed to curtail my route, in fact, I could have walked for much longer, were it not for the fact that I had other things I needed to do!
After my first successful foray, I tried popping the vest on most days when I walked my dog. Truth be told, my dog isn’t much of a walker (she’s very tiny), so it was nice to feel as though I’d challenged myself a little more than usual on our (very) brief trundles up the road. I stopped short of wearing the vest on the school run, though – I did feel slightly self conscious wearing it and did get a few strange looks. Perhaps if I’d been running, it would have been more obvious what I was doing!
All in all, I was pleasantly surprised at how often I strapped the vest on and got myself out in nature – something I always love, when I make the effort.
The Decathlon weighted vest Anna used during her month long challenge
(Image credit: Anna Barrter)
Weeks three and four
The second half of the month proved more of a challenge, simply because the weather was awful. I’m no fair-weather exerciser, but even I drew the line at stepping out in storms that have a literal name. I guess I could have tackled an indoor walking challenge on these days, but (quite honestly) it didn’t cross my mind.
However, normal service was resumed when the sun returned, and I managed a few more rambles – my step count thanked me. Speaking of metrics, if you’re interested in tracking heart rate, oxygen levels and so on, it’d probably be a good way to see whether the weighted vest really makes a difference to your individual fitness, but I’m more of a holistic exerciser, and prefer to go on how I feel rather than what numbers might be telling me.
So, will I keep using the vest? In a word, yes. I’m a fan – it’s easy to pop on and off, doesn’t take up much storage space, and makes me feel like I’m supercharging my strolls – so it’s a win for me. Of course, there are trendier ways of adding weight to walks – Bala bangles, I’m looking at you – but overall, aesthetics don’t phase me too much.
It’s still a hard pass for wearing on the school run, though.
Anna showing how the weighted vest looks on
(Image credit: Anna Barrter)
Shop MC UK approved fit kit now:
This is the very item I used for the month, and it’s a great value option. Sure, you can spend more on a swanky vest, but this is fit for purpose and it was comfortable even on my longer walks – I’d definitely recommend.
If you’re heading out for a post-prandial stroll this Christmas, you’re going to want a comfy but lightweight hoody. This one from BAM is perfect – it’s supersoft and cosy, with a slightly longer length so it’s ideal to wear with leggings. Plus, it’s light enough to wear under your weighted vest in comfort.
Merrell Moab Speed 2 walking shoes from Sweaty Betty
As far as walking kit goes, a pair of sturdy, comfortable and preferably waterproof shoes is a non-negotiable. And you can’t go far wrong with a pair of Merrells – designed for optimum traction and stability no matter how rough the terrain gets.
Why is walking trending right now?
“Walking is having a moment for lots of reasons,” says personal trainer and mindset coach Chloe Thomas. “Since the pandemic it has encouraged a lot of people to go outside and walking has become more popular since then. In winter there is a big focus on S A.D., and it’s well known that walking promotes mindfulness and other mental health benefits.
“During colder months it’s easier to fall into sedentary habits, so getting into walking is a great way of staying active. The focus on wearable tech (smart watches and fitness apps tracking steps) has made walking a bit more fun and competitive! Walking trends are typically popular on social media as well and this motivates people to get outside.”