Why add a weighted vest to your training? The answer inside.

What Does a Weighted Vest Do?

It seems like every CrossFit athlete and functional fitness fan owns a weighted vest. But what exactly are the benefits – and is it right for you? Let’s get back to basics with an intro to weighted vests.

Why use a weighted vest?

The simplest explanation of why to use a weighted vest is that it makes training harder. And yes, that’s a good thing! When we increase one or more training variables (like load or intensity), we force our muscles and cardiovascular system to work harder and adapt faster. That means you’ll see results more quickly in your fitness, endurance, muscle strength, or body shape.

But the true benefit of a weighted vest over any other training tool is that it’s so convenient – and versatile.

You can add load lots of ways, but none of them are as comfortable or hands-free like a weighted vest. And you can boost training intensity via plenty of methods, but none of them can be used for every movement like a weighted vest can.

Are you ready for a weighted vest?

You might have seen people training in weighted vests and thought “that looks cool, but too hardcore for me”. The truth is, almost anyone can use a weighted vest and get the benefits.

Even if you don’t feel ready to add a weighted vest to your training sessions, you could reap the benefits by wearing a weighted vest for your daily walks.

BeyondRX vests have been designed with everyone in mind. That’s why ours start from 7kgs. Get yourself one of our lighter weighted vests, and use it for some (not all) of your training sessions. Then progress to wearing it more often. After that, you can add more weight – our vests are designed so you can change the plates to increase the weight. Simple!

What kind of workouts can you do with a weighted vest?

One of the big benefits of a weighted vest over other training tools is that they are so adaptable and versatile. You can go for a walk in your weighted vest. You can run or sprint wearing our weighted vests. You can perform bodyweight exercises like push ups, air squats, or lunges in a weighted vest to add more load. Or you can do full WODs and functional fitness sessions in your vest. If it gets too much, you can take it off and carry on with the session (our vests are designed to be taken on or off super-fast!)

What are the benefits of using a weighted vest?

What exactly does a weighted vest do? There are so many benefits, so let’s look at it with your goal in mind.

• If you want to lose weight: wearing a weighted vest forces your muscles to work harder, so you will expend more energy and burn more calories – helpful if you need to be in a calorie deficit to get leaner
• If you want to get strong: a weighted vest will add load (weight) to your any exercise, naturally helping you to build strength and muscle mass
• If you want to improve performance: wearing a weighted vest for entire WODs or key exercises will help you improve performance by making your body (and mind) work harder
• If you want to get faster: lots of athletes use resistance training tools to create overload, and training in a weighted vest will improve your base fitness levels so you can go faster without it

If you haven’t owned a weighted vest before, let us talk you through what to look for.

• Comfort: choose a vest that sits close to the body (like ours) so it doesn’t flap or bounce around
• Fit: make sure your vest has adjustable straps at the shoulders and around the torso
• Functionality: our vests have a big pocket at the front so you can fit your keys, phone and other essentials in when running and walking
• Design: it has to look good! We have a range of colours to choose from – and plenty of space for patches of course…
• Versatility: make sure you can add weights to your weighted vest so you can keep making progress

Discover our full range of quality weighted vests here.