Weighted vests are form-fitting garments equipped with adjustable or fixed weights worn close to the torso. Their purpose is to increase the difficulty of movement and exercise by adding extra load to the body. The central question is whether this added resistance translates into meaningful gains for both cardiovascular health and muscular strength.
How the Body Responds to Added Resistance
Adding external load forces the physiological systems to work harder against gravity. This increase in workload immediately elevates the body’s metabolic demand, meaning more energy must be expended to perform the same movement. The added resistance leads to a measurable increase in oxygen consumption (VO2), heart rate, and overall energy expenditure.
This heightened physiological response correlates directly with a higher Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE), making the workout feel more intense. Even relatively small amounts of weight, such as 10% of body mass, are sufficient to significantly increase the relative exercise intensity during activities like walking. By imposing this progressive overload, the vest stimulates the body to adapt to a greater level of stress.
The vest affects the body’s proprioception, which is the sense of its position and movement in space. The additional mass provides a constant signal to the joint and muscle receptors, enhancing the wearer’s awareness of their posture and movement patterns. Studies of walking and running with weighted vests have shown no significant negative changes in biomechanical gait factors, such as stride length or frequency, which minimizes the risk of lower-limb injury.
Effects on Cardio and Strength Training
The use of a weighted vest in cardiovascular training provides a method for progressive overload without necessarily increasing speed or duration. Training with a vest has been shown to improve cardiorespiratory fitness, with one study noting significant improvements in VO2 max, a key measure of aerobic capacity. The increased oxygen demand and heart rate response effectively trains the heart and lungs to deliver oxygen more efficiently.
In strength training, the added resistance translates directly into greater muscle recruitment and force production. Wearing the vest during bodyweight exercises, such as pushups, pullups, or squats, forces the muscles of the legs, core, and back to stabilize and move a heavier mass. This consistent load helps to build muscular strength and power, especially in the lower body.
The vest is also a tool for enhancing explosive power and speed when used in plyometric movements. Training with the vest during activities like jumping or sprinting forces the body to exert maximum effort to overcome the increased inertia of the added load. When the vest is removed, the body’s nervous system is primed to move with greater efficiency and speed, leading to improvements in unweighted performance.
Therapeutic Applications Beyond Fitness
Beyond athletic performance, weighted vests have applications in health and rehabilitation, particularly concerning bone density. The skeletal system responds to mechanical stress by stimulating bone-forming cells, a process called osteogenesis. Wearing a weighted vest while walking or performing high-impact activities increases the load on the bones, which helps to maintain or improve bone mineral density.
This mechanical loading is particularly beneficial for populations at risk of bone loss, such as older adults and postmenopausal women. Research has demonstrated that combining weighted vests with exercises like jumping can lead to better hip bone density outcomes compared to exercise alone. For this purpose, vests are loaded with 5% to 10% of the wearer’s body weight to provide an adequate stimulus.
The vests also serve a specialized function in clinical settings for sensory integration, often guided by an occupational therapist. They provide deep pressure input, which can have a calming and organizing effect on the central nervous system. This deep pressure is used to help individuals with conditions like sensory processing disorders, autism spectrum disorder, or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The consistent weight can reduce anxiety, improve focus, and support better behavioral regulation.