Adidas Weights Vest

[Fire of Youth]

Recently I replaced my X-vest with an Adidas weights vest. At first, I was looking to replace my x-vest with just another x-vest but unfortunately the company has changed their design in a way that I was not happy with. So I tried on all the competitors vests and they all seemed to have the same problems: 1) they restriced the shoulder movements, 2) they were big and bulky instead of hugging the body which meant it got thrown around my body as I threw an attack, 3) They did not feel comfortable, and 4) They looked really crappy.

The adidas weights vest was the closest I could find to my old weights vest. It could be adjusted so it hugged snuggly around my entire body ensuring a comfortable fit. The weights are actually bags of what I presume to be sand that fit into zipped up pockets around the body for good weight distribution. I would think that the breast pocket weights would be a bit uncomfortable for women because you can feel the bags against your chest. For men, it is no big deal.

The use of sand as the weights is actually a big plus over my old x-vest. When I would be holding pads for someone else, my hands/wrists would get knocked back into the hard metal weights on my old x-vest. These would often be my worst injuries from a training session. It also meant that I couldn't wear the x-vest during sparring because my opponent would be hitting metal bars. The use of sand weights fixes both of these problems.

There is plenty of room in the shoulders to give full range of arm movement. This is a big thing in martial arts since you need to extend your shoulders into most movements.

It only comes in 10kg weight. My ego was influencing my initial shopping and I wanted heavier, but once I got it and started using it then I discovered it was well and truely heavy enough. 10kg doesn't sound like much weight but when you running, punching, doing pushups/situps at maximum intensity, you quickly feel like your moving underwater. Any heavier and I would probably start sacrificing my power techniques in exchange for strength techniques. However, if you want to just use it in weights training there are rings on the back that you attach weights to in order to increase your load.

Overall, I am really happy with the adidas weights vest. I use it for martial arts, running, walking and playing with the kids, and whenever I go on big family outings (e.g. the zoo) I just put it on under a shirt or jacket and I get a better workout throughout the day. Personally, I would recommend 3 improvements though: 1) An extra absorbant level of padding on the inner of the vest so you can't feel each sand bag and make a tighter snugger fit, 2) A super strong hanger so I can hang it up and dry it after each session, and 3) a choice in colours for aesthetic appeal. Presently it only comes in black with red trim. I personally would have preferred a blue or green trim.

Has anyone else tried the adidas weights vest? What are your thoughts?

[Plain 0]

I use the HyperVest Pro. Aside from the ungodly high price, it is quite spectacular: form fitting, does not move around, and slim enough that I can wear it under clothes without anyone noticing.

[TigreBJJ]

Using something like a weighted vest or wrist/ankle weights have crossed my mind before(not gonna lie, DBZ contributed to this...) but I never really did any research on the benefits of it. Any particular reasons you'd recommend incorporating them into workouts?

I know you'll get tired much faster doing cardio obviously, but will it really help with strength/speed from doing striking drills/sparring with them on? Also I have about 40lbs still that I need to lose, would you recommend weighted gear for someone who's trying to lose weight?

[Fire of Youth]

Originally Posted by TigreBJJ

Using something like a weighted vest or wrist/ankle weights have crossed my mind before(not gonna lie, DBZ contributed to this...) but I never really did any research on the benefits of it. Any particular reasons you'd recommend incorporating them into workouts?

I know you'll get tired much faster doing cardio obviously, but will it really help with strength/speed from doing striking drills/sparring with them on? Also I have about 40lbs still that I need to lose, would you recommend weighted gear for someone who's trying to lose weight?

Personally, I think weights vests are great. You get to do all the same sport specific training that you would always do but it makes everything harder. It is like trying to fight on sand and under water. Even something as simple as working your footwork with a high guard is difficult. The vest has the majority of the weight on your shoulders so when you raise your shoulders in your guard you are also doing a sport specific weights session. Also, as you get tired your shoulders and hands will start to drop. If you can keep them both high when training in the vest then it should be relatively easy without it.

Because the extra weight is distributed around your core thus you are less likely to get injuries as you would with ankle and wrist weights. Every slip, bob, weave, drive is an exercise itself and it all works your core as well as your major muscle groups. I find that I can train to exhaustion in the vest, take the vest off, and then be faster than when I first started training. I utilise a power orientated technique and with the vest I get strength. Therefore I mainly focus on my speed and balance during training. That way I am covered in all main physical areas of martial arts. Sport specific training but smarter.

As for using the vest to lose weight, increasing the intensity of any exercise also increases trhe energy cost which allows you to lose more weight for each exercise session you engage in. The only thing that I would warn you about is if you are not very strong as well as being overweight. That is you have been sedentary for a long time. Being over weight does not mean you have also been sedentary. However, if you have, then avoid bouncing exercises (e.g. jogging, plyometrics) until you build up some more strength around your joints and core. There is nothing wrong with going for a long walk with it on. Twice a week I walk 8km with to pick my kids up from daycare. My legs are quite fatigued at the end despite my higher than average fitness level.

[kaseri]

The best weight vests are found here -

http://www.weightvest.com/

[Fire of Youth]

Originally Posted by kaseri

The best weight vests are found here -

http://www.weightvest.com/

I didn't like those ones. I found that they restricted my shoulder movement and the big bulky weights compromised the comfort of my guard. The hypervest pro did look pretty good though.

[kaseri]

For fighting arts you need the "narrow" version. Not sure if you got that or not.

[Pope Leo VII]

Have you noticed any more knee pain from running/jogging with it? Was looking for a way to push my runs without increasing pace/distance. Prior searches brought up bad PR for the weight vest.

[RaggleFraggle]

Originally Posted by Pope Leo VII

Have you noticed any more knee pain from running/jogging with it? Was looking for a way to push my runs without increasing pace/distance. Prior searches brought up bad PR for the weight vest.

I've heard very bad things as well about long distance running and weight vests. I use a nike sparq training vest, and I've only used it for more anaerobic drills so far. I think it's not that bad if the weight load is low, just don't be running miles with 50 lbs strapped to your chest.

[TigreBJJ]

Originally Posted by Fire of Youth

Personally, I think weights vests are great. You get to do all the same sport specific training that you would always do but it makes everything harder. It is like trying to fight on sand and under water. Even something as simple as working your footwork with a high guard is difficult. The vest has the majority of the weight on your shoulders so when you raise your shoulders in your guard you are also doing a sport specific weights session. Also, as you get tired your shoulders and hands will start to drop. If you can keep them both high when training in the vest then it should be relatively easy without it.

Because the extra weight is distributed around your core thus you are less likely to get injuries as you would with ankle and wrist weights. Every slip, bob, weave, drive is an exercise itself and it all works your core as well as your major muscle groups. I find that I can train to exhaustion in the vest, take the vest off, and then be faster than when I first started training. I utilise a power orientated technique and with the vest I get strength. Therefore I mainly focus on my speed and balance during training. That way I am covered in all main physical areas of martial arts. Sport specific training but smarter.

As for using the vest to lose weight, increasing the intensity of any exercise also increases trhe energy cost which allows you to lose more weight for each exercise session you engage in. The only thing that I would warn you about is if you are not very strong as well as being overweight. That is you have been sedentary for a long time. Being over weight does not mean you have also been sedentary. However, if you have, then avoid bouncing exercises (e.g. jogging, plyometrics) until you build up some more strength around your joints and core. There is nothing wrong with going for a long walk with it on. Twice a week I walk 8km with to pick my kids up from daycare. My legs are quite fatigued at the end despite my higher than average fitness level.

Great Post. Think I'm gonna go ahead and try it out. I got plenty of weight to lose but no I wouldn't say I'm sedentary, been training bjj/mt(although I'm definitely the loser of the group getting worn out doing the warmups lol)