weight vest?

[bacon]

Anybody use a weight vest? One of my friends is a fireman and he swears by his vest. He uses it for pullups, pushups, running, etc... Any drawbacks? Is one brand better than the next? Anyone make their own?
Thanks

 

[carped33z]

use it how? while taking a dump? fetching the morning paper?

 

[bacon]

use it how? while taking a dump? fetching the morning paper?

....meh....

 

[carped33z]

....meh....

seriously, be specific.

 

[bacon]

seriously, be specific.

He's got a 50 lb vest. He uses it for pushups, pullups all forms of calistenics. He also runs in the thing. I just wanna know if anyone has one and whether they think they're worth the money. I alternate back and forth between body weight exercises and heavy lifting and I was thinking about adding a vest to my BW routines.

 

[fat_wilhelm]

I alternate back and forth between body weight exercises and heavy lifting and I was thinking about adding a vest to my BW routines.

It wouldn't really be a body weight routine, then, would it?

 

[bacon]

It wouldn't really be a body weight routine, then, would it?

wow. you got me. you sure are clever...

 

[#1can]

it works essentially the same way as a weight belt of backpack, except that its easier to do alot of motions with a vest. are you asking if its a good idea? yes its a good idea, if you want to use one. If you don't feel like using one, then no its not a good idea. I don't get it. Its not going to hurt you or anything.

 

[krellik]

Extremely good for certain bodyweight excersices or sprinting stairs. Dont go out for a jog in it though.. If you dont feel like throwing out money imediately, many excersices can be done with a weighted backpack. Try that for pullups, dips, etc.. se how you like it..

 

[Wrecking Ball]

I think they're good for a lot of things like pushups, situps, uphill sprint, etc. Be careful though and use common sense with it. I played with a guy who used to do a lot of plyometrics, and he bought one and thought, "Hey let's do depth jumps with it." Needless to say, he started having bad knee problems within two months of buying his vest.

 

[#1can]

I think they're good for a lot of things like pushups, situps, uphill sprint, etc. Be careful though and use common sense with it. I played with a guy who used to do a lot of plyometrics, and he bought one and thought, "Hey let's do depth jumps with it." Needless to say, he started having bad knee problems within two months of buying his vest.

I know alot of athletes who do depth jumps with weight. Never seen it specifically with a weight vest, usually with a med ball instead. Usually performed as a depth jump followed by a forward explosive throw of the med ball.

 

[bacon]

I think they're good for a lot of things like pushups, situps, uphill sprint, etc. Be careful though and use common sense with it. I played with a guy who used to do a lot of plyometrics, and he bought one and thought, "Hey let's do depth jumps with it." Needless to say, he started having bad knee problems within two months of buying his vest.

Exactly the kind of info I'm looking for.
thanks

Anyone have any suggestions on brands of vests or types (short vs long etc..)?

 

[Wrecking Ball]

I bought mine at www.weightvest.com about 3 years ago, in looking at their site, the prices have definetly gone up. I think I paid $100 for the 30 lb short vest. It's held up really well, but I haven't really used it as often as I would like. The thing I like best about those vesta are the adjustable weight. Also check and see if those prices include shipping or not Bacon.

#1 Can, I'm not say depth jumps with some added resistance are bad, I'm just saying don't dive into them with the weight vest. Plyo's are very tough on the body, especially if you're incorporating them with weights and sport, and sometimes if they aren't done properly can lead to more injuries instead of more progress. My old teammate had never done them with weight, and started off with 30 lbs (his vest wasn't adjustable), off of a 24" platform, good hockey player, but not very bright...

 

[carped33z]

vests are always overpriced and overvalued by the people who use them. dont run with a vest because your knees will disintegrate. if you have access to a gym there is no reason to get a vest.

 

[marine]

good hockey player, but not very bright...

Hmmmm.......... I wonder why?

 

[deadpool]

Yes, you can use it for all sorts of bodyweight exercises. Be careful with the pressure that it puts on your joints when it comes to plyometric type movements.

 

[bacon]

if you have access to a gym there is no reason to get a vest.

I hate gyms. I workout alone 99% of the time. I never liked going to gyms there are too many distractions. Lifting is personal for me, I lock the door crank the music and go nuts.

 

[#1can]

#1 Can, I'm not say depth jumps with some added resistance are bad, I'm just saying don't dive into them with the weight vest. Plyo's are very tough on the body, especially if you're incorporating them with weights and sport, and sometimes if they aren't done properly can lead to more injuries instead of more progress. My old teammate had never done them with weight, and started off with 30 lbs (his vest wasn't adjustable), off of a 24" platform, good hockey player, but not very bright...

Agreed.

 

[KOU In3]

I used to run and drill with a 35 pound weight vest. As far as impact to joints, obviously it is going to be harder on your joints. But I think it is a bit narrowminded to categorically list it as 'bad' for the joints to do plyo's with one.

Look at it this way. I used to weigh 150 and run with the vest. That made it 180 pounds of stress on my knees. Bad for them?

Now I weigh 200 pounds. That's 200 pounds of stress on my knees. But no vest. Which is 'harder' on my joints?

My cardio was at its best when I was doing 6 mile runs with the vest. Just my $0.02

 

[Urban]

I think there are better investments to be made. If you want something for sprints or running, consider making a sandbag and running with that (up a hill if you feel so inclined). Having to actively hold onto it, and shift position as you get tired will get you a better workout than trotting along with a vest. And as far as bodyweight exercises go: backpack with a plate in it for pushups and pullups, barbell for lunges and squats and pistols, and dipping belt for dips and heavy pullups. I know it's not one super-does-everything-and-ties-your-shoes-for-you piece of equipment, but these are tools that are much cheaper and more effective than a weighted vest. Are vests usefull? sure. Are they worth what you'll pay for one? no not really.

when you consider how many ways there are to add difficulty to bodyweight exercises without buying a vest or stacking weights on your person they really don't seem to have a lot of application for most people. Consider pushups: pushups lead to incline pushups, lead to handstand pushups, lead to one handed pushups, lead to one handed incline pushups, and maybe (but not likely) one handed handstand pushups. Really (IMHO) you should be proficient in one handed incline pushups (with you feet elevated enough to make your body parallel to the ground when you're in the up position) before you consider adding resistance to the movement (and then you may want to go back down to having your feet being on the ground so the plates on your back don't hit you in the head). I realize all these are different movements, but you can't tell me that getting better at incline pushups isn't going to improve your regular pushups.

The same process can be applied to many bodyweight movments. Good at bw squats? do lunges. Good at lunges? get good at pistols. now hold a barbell in front squat position on your pistols to load them up and you've got something there.

A vest is usefull, but it's also a frill. It's icing on the cake and IMO you'd be better off doing more difficult BW exercises than loading up ones you're already good at. And as far as conditioning goes, do bears, burpees with a tuck jump and pushups while holding dumbells, or hill sprints with a sandbag and tell me you don't get better cardio. Low tech, high effect.