6 Weighted Vest Workout Exercises
Most probably, you know what a weighted vest is, and you are considering it as a part of your workout equipment, and for a good reason.
This piece of equipment is a practical and intelligent solution for exercising because of its design and function.
What is a weighted vest?
A weighted vest is a specialized piece of workout gear. It is essentially a vest with heavy material inside it that adds weight to the wearer.
The result is added weight on you without you having to hold it. It’s like having the weight of a barbell or dumbbell without having to carry it because the vest is bearing the weight onto your body while you wear it.
They are like resistance bands but not attaching you to one spot. Or think: doing your workout on a planet that has almost twice Earth’s gravity.
How do I use a weighted vest?
You can use a weighted vest to upgrade most exercises - strength training, running, endurance, etc. There’s almost no limit to what you can accomplish when it comes to workout and training with the right weighted vest.
So, for example, you can do push-ups with the added weight or run laps with the added weight.
Instead of carrying just your own weight, you are able to train your muscles to exert extra power for every exercise movement that you do.
Who can benefit from using a weighted vest?
Because of its clear benefits, CrossFit enthusiasts, athletes, soldiers, stunt talents, and fighters use weighted vests when training. If it’s good enough for them, it will be excellent for you!
By zipping into a weighted vest, you effectively add extra load to your bodyweight workout. The excess weight puts additional stress on your body and forces your muscles to work harder and train better.
What are the results?
When you add weight to any movement by wearing the vest, you can turn almost any training session into a resistance workout that builds your muscles and gets you more robust.
If you regularly use a weighted vest as part of your routine, you will effectively become more robust and faster, with increased stamina and endurance.
Here are 6 vital workout exercises that can be upgraded or best done with a weighted vest.
- Squats
- Pushups and Variations
- Jumps and Variations
- Walking, Jogging, or Running
- Core Exercises
- Pull Ups
Workout No. 1: Squats
Squats are excellent for fortifying back muscles and different leg muscles. Also, they affect the small muscles at the bottom of your backbone, which is highly advantageous for movement and stamina, and a weighted vest upgrades everything.
This workout can also help train your balance. And with added weight, your balance can increase.
Doing squats with a weighted vest increases the strain on your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, abdominals, and calves.
You can up the ante with Bulgarian squats on a weighted vest.
Get into a forward lunge position while keeping your torso upright, the core braced, and your hips square to the body. Then, elevate your back foot on a bench or box.
The leading leg should be around 1/2m in front of the box or bench.
To do the workout, fold your leading leg until the thigh is almost parallel to the floor while keeping your knee and foot in one line.
Workout No. 2: Pushups and Variations
Carry extra weight with your arms and chest by doing regular push-ups on a weighted vest.
Doing so will significantly fortify your pectorals or chest muscles, deltoids or shoulders, the triceps or back of your arms, and your abdominal muscles.
Pushups and pushup variations also help you develop the “wing” muscles or serratus anterior located under your armpit. You will strengthen these muscles more so with a weighted vest.
Also, you can upgrade push-up variations with the added challenge.
For example, you can go and take on plank press-ups.
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First, lean on your forearms and toes. Then, one after the other, put your hands where your elbows were, straightening your arms.
After that, lower your chest and lean on your forearms again, like in the first position.
Workout No. 3: Jumps and Variations
Merely jumping with your weighted vest will do plenty to your leg and abdominal muscles. An exciting way to do jumping workouts is jumping ropes.
Jumping rope gives your calves a good workout and helps tighten and tone a number of vital muscles at the same time. Doing the exercise affects the rear delts, abdominals, quads, hamstrings, and more.
A jumping exercise like jumping rope engages both the upper and lower body muscles and gives your entire body a well-needed workout.
Also, jumping is as lucrative as running when it comes to cardio. It will help you train endurance and stamina.
Here’s a challenge - box jumps.
Box jumps are like +10 level squats that work your hamstrings, quadriceps, back muscles, glutes, calves, abdominals, and ankles. Plus, it additionally makes you do challenging cardio.
Find a mid-thigh-sized box or platform. Just make sure that it is secure and won’t slip.
You will essentially jump on it with your two feet together and landing on a squat. Then, step down and repeat.
Workout No. 4: Walking, Jogging, or Running
Walking, jogging, and running are the number one go-to for cardio. At the same time, these exercises work your legs, glutes, and calves, strengthening your muscles.
With a weighted vest, you can further improve the muscles worked by walking, jogging, and running.
Challenge yourself by doing these exercises on inclines. Going upward and going downward will work specific muscles and strengthen small parts like tissues in your angles and joints.
An excellent thing to do is to wear the vest when hiking.
And to up the ante, you can do hurdles in your weighted vest. Doing so will significantly affect and train the hip flexors, quadriceps, hamstrings, and gluteus, and abdominal muscles.
Workout No. 5: Core Exercises
You can upgrade your core exercise training with a weighted vest.
When you do core-strength exercises with added weight, you can further strengthen your back muscles, abdominal muscles, and the muscles in your general pelvis area.
When you have relatively strong core muscles, it makes it simpler for you to do many physical activities. And you can achieve more than just strong when you add a weighted vest to the equation.
Some of the most effective core exercises are dead bug, flutter kicks, side plank, vertical leg crunches, hollow body hold and hang, Russian twists, and front plant.
Workout No. 6: Pull Ups
Pull ups are one of those fundamental exercises that define someone's bodyweight strength. Specifically with calisthenics, Pull ups and pull up related movements are a huge part. It is an essential exercise to strengthen in order to level up to movements such as muscle ups, as well as help with other bar movements such as Levers.
We recommend doing pull ups with a slightly wider grip in order to really target the the back. Full range of motion almost all the way down, and up, with your chin above the bar will yield the best results.
The beautiful thing about pull-ups is that there are a lot of variations each focusing on specific muscles differently. Its best to mix is pull ups (palms facing out) with chin ups (palms facing in) and other variations for well rounded Pullup strength.
Get a Weighted Vest to Enhance Your Workout Routine!
The vital thing you need to ensure when getting a weighted vest is zero movement interruption, personalization, and flexibility of usage.
The best product in the market is the Hanzo Weight Vest Premium weighted training vest. While designed for bodyweight athletes in mind, it is durable, flexible, and slim-fitting so that anyone can use it for almost any workout.
It is high-cut so that it doesn’t disturb your mobility. Also, it has adjustable weight levels so that you can grow incrementally.
Whether you are new to calisthenics or a long-time bodybuilder, the Hanzo training vest will increase your workout efficiency and upgrade your results.
Get your Hanzo Weight Vest now and try the exercises on our list.