“Weight vests are an effective method to amplify the intensity of your training and increase the value of the results gained from each workout,” says Farren Morgan, founder of The Tactical Athlete.
If you’re new to the idea of using a weight vest in your exercises, use Farren’s tips to ease your transition into training and boost your fitness progress with that extra weight.
How to train with a weight vest
Weighted vests can weigh between 5 and 40 kilos. The most common weights are 7 kg and 10 kg. But not everyone needs the same weight… The weight you choose should challenge your athletic abilities, but you should still be able to carry out your workouts successfully with good technique.
Make sure you feel comfortable before starting your session. If you’re running, the vest shouldn’t bounce freely or sway from side to side. The vest should sit firmly on your body without being too tight, and the straps should lead to the Velcro under the front flap.
It will take some getting used to though… For this reason, you must adopt a winning mindset and keep going with your training to enjoy the challenge. Take your bodyweight routines to the next level with a weighted vest by gaining muscular endurance, stamina, and strength. You’ll notice an improvement in your anaerobic metabolism, muscle strength, and definition as you shred excess calories. (40 ways to speed up your metabolism to lose weight).
The training
Try this full body weight vest circuit if you need to diversify your workouts and increase the difficulty of your training.
20 minute AMRAP with 7/10 kg vest
Your “score” is the total number of pull-ups completed in the 20 minutes.
Then do the following with the vest on:
1- 100 meter race
2- 10 jumping lunges
3- 200 meter race
4- 10 push-ups with hand release
5- 200 meter race
6-10 overhead squats
7- Strict pull-ups
