If you’re trying to loose weight, you may want to try putting weight on as part of your exercise plan. It sounds confusing but you might see people outside or at the gym wearing what looks like a bullet proof vest. It’s not. It’s a weighted vest; designed to improve your workout. 7-Healthcast reporter Dr. Deanna lites has more.
When he wears it, rock climber, Chris Diana, might look like a secret service agent working out in a bullet proof vest. He's really working out in a weighted vest. He says "it feels a little bit like a heavy sweater."
The vest has little pockets that can hold up to 20 pounds of bean bags.
Chris says, "most of the time with exercise you're trying to take weight off, but with the weighted vest you're putting weight on which requires you to burn more calories."
Why wear weight, when you could carry them weights in your hands? According to trainer, Pete McCall, there are advantages to wearing the vest.
McCall says, "having weights in your hands can create some rotational force through the back which creates a little bit of pain, a little discomfort with the low back. Especially if there is any type of pre-existing pain. But wearing the resistance is much safer because you're keeping the mass lose to your center of gravity. So it's not a lot of force on the body; not a lot of force on the joints."
McCall warns the vest isn't for everyone, like "anybody with any type of pre-existing knee pain that's been diagnosed, or any type of ankle injuries because this does add force every time you put your foot on the ground."
It works well for Chris Diana. He says, "this adds weight to my body, so that the next time I go up the mountain I'm used to 20 pounds more and I can go up with my body weight more efficiently."
It's a good idea to talk with a fitness expert before using a weighted vest to determine how much weight you should start out with so that you won't injure yourself.
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