{"id":138807,"date":"2025-10-22T18:07:29","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T18:07:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/138807\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T18:07:29","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T18:07:29","slug":"why-you-probably-dont-need-to-buy-a-weighted-vest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/138807\/","title":{"rendered":"Why you probably don\u2019t need to buy a weighted vest"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Influencers on social media claim wearing a weighted vest can help with bone and muscle loss, and even menopause-related weight gain.simonkr\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

About a year ago, right around the time my doctor told me I was likely entering perimenopause, I slung a weighted vest over my shoulders and went out for a short walk. <\/p>\n

In the 12 months that followed, I walked up and down hills, on trails and sidewalks, for short speed-walks and long, slow strolls with friends (who also wore them). <\/p>\n

And yet only recently did it occur to me to ask myself: why am I doing this? My job is to question exercise claims and fads, so why was I so quick to follow this one? <\/p>\n

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It might be because of the messaging I and many other women my age are being inundated with on social media from influencers and even medical professionals: Walking with a neoprene vest full of sand can fix many of the things we\u2019ve been told to worry about, such as loss of bone and muscle, and even menopause-related weight gain. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a perfect storm,\u201d says Amanda Thebe<\/a>, Toronto-based author of the book Menopocalypse<\/a> and a menopause advocate and educator. \u201cWe\u2019ve got this appeal to authority, we\u2019ve got vulnerable women and we\u2019ve got the idea that we want a quick fix.\u201d <\/p>\n

The market for the weighted vest is expected to grow<\/a> to $540-million by 2030, with North Americans driving most of that growth. But can it actually deliver as promised? Or is it just a case of really good, really pervasive marketing? <\/p>\n

Can walking with a weighted vest help you maintain or improve bone density? <\/p>\n

The most commonly cited research to prove this claim is a small 2000 study in the Journal of Gerontology<\/a> with 18 postmenopausal subjects, which took place over five years. In it, one group exercised in vests and mostly maintained bone density. The other group did not exercise and experienced bone loss. However, the subjects in the intervention group weren\u2019t simply walking with the vests: They were jumping and doing lower-body resistance training exercises. <\/p>\n

This doesn\u2019t tell us that a 30- or 45-minute walk in a weighted vest is going to do anything to improve or maintain bone density, says Lauren Colenso-Semple<\/a>, an exercise scientist with a PhD in integrative physiology from McMaster University <\/b>in Hamilton. Instead, she adds, it suggests that using a weighted vest in place of other kinds of weights (dumbbells, kettlebells) for traditional resistance training moves is more likely<\/a> to move the needle in terms of bone density.<\/p>\n

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A 2007 study<\/a> conducted at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont., observed a reduction in age-related bone loss in a group of postmenopausal women who wore a weighted vest for a 12-week exercise intervention. However, this program also included balance and lower-body resistance training exercises, in addition to treadmill walking.<\/p>\n

Two<\/a> other<\/a> small, short-duration studies focused specifically on the impact of walking with a weighted vest. Both found that subjects who walked either with or without a weighted vest experienced less bone loss than the control groups who maintained their existing levels of activity. <\/p>\n

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Will it help you build muscle?<\/p>\n

While under load and tension, you\u2019re not moving your muscles and joints through their full range of motion. So, even with a weighted vest, walking on its own \u201cisn\u2019t going to be a sufficient stimulus for muscle growth,\u201d says Colenso-Semple.<\/p>\n

Using one while doing movements such as squats and lunges may help improve muscle mass and strength, as illustrated in the Brock University study. If you have grip issues, a vest can also make moves such as rows and bicep curls more accessible. To optimize muscle growth though, you need to take your muscles close to failure in a given set, meaning you\u2019ll need to either increase the weight of your vest or use another progressive overload technique such as slowing down the exercise or adding a pause at the bottom. <\/p>\n

If it\u2019s not helpful, is it harmful?<\/p>\n

If you experience neck, back or shoulder pain or if you\u2019re currently sedentary, a weighted vest can exacerbate those pains or cause new ones. If you\u2019re otherwise healthy and injury-free, as long as you start light with a vest that\u2019s around 5 per cent of your body weight, and pay close attention to your walking form, posture and gait, walking with a weighted vest is largely safe. <\/p>\n

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Running with a weighted vest has the potential to cause greater damage. While some improvements in sprint times<\/a> have been observed, adding 10 or 12 pounds to your body on a run can also change your posture. You may round your shoulders or forget to brace your core, says Jamie Snow<\/a>, a Toronto-based personal trainer. The additional force with which you\u2019ll strike the ground with each step can also lead to injuries such as stress fractures. <\/p>\n

\u201cDo not go run in your weighted vest,\u201d says Snow. \u201cThe risk-reward to that is so one-sided.\u201d <\/p>\n

So, now what?<\/p>\n

When I found out that I was in perimenopause, I was grasping at any lifestyle changes that might help, and the weighted vest was one of them. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think women are looking for control over their body,\u201d says Thebe. \u201cBecause it\u2019s an ever-changing thing that they feel is out of control.\u201d <\/p>\n

Several weighted-vest-wearing friends of mine have expressed that using one makes them feel like they\u2019re working harder. There is certainly some additional caloric burn thanks to the elevated heart rate that comes with increased exertion. But it is not the only way <\/b>to make your walks more impactful. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou could walk faster,\u201d says Colenso-Semple. \u201cYou could walk up a hill. You could walk on an incline treadmill. And that would make your heart rate go up as well.\u201d <\/p>\n

If you love your weighted vest, and that\u2019s what motivates you to get out for a walk, then it\u2019s a valuable tool toward building and maintaining overall fitness. But it\u2019s also not the only tool. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve latched onto this as like, \u2018This is the new solution to being a woman,\u2019\u201d says Snow. \u201cAnd it\u2019s just not.\u201d <\/p>\n

Alyssa Ages<\/a> is a journalist and the author of Secrets of Giants: A Journey to Uncover the True Meaning of Strength. She is also a strongman competitor and endurance athlete, as well as a former personal trainer and group fitness instructor.<\/p>\n