Weighted clothing.

MungBean

Gonna start being a bit more active in the new year (sorry for yet another thread) and happened on some weighted clothing while poking about online.

Would wearing a weighted vest and/or other stuff while walking or jogging boost the work out and add extra muscle exercise or are they really only for endurance training and for a noob only reduce my work out time by burning me out faster ?

Kevin Duffy

MungBean wrote: »

Gonna start being a bit more active in the new year (sorry for yet another thread) and happened on some weighted clothing while poking about online.

Would wearing a weighted vest and/or other stuff while walking or jogging boost the work out and add extra muscle exercise or are they really only for endurance training and for a noob only reduce my work out time by burning me out faster ?

I'd say that's the are where they have the least valid applications. I spent a long time as an endurance athlete, running and biking long distances. I couldn't imagine a situation where adding a weighted vest or similar would have added to the workout.
In my opinion, they have very limited applications generally, maybe for upping the resistance in bodyweight training, or short, intense interval or circuit sessions. I think if you're at a stage where your goal at the moment is to "start being a bit more active", there's likely to be little benefit to you and they may well make you hate what you're doing and/or lead to injury.

MungBean

Kevin Duffy wrote: »

I'd say that's the are where they have the least valid applications. I spent a long time as an endurance athlete, running and biking long distances. I couldn't imagine a situation where adding a weighted vest or similar would have added to the workout.
In my opinion, they have very limited applications generally, maybe for upping the resistance in bodyweight training, or short, intense interval or circuit sessions. I think if you're at a stage where your goal at the moment is to "start being a bit more active", there's likely to be little benefit to you and they may well make you hate what you're doing and/or lead to injury.

Thanks for the reply. My thought process is that I do shag all at the moment. And I will make an attempt at being more active and in that time I'll give it socks. For a few weeks I'll throw everything into it. But after than my interest will wane and I'll probably drop off (hopefully not this time but going on the past).

So I was curious as to how to get the most out of my short time (probably) doing it. And considering I dont have equipment to do anything but walking or jogging I though weighted clothing adding weight would boost my workout. Turn an otherwise normal walk into an actual exercise and add some muscle work into the equation. I just assumed they were for endurance training.

But you reckon they may just have the opposite effect and push me too far too soon or do me in altogether? Are injuries due to weighted clothing common ?

Kevin Duffy

MungBean wrote: »

Thanks for the reply. My thought process is that I do shag all at the moment. And I will make an attempt at being more active and in that time I'll give it socks. For a few weeks I'll throw everything into it. But after than my interest will wane and I'll probably drop off (hopefully not this time but going on the past).

So I was curious as to how to get the most out of my short time (probably) doing it. And considering I dont have equipment to do anything but walking or jogging I though weighted clothing adding weight would boost my workout. Turn an otherwise normal walk into an actual exercise and add some muscle work into the equation. I just assumed they were for endurance training.

But you reckon they may just have the opposite effect and push me too far too soon or do me in altogether? Are injuries due to weighted clothing common ?

This is a recipe for disaster. Going from 0 to 60 is a handy way to get injured. It's also wasteful, doing a few weeks then stopping will provide no benefit. It's as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike. Forget looking for short-term fast-fix solutions like weighted clothing, they're irrelevant to you, what you need to is to change your attitude to exercise and find a way to approach it sustainably, with gradual buildup and make it part of you lifestyle. If you're starting with the mindset you describe, frankly, I think you might as well not start.

MungBean

Kevin Duffy wrote: »

This is a recipe for disaster. Going from 0 to 60 is a handy way to get injured. It's also wasteful, doing a few weeks then stopping will provide no benefit. It's as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike. Forget looking for short-term fast-fix solutions like weighted clothing, they're irrelevant to you, what you need to is to change your attitude to exercise and find a way to approach it sustainably, with gradual buildup and make it part of you lifestyle. If you're starting with the mindset you describe, frankly, I think you might as well not start.

I'm not really looking for a quick fix solution or plan on stopping after a few weeks I'm just thinking along the lines of trying to utilise the initial enthusiasm to get the maximum benefit.

If weighted clothing (or anything else) helped me to get fitter quicker (just to the point of being able to work out effectively) then it would be better than doing what I've done so many times before and start, not improve much physically and lose interest.

I understand what your saying but when you fail to make exercise a part of your life a few times you start to try and look at things different to find another way to achieve it. One thing I find with work is that I'll be so unfit a physical job will near kill me in the first week. I'm talking arms and legs seizing out of exhaustion. But I'll push myself through it and come out after a few weeks capable of doing the work normally.

I'm looking at exercise the same way, baptism of fire, into the deep end, I know I will get through it and when I do after a few weeks I will feel significantly better and capable of more frequent workouts and have a different mindset as the results will be noticeable. Rather than my past approach of start slow and build up which hasnt worked for me. As I start slow, build up to just past slow, never notice a change or feel much difference, feel as though I'm still "out of shape/fat and lazy" and give up.

I know I will do it for at least a few weeks, question is where will I be physically and mentally after that few weeks. I feel that giving it socks in those first few weeks stands me a better chance of continuing afterwards.

Inspector Coptoor

I got a 10kg weighted vest from wolverson fitness in the uk.

I was minding a guide dog puppy for 3 weeks last summer and she needed lots of walking.
I wore the vest while out walking with her and the extra 10kg definitely made the walk harder.

while doing a few weighted walks a week might help you to lose some weight, you really need to take a look at your diet.

rubadub

These vests can be very expensive. I did make a poormans version before

cut 2 holes in a old sweatshirt, down where your "love handles" would be. Now turn it up and put your arms through those holes. Now you have a pouch front & back that you can slot 10kg plates into. I have heard others using fishing jackets, which have loads of pockets all over them

If you have a tightish jumper going over this it keeps them in place well. I was using 10kg plates as I was squatting.

You can of course just put a 10kg plate in a back pack. If you have 2 backpacks of them you can wear one on your front to balance it out.


There are also those reservoir bags of water, so you bring a drink along and if it did feel too heavy you just dump it out.

If it was me I would stick to hilly areas and places with loads of steps.