Everywhere you look on your social feeds, it seems like everyone is looking for a lower intensity workout by wearing a weighted vest or loading up their backpack for a walk. Whether you like wearing a rucksack (see Rucksack) or walking in a weighted vest, carrying things over long distances is a great way to improve your cardiovascular fitness. It turned out to be a sensible behavior. Realizing these benefits, I wanted to turn my daily walk into a week-long challenge.
In fact, this wasn’t the first time I incorporated a loaded carrier into my daily life. For years, I would carry heavy equipment up steep hills for 15 minutes to get to outdoor training spots for my personal training clients. In doing so, I inadvertently received the reward of feeling the healthiest and strongest I’ve ever been. It made my commute to my desk especially easier, which I really miss now.
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Michael Easter, author of The Comfort Crisis, is also a strong proponent of walking in a weighted vest, especially for women, and says it’s part of the modern dilemma of a chronically sedentary lifestyle. I believe this is the solution. In the Easter 2% Newsletter, he explains: “The human body is designed to carry weight over long distances.”
It’s something that has come naturally to humans since time immemorial, Easter explains. “We’re the only animals that can carry things long distances.” As we evolved, we used this skill. They started hunting, gathering, moving resources, and bringing tools into the unknown. ”
Easter added that an increasing number of health scientists are realizing that rucking may be the best form of exercise for women, an area of growing interest. “That’s because rucking offers unique benefits for women that other forms of exercise don’t have,” Easter says.
Why should women walk around wearing weighted vests?
Weight training without gym
got it. We need to do strength training, and as we get older we become more and more aware of the need for strength training. If you don’t feel like going to the gym during rush hour, walking in a weighted vest can improve your strength without ever stepping foot in the weight room.
One of the most appealing benefits of walking in a weighted vest is the opportunity to walk in the fresh air at your local park. And the UK exercise guidelines recommend 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, so walking in a weighted vest can help you tick that box effectively. “Rucking combines endurance and strength, allowing women to meet guidelines and build muscle without ever setting foot in a weight room,” Easter says.
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Aerobic exercise, but low impact
By bearing more weight and covering the same ground, you increase your heart rate and the intensity of the movements you perform without the high impact of jumping or running. A study conducted on women by the University of New Mexico found that wearing a weighted vest can increase VO2 max when slow treadmill walking is included. Therefore, wearing a weighted vest is an easy way to increase your cardio without using the treadmill.
Improved bone density
A study published by Quality of Life Research found that when older participants participated in exercise while wearing a weighted vest, their bone density decreased by 0.6% compared to a group that did not wear a weighted vest. was found to have increased by 1%. during the investigation process.
According to Easter, “Everyone begins to lose bone density around age 30, but postmenopausal women begin to lose bone density at a rapid and dangerous rate.” This is why fractures are the biggest health threat for women. This is why it is one of the threats. ”
A way to prevent this loss of bone density is to add weight to your walks. Another study published in The Journals of Gerontology investigated the effects of weighted vest exercise in postmenopausal women and found that it prevented loss of bone density in the lower back and maintained it. got it. Not only this, but a long-term commitment to the exercise program persisted for over five years. This means that the exercise program was likely an easy and fun addition to their daily routine.
higher momentum
The rumors about being able to tolerate discomfort during exercise seem to be true. Easter explains that women tend to push themselves harder during exercise, such as rucking or walking while wearing weighted vests, and references a study of British military recruits, stating that “recruits… I had to ruck six miles with either 33 pounds or 44 pounds.” Body weight was not separated by gender. That means some of the women were carrying as much as 44 pounds,” Easter said.
“Women completed the course on average two minutes faster than men. Because of this effort, women improved their perceived rate of effort (basically how stiff the rack felt) compared to men. They reported that they were better able to overcome discomfort, a finding that has been repeated in other studies: women have a higher tolerance for discomfort during exercise.
These weren’t the only findings, Easter explained: “Women also regained strength faster.” When they retested the men on markers of leg strength, their performance had dropped precipitously. On the other hand, the girls’ physical strength did not decline that much.
Walking in a weighted vest and rucking seem to be our hidden talents waiting to be tapped into.
Which muscles do you train when you walk while wearing a weight vest?
Walking in a weighted vest primarily works your lower body muscles: quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calf muscles. It also includes the core, trapezius, and core stabilizing muscles that try to keep you upright. As you fill your backpack with weights, you’ll notice your abdominal muscles contract to avoid being pulled backwards. A vest, on the other hand, carries the weight proportionally around your body, which trains your back and abdominal muscles more evenly.
To get the most out of walking in a weighted vest and make sure I’m training the right muscles, I focused on the following:
Open your chest and look forward. Take even strides and move efficiently. Grasp the handles of your backpack or swing your arms loosely at your sides. When fatigue increases, try to avoid slouching. put pressure on the trunk
5 things I learned from walking in a weighted vest for a week
1. It was more shocking than I expected.
We recommend starting rucking or walking with a weighted vest that weighs 10-15% of your body weight. I decided to be optimistic and choose the upper end of this scale and use 10kg. On the first day, I started running on the treadmill for 30 minutes at my usual pace, but after 10 minutes I knew I needed to slow down a bit. I thought about losing some weight, but in the end I decided to lose weight. I was able to work up a good sweat by walking briskly for 30 minutes.
2. I prefer walking with a weighted rucksack rather than a weighted vest
As a personal preference, I like to keep my weight at the back in my backpack. This means that your trap muscles (the muscles on either side of your neck) don’t have to work as hard, and walking long distances doesn’t hurt as much. However, if you’re going for a short walk around the block or walking the dog, a weighted vest can be a little more practical to wear under a coat or hoodie. To use a rucksack instead, remove the weights from your weight vest and place them in your rucksack. Make sure the straps are securely and comfortably attached.
3. My heart rate was much higher than normal while walking.
Anyone who regularly walks their dog is used to pausing patiently at regular intervals to sniff the dog, and knows that it can be difficult to get the heart rate up sustainably. The advantage of wearing a weighted vest is that it can further increase your heart rate while walking briskly, even if you have to stop here and there.
4. Weight and duration can be increased gradually
It doesn’t have to be super intense. In fact, you can start with a weight that you feel you can manage and increase it by 2 to 5 pounds every few weeks as your strength improves. It’s less taxing on your body than running, so you need less recovery and can incorporate running into your routine more often. On days when I wanted to reduce the intensity, I would finish my 10-minute walk with the vest on, then remove the vest for the rest of the walk that day.
5. Found to be a great source of stress management
I love walking and walking for at least an hour every day is already deeply ingrained in my daily routine. But with the addition of a weighted vest and a good playlist, it was a great way to feel grounded and start the day with an extra boost of endorphins. The increase in intensity was welcome on days when I didn’t feel like running but felt like doing “something”.
Overall impressions after walking in a weighted vest
For me, I plan to continue with my new habits beyond the 7-day challenge because I think they’re pretty easy to stick to long-term. Walking with a weighted rucksack or vest is an easy way to support more weight in your daily activities without having to commit to training. Additionally, for women, weight bearing is extremely important to maintain muscle mass and bone health. Now that I’m in my 30s, I want to focus on this.
However, no matter your age, the main selling point of walking in a weighted vest is how low-impact it is. As someone who tends to get injured from running too much, this is the perfect alternative to walking, which gets my heart rate up and allows me to enjoy it for longer periods of time.
Kate is Men’s Health UK’s fitness writer, contributing regular workouts, training tips and nutrition guides. She has a graduate degree in Sports Performance Nutrition and prior to joining Men’s Health, she spent over 5,000 coaching hours on the gym floor as a nutritionist, fitness writer, and personal trainer. Kate has a keen interest in volunteering at animal shelters, and when she’s not working out in the garden, she can often be found walking rescue dogs.
