The Weight Vest
By Jim Wendler
For EliteFTS

One of the greatest perks of my job is the unlimited access to almost any kind of training equipment that I want. I get to experiment with a lot of different things and see how I can use them in my training. Also, I have a large network of people that I get ideas from and bounce ideas off of. Simply put, I have a job that allows me to get stronger and actually encourages it. I hope I have made you mad. I am going to be reviewing some of the products that we carry and show how and when to use them. This month; the weight vest.

About 3 months ago, I was wandering around the Compound and finally decided to try on the 100lbs Weight Vest that was draped across our step-up platform. Because it was previously used and abused by Dave it had a funk that is best described as “throw up”. Anyway, at the time I was in some serious need of getting back into shape and thought that this piece of equipment could be of some use. These are the following things that I did to bring my conditioning level back to par.

Walking – I put the weight vest on and walked around my neighborhood with my dog. This is kind of funny to do as it looks like you are wearing a bullet proof vest ala 50 Cent. I did this every night for about a week. Each night I tried to walk for a few more minutes. This won’t kill you but it’s a good start. Just be sure that you can walk back. I started with a 15 minute walk and worked up to 30 minutes. This is not that difficult.

Running – I made a pact with myself (this is serious) that I would never run again after my final game of playing football. I have not been true to my word. After completing the walking regimen listed above, I began running stairs. There were 25 stairs on the flight that I ran up and I began with 10 trips and ended with 20. This went on for 5 days. The best thing about this is that the workouts took less time than the walking. The weight vest did not swing around too much and was perfect for running. Also, I think that because I was running up hill (stairs, actually) and thus not very fast, it didn’t move a lot. I did notice that it did not alter my arm action at all. It was comfortable despite the fact that it weighed 100lbs. 

Bodyweight Exercises – These were done at the Compound when no one was around so Dave wouldn’t make fun of me. The only thing that I found difficult was the pull-ups because of my lack of strength – I only managed to get one rep with the 100lbs vest.

Step ups
Roman Chair Sit-ups
Lunges
Back Extensions
Glute Ham Raises (These were a full ROM and not as difficult as you would think)
Push ups on Blast Straps
Box Jumps – This one wasn’t that bad, but I didn’t jump onto anything higher than a 24” box.

Basically any bodyweight exercise can be done using the weighed vest and is great for circuit training as you can move from one exercise to another. I think this would be of great use for any kind of conditioning phase, pre-weight phase or for a beginner that is not ready for weight training.

Lifting with the Weighted Vest – I never tried any kind of lifting with the weighed vest but know that Louie has used it during his lactic acid training with the SS Bar. I can only imagine the pain. I’m guessing that one could use the weight vest for basically any exercise but I would caution this as most injuries occur when there is fatigue, especially in your lower back and abdominals. Because the weight vest will certainly fatigue your lower back and abs, I would be very hesitant to use this on most exercises as your form may become very sloppy.

Mowing your lawn – This is the reason why I decided to use the weighed vest. About a year ago, Tom Myslinski wrote about wearing his weight vest while he mowed his lawn. And yes, it was a push mower, not a riding mower. Anyway, I thought this to be amusing. So if you live in a nice neighborhood, take off your shirt and put the weight vest on and have at it. This will be sure to make your neighbors question your sanity and get you out of “entertaining” which is code word for “hanging out with morons”. Tom also wore football cleats to complete the ensemble. This is not required but certainly will add to your anti-social status.

Overall, I think the weight vest is a great tool especially for conditioning. It is easy to use and can be a welcome change to the barbells and dumbbells. Also, you can perform many of the exercises outside which is better than breathing stale gym air. Many times people will ask what to do for conditioning during the winter time when a sled is not easy to use. The weight vest is a great option. Pulling a weight sled is almost impossible in the snow and ice, but using a weight vest is easy.

The weight vest is great for a beginner that is using bodyweight exercises for strength training. This will add some weight to the exercises and allow for a more challenging workout. Plus, many of the bodyweight exercises become tedious and kids really want to lift weight. This is a compromise and will certainly make things more interesting for the athlete.

The weight vest comes in a variety of different weights; from 10-100lbs. My advice to you is to get the heaviest vest that you think you can handle. You can always take weight out of the vest. Here’s a link if you are interested in the weight vest - http://www.flexcart.com/members/elitefts/default.asp?m=LN&cid=179