Weighted vests have the potential to enhance certain workouts and keep us strong and steady. Not only can they “increase core and lower-body strength, which is key for stability as we age,” says Dr. Menn, but the resultant muscle gains can also translate to a faster metabolism, better insulin sensitivity, and healthier cholesterol levels.
“Losing weight negatively affects bones,” says lead investigator Kristen M. Beavers, PhD, an associate professor in the department of health and exercise science at Wake Forest University. Traditional resistance training has been shown to lessen the blow. If a weighted vest can do the same, she says, it may offer an easier, less expensive way to safeguard bones during weight loss. Dr. Beavers expects the results of her trial to be published in the coming months.
Studies aside, most of the experts I interviewed believe weighted vests have the potential to enhance certain workouts and keep us strong and steady. Not only can they “increase core and lower-body strength, which is key for stability as we age,” says Dr. Menn, but the resultant muscle gains can also translate to a faster metabolism, better insulin sensitivity, and healthier cholesterol levels.
A proper-fitting vest may even head off hunching, Dr. DeSapri theorizes, by recruiting the muscles surrounding the spine that help with posture (though this has yet to be proven). I will say, when I’m walking in my vest, especially on hilly terrain, I find that I’m frequently reminding myself to keep my back straight and shoulders down, so as not to stoop under the weight. (The vest isn’t uncomfortable, though; I almost find it soothing, like a wearable weighted blanket.) If nothing else, it may encourage us to be more mindful about our posture.
When asked if weighted vests could cause back pain down the road, Dr. Reed answers, “Usually, if someone’s using a progressive approach—starting very low, with an appropriate weight—and listening to any feedback from their body, they’re likely to be okay.” More concerning for some experts is the potential for knee-joint pain—adding weight can exacerbate it, so if you tend to experience joint pain, it’s a good idea to speak with your physician before using a weighted vest.
Who can benefit from a vest (and who can skip it)
Barring those with severe osteoporosis, chronic back pain, knee troubles, or balance issues, pretty much everyone can safely wear a weighted vest. Which isn’t to say everyone needs to wear one.
While the science holds up, not every expert is sold on the worth-it-ness of weighted vests for active, middle-aged women. “I wouldn’t tell someone to buy a weighted vest unless she was completely sedentary or very frail and all she could do was walk,” says Dr. Smith-Ryan. “If your skeleton isn’t loaded at all, and you don’t have a lot of other stimuli, then a vest may offer some benefit.” In her opinion, though, high-intensity exercise, done even once a week, provides more bang for your buck. “In an ideal world, you’re doing high-intensity exercise a couple times a week, resistance-training four days a week, and then adding in some walking—and that’s where you can throw on a vest as a supplement,” she says. “But you don’t need the vest, especially if you’re loading with other forms of exercise,” and not just, say, swimming exclusively.
