Are you considering wearing a weighted vest on a daily basis? We decided to test out this trending piece of fitness equipment. This is what happened after wearing a weighted vest for a week and its impacts on energy, posture, and muscle activation.
Overview of a Weighted Vest
A weighted vest is a piece of fitness equipment that is meant to add weight to your body. During workouts and exercises such as running, calisthenics, and CrossFit, this vest is worn to add some additional weight to the body, usually set between 5 to 40+ pounds. However, lets explore the effects of wearing a vest for the entire day, just like the people who wore it for a week in our study.
Energy Levels: Weekly Boost and Burnout
It is quite surprising that energy levels improved on the midweek. Initially people did feel a level of fatigue along with soreness in different body parts such as lower back and legs. However, by the 4th day many people started to notice improvement in endurance, climbing stairs and developed a natural walking pace that before the study, seemed quite achallenging, slightly effortless.
Takeaway: As your body adapts to the new norms, wearing the vest for longer periods of time, especially during daily activities, helps increase stamina and energy in the long run.
Posture: Improvements Noticed
It is quite an known fact that wearing a vest stops people from slouching as it pulls the body’s shoulders and the core, forcing the person to engage inside. With the introduction of the vest on the 3rd day, posture improved remarkably, with or without the vest.
Takeaway: During your day-to-day activities, a weighted vest can be a subtle prompt to help you to keep your posture taller and your core engaged.
Muscle Activation: Unexpected Benefits
Even routine tasks like walking or cleaning became mini workouts. Glutes, quads, and traps were more engaged. Slight DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) kicked in by day two — proving those muscles were working harder.
Takeaway: Adding resistance to daily movements increases muscle engagement, especially in the lower body and back.
Should You Try It?
Try it if you want to:
Boost your NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis)
Improve posture and core strength
Add resistance to bodyweight training
Avoid it if:
You have joint pain, poor posture, or balance issues
You're recovering from injury
You’re not used to added load on your spine