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Walk Vest: Adding weight to your workout

Posted on Feb 26th 2008 6:30AM by Maggie Vink

Filed Under: Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Reviews & Products

Walking with hand or ankle weights is never a good idea. While they increase your calorie burn, they also increase your injury-risk. But now a potentially safer alternative is available.

The Walk Vest is a lightweight cotton vest with pockets for small weights. The site recommends starting out with four pounds and then adding more weight as necessary. The weights are evenly distributed, which is supposed to make it comfortable and safe. According to the product's web site, the weighted vest augments the many benefits of walking including:

Blood pressure and cholesterol management
Reduced risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, and diabetes
Weight control.

The vest isn't as bad looking as you might think. It vaguely reminds me of an army vest, but if you shake that image out of your mind, it's not too bad. I'm not convinced I would want to strap a vest on during a hot summer day, though. What do you think?

Would you wear a weighted walking vest?
Strap one on me.	93 (89.4%)
No way.	11 (10.6%)

Source

5 Comment

Tags: ankle weights, AnkleWeights, hand weights, HandWeights, Walk Vest, walker, walking, WalkVest, weights

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Emma Leigh 2-26-2008 @ 10:03AM

This is the first I have ever heard that hand and/or ankle weights are an injury risk while walking. I have used hand weights while I walk for years and have never had a problem. I have never seen a fellow walker on the track I frequent have any problems, either. I would like to see the evidence you have for that assertion.

Ipods are more of an injury risk, IMO. You don't hear traffic behind you and are oblivious to people coming up behind, too.

That vest may help burn extra calories, but won't do a thing to tone my upper arms. It appears to be another company trying to tap into the lucrative health and fitness market.

Maggie Vink 2-26-2008 @ 10:33AM

Emma,

I frequently read about injury risk from wrist or ankle weights because of the added (and unbalanced) stress they place on joints. Most sites seem to cite ankle weights as the bigger offender. Here are a few links to pages that mention the risk:

http://www.healthywomen.org/healthtopics/fitness/treatment
http://www.pbs.org/americaswalking/gear/gearusing.html
http://adp.lin.ca/resource//html/getonyourfeet.htm

One of my favorite workout videos is Leslie Sansone's Walk Away the Pounds series. I always use the weights when I'm doing that. I'm in a more controlled environment in my living room and balance the risk with the benefit.

If you wrist weights are working well for you -- then stick to it!

Thanks for reading.

s1ngxthexs0rr0wpp 2-26-2008 @ 5:30PM

i wore ankle weights for about 2 miles..the next day a muscle in my ankle had been pulled so bad i couldn't walk on it. if you're thinking "you did not use them properly", they're ankle weights...you strap them on your ankles...confusion is unlikely.

Emma Leigh 2-27-2008 @ 1:18PM

Heck, I gave myself a terrible case of shin splints just by walking. Though "how hard can this be?" Bought a new pair of shoes and took off. After about 3 days of my new routine my shins hurt so bad I could barely walk. I guess the fact of the matter is that people can hurt themselves with any product or no product at all. You have to be awaer of any potential problems before starting a new activity.

Oz 2-26-2008 @ 5:29PM

I have had a vest for a while - it goes up to a 100lbs very good to have for work outs - obviously i wouldn't wear a 100lbs to go walking that is too much of a strain on the back and other areas.