Weight Vest Investigation
We get a lot of great questions regarding weight vests. Part 1 Q & A is below. Stay tuned for Part 2 next week.
Q1: Will a weight vest make me slouch? Compress my spine?
A: Weight vests (and holding heavy things) improve postural muscles, and strengthen your spine.
A vest and/or heavy weights in your hands will add more gravity to your body, and gravity does pull down. However, this downward pull is what strengthens your postural muscles, and it’s absence would allow them to weaken.
Stress makes muscles stronger and absence of stress makes muscles (bones, tendons, ligaments, cartilage) weaker. It’s the same as bicep curls in that the weight in your hand makes it harder to bend your elbow, but the body adapts to doing those bicep curls by getting stronger – getting better at bending your elbow (and improved muscle tone in your arms, obvi).
Q2: What burns more calories, running or walking in a weight vest?
A: It depends on how heavy the weight vest is. Running burns 10-20% more calories per mile than walking. A weight vest that is 10-20% of your body weight will close the per-mile-gap. However, running (no matter how slow) will get a mile done in less time than walking, so running will burn more calories per minute (unless your weight vest is crazy heavy). More HERE.
Q3: How do weight vests work? What are they good for?
A: I like to call them GEDs (gravitational enhancement devices), and they do 2 things: (1) increase energy expended (walking, squatting, etc.), and (2) curb appetite.
The first benefit is obvious – work is force over distance, and if you make your body heavier (temporarily) all activities will require more work (burn more calories). Vest are also a great option for women’s lower body training once you hit the limits of your hand strength. Meaning, you can wear the weight of a vest vs hold it in your hands after you are holding as much as you can hold.
The second benefit – appetite suppression – seems to be mediated by your skeleton. The research on exactly how is emerging, but it is clear that increasing the load on your bones tells your brain to eat less. If you want to read more about the gravitostat then check this out.
At True 180 Personal Training, we believe strength changes everything — not just your body, but how you feel about yourself, how you move through life, and how you show up for the people who matter most.
We’re a women’s only personal training studio in Charlotte, NC. We’ve been serving the Ballantyne area for almost 10 years. Our studio and programming is designed especially for women 40 and up. Whether you’re getting back into a routine, building muscle for longevity, or just want to feel good in your skin again — you’ll find a safe, supportive space here with coaches who truly care.
We’ve spent nearly a decade helping women like you make that 180 change in their health and fitness — and we’d love to help you take that first step. You’ll never be treated like just another number here. You’ll be known, supported, and coached with purpose every time you walk in the door.
BTW, our studio is designed with intention — clean, comfortable, and tailored for small group personal training. You won’t find crowds or chaos here. Every piece of equipment, from free weights and kettlebells to TRX and resistance tools, serves a purpose: to help women build real, functional strength safely. We hope see you soon!