Introduction

Within the UK's fitness community, the use of weighted vests is growing in popularity, especially among runners, CrossFitters, and home gym enthusiasts. The growing popularity is likely the case due to two reasons: 1) the growing understanding of the physiological benefits that come with wearing weighted vests during exercise and physical activity (Source), and 2) their use hitting social media, with popular UK figures, such as the 2017 World Strongest Man, Eddie Hall, rocking one during his training routine. However, some are still asking the question, "Are weighted vests worth the Hype?" or are they just another fitness fad? 

This blog will explore the scientific benefits of using weighted vests and why you should choose the Exersci weighted vests. 

What Is a Weighted Vest and How Does It Work?

A weighted vest pretty much explains itself. It is a wearable piece of resistance equipment that resembles a vest. They typically come with straps or pockets to alter the level of resistance to match your training demands. 

Weighted vests originated from military training in preparation for carrying heavy loads during combat. Since their establishment, sports scientists have recognised the potential to induce further mechanical stimuli on the body, given that mechanical tension is a primary factor of muscle growth, subsequent increases in strength and other benefits mentioned in the section below (Source).

The physiological adaptations induced by using weighted vests encourage their use in the UK mainstream. Exersci has taken the development of weighted vests in the UK seriously, recognising ways to match your needs. We provide sleek designs with comfortable shoulder straps to accommodate heavy loads on your body. Additionally, we provide adjustable straps to ensure the Exersci weighted vests can fit all body sizes. Lastly, we provide the ability to adjust the resistance with weighted bars or our weighted vest plates. This makes them extremely suitable for circuit training, HIIT and group exercise.

The Proven Benefits of Weighted Vests

As mentioned above, Sports Scientists recognised the potential ability to further drive adaptations through added mechanical stimuli. Such adaptations can include:

• Increased strength 
• Increased muscle growth 
• Improved bone health 
• Improved efficiency of the cardiovascular and respiratory system
• Increased calorie burn

The increase in muscle growth and subsequent strength adaptations has previously been discussed. However, the increased mechanical tension from a weighted vest doesn't only induce adaptations at the level of the muscle. In line with Wolff's law, the added stress (weight) on your bones increases bone remodelling, causing your body to remove more older or microdamaged bone tissue and form greater amounts of new, healthy bone tissue. This significantly increases bone density and health, which is especially important as you are growing or when you enter older adulthood.

Again, the benefits don't end there. The added resistance during aerobic exercise (i.e., walking, jogging, sprints, etc) places a larger demand on the cardiorespiratory system (the heart, blood vessels and lungs). Subsequently, the lungs begin to hold more air and the heart pumps more blood, allowing more oxygen to reach the working muscles for energy production. Interestingly, research published within the Journal of Strength and Conditioning also highlighted quite a unique adaptation to running with a weighted vest. This being improved agility, alongside improved jump performance, further emphasises the ability of weighted vests to improve athletic performance.

Furthermore, the increased stimuli places the body under greater physical stress, elevating metabolic rate, and increasing the number of calories the body burns. This will aid fat loss and tone muscle. 

If you want to experience the benefits of a weighted vest, start exploring Exersci's high-performance weighted vests that are engineered for versatility and comfort in the UK.

Why Choose The Exersci Weighted Vest

By choosing Exersci, you are investing in a durable, adjustable and performance-driven tool to optimise your performance.  Furthermore, we are a leading provider of high-quality gym equipment and fitness accessories in the UK. We offer FREE next-day deliveries on all orders and a One-Year Guarantee on all of our amazing products. Our high-quality, performance-driven equipment, alongside our excellent customer service, has led to our excellent TripAdvisor rating. 

Our weighted vests provide adjustable weighted options, allowing you to match the demand of your training ability. The Exersci Weighted Vests 1.5-30kg allow for added or removable weighted bars, with vest options of 10, 20 and 30 kg, whilst providing padded shoulders for comfort. 

The Tactical Weighted Vest is our most popular, due to its adjustable and sleek design. These vests range from 1.5kg to 23.5kg, allowing you to match your training demands and use them across various exercises. This style of vest is great for both endurance and strength training exercises. You can easily adjust the weighted vest with our weighted plates, making the vest ideal for interval training where you may need to adjust resistance frequently. 

Conclusion

Weighted vests offer a versatile and durable piece of equipment to add external resistance to your exercises to stimulate adaptations throughout the body. Such adaptations include muscle and bone growth, increased strength, cardiorespiratory efficiency, and heightened calorie burn. Exersci designs its weighted vests for performance and comfort, using adjustable straps and loadable slots that let you add or reduce the external load. This makes them ideal for HIIT and circuit-style training, or to use across multiple exercises to match the demands of each exercise.

Are you ready to optimise your training? Explore Exersci's range of equipment through www.Exersci.co.uk and get your weighted vest delivered to your door tomorrow!