Forums >General Running>Anyone ever hear of running with a weighted vest?
Just came across this in casual reading. There's one specifically meant for runners, the JBM the third one down, that adds 12 lbs of weight they say is evenly distributed.
I could see where that could help, but also I wonder about added trauma to knees, etc.
http://nymag.com/strategist/article/best-weighted-vests-for-exercise.html
Anyone here ever use one of these things?
(Might not work in places where the weather is hot and sticky!)
It seems like a bad idea to me. Weren't you concerned with running slower impacting your mechanics in the other thread? Adding weight is going to impact mechanics too and, yeah, likely lead to injury. I could see doing weighted walks if you weren't already running but don't see the point if running is your focus.
I fly.
When I lived at sea level and was training for a marathon at altitude I ran in one, but it wasn't 12 pounds. It was probably about 6 pounds. I don't think it helped me at all. It didn't put extra stress on my knees or hips that I am aware of, but it did cause my back to hurt if I ran more than 7 miles in it. I think it was mostly just a gimmick. (But I have no scientific evidence either way.)
Bring it on.
That's interesting, thanks for passing that along Jill_B.
I'm not interested in wearing one of those, not at this time, and probably never unless I read a lot of things that say it's really great. Seems so unnatural (all the extra weight way high up at the shoulders, not the more "natural" place to carry weight like the belly or the hips) that it seems like a disaster waiting to happen. Ankle weights? … maybe, but even that seems like it has red flags a flashin' also.
Not a big fan of the idea.
some pole vaulters I trained with would do some stadium stairs etc... with a weight vest occasionally.
I think for sprints etc... it might have some benefit, but I think simply running stadiums, or sprinting would do the same thing if not more...
I certainly don't think running distance with a weight vest would help much.
PS- I currently train with a 20* lb weight vest, called extra weight/fat! ha.
300m- 37 sec.
Some ultra runners in my area use weighted vests in training. But they also like to drag weights behind them for miles. I'm not sure if they are prepping themselves for the extreme high mileage or what, but it wouldn't be something I'd ever try.
I lost my rama
I'm still dabbling in the ultra distances, but this makes sense to artificially slow your training pace. Pace on an easy or long run would still be faster than pace in longer ultra races. Getting your body's mechanics to adapt to the ultra race pace makes some sense to me. But I have no interest in trying it (for now), haha!
Notne - This idea might make sense if you live in a flat area and need to train for races that have hills. For high elevation, no. Tough to simulate having less O2 in the air. Your body needs to spend both exercise and rest time in that type of environment to adapt well.
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Just came across this in casual reading. There's one specifically meant for runners, the JBM the third one down, that adds 12 lbs of weight they say is evenly distributed. I could see where that could help, but also I wonder about added trauma to knees, etc. http://nymag.com/strategist/article/best-weighted-vests-for-exercise.html Anyone here ever use one of these things? (Might not work in places where the weather is hot and sticky!)
I'm a big fan of weighted hiking - some call it rucking. I can get my heart rate to similar levels as running by hiking through the woods with a weighted backpack. Not a fan of running with extra weights though - added joint stress, etc as other posters have mentioned.
When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?
I'll often hike or do stairs with a weighted vest for the strength training. For resisted running, I'll drag a tire behind me, attached at the waist.
Running the 2016 Boston Marathon for Children's Hospital
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I've run with a pack with 3 liters of water on runs (2L bladder plus 2 0.5L soft flasks) which would be 6.6 lbs of water plus maybe another half pound for the pack itself plus some gels, phone, car keys. So let's call it 7 lbs total.
I think it definitely slows me down. I notice in a race a difference from being nearly empty to filling up. I haven't noticed any impact on joints.
I'll sometimes train with the pack even if I don't need just to train with what I'll race in.
Still kicking
Always interesting to see what's old, is new again. In the 80's, this stuff was all the rage... weighted vests, running with weights (heavy hands and handteens) ankle weights, weight belts, and there was even weight pouches you laced into your shoes and put lead bars in. But none of it ever produced much more than injuries, and never caught on. If stuff this simple, made any tangible results, it would have been common place, long before now.
I'm also on Athlinks and Strava
Instead, run hills.