Weighted vests

💪 Talk about a new fitness trend.  Move over CrossFit, because the weighted vest has arrived.  It’s not just suburban moms on social media who are wearing them; people of all ages and genders seem to be joining the club.  Is this a Kool-Aid we should all be drinking?  

✅  The Benefits

Some studies have shown that using a weighted vest regularly for exercise can help accelerate calorie burning and support bone density.  

Why is bone strength important?  Well, 20% of women over age 50 have osteoporosis (very thin bone).  Also, the one-year mortality from a hip fracture in elderly patients is 30%, so you want to keep those bones as strong as possible to reduce the chances of such an injury.

🚨 The Drawbacks

Weighted vests do put extra weight through the spine and lower extremity, which could potentially aggravate pre-existing back or hip/knee/ankle issues such as arthritis.

🤔  How to Use Them?

If you're going to use a weighted vest, the general recommendation is to start at 5 to 10% of your body weight and only use it for walking or jogging a few times a week at first to avoid overuse injuries.  Advance as tolerated.

👉 The Take-Home Point

As an orthopedic surgeon, I do think weighted vests can be helpful for supporting bone health, but I would still continue with other types of higher impact resistance training involving traditional weights or machines (e.g. leg press, squats) to really maintain that bone density.  Simply walking with a weighted vest might not be enough to significantly change your bone density.

Also, I would be careful using too much weight with the weighted vest.  That extra weight can put a strain on your lower back. I would avoid going over 10% of your body weight, at least at first.