Weighted Vests for Walking: What Are the Benefits?

Using a weighted vest to increase your load while walking may benefit your heart, muscle, and bone health.

However, it’s not necessarily advantageous for everyone. Wearing a weighted vest may exacerbate certain health conditions, such as arthritis, joint pain, or balance issues, says Kristen M. Beavers, PhD, MPH, an associate professor of health and exercise science at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

So, get cleared by your healthcare provider before you try walking with a weighted vest if you have one of these conditions. In addition, ask your doctor first if you have heart disease, uncontrolled blood pressure, diabetes, chest pain, or shortness of breath.

Here are the potential benefits of using a weighted vest.

1. Walking With a Weighted Vest Improves Cardiovascular Endurance

While the study used circuit training instead of walking, the findings likely apply to both forms of exercise. “The additional load on your body forces your muscles to work harder and therefore use up more oxygen, so your heart rate will increase quickly to deliver that oxygen,” Dr. Wooldridge says. This can improve the efficiency of your heart and lungs’ ability to provide your muscles with oxygen over time, she adds.

2. Walking With a Weighted Vest Builds Core Strength

Walking with an additional load recruits the core, which include the muscles in the abdomen, lower back, and pelvis. These muscles engage to keep you stable and balanced as you walk with a weighted vest, Dr. Woolridge explains.

3. Walking With a Weighted Vest May Increase Bone Density

However, Woolridge emphasizes that the benefits of walking with a weighted vest are primarily cardiovascular. Moreover, the research on bone density is still emerging, and weighted vests shouldn’t be used to treat low bone density, Dr. Beavers adds.

4. Walking With a Weighted Vest May Help With Weight Loss

Since your body has to work harder to move you around and you expend more energy (burn more calories), which can contribute to fat loss, study authors explain.

An important caveat here, as Woolridge explains, is that weight loss effect is usually small. When combined with other forms of exercise and healthy nutrition, the added calorie burn from walking with a weighted vest could support weight loss, she says.

5. Walking With a Weighted Vest May Build Muscle

There is one caveat: A weighted vest doesn’t work every muscle and isn’t a replacement for traditional strength training workouts. Woolridge advises participating in resistance training at least twice weekly.