{"id":24370,"date":"2025-07-26T20:21:17","date_gmt":"2025-07-26T20:21:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/24370\/"},"modified":"2025-07-26T20:21:17","modified_gmt":"2025-07-26T20:21:17","slug":"i-walked-in-a-weighted-vest-for-a-week-heres-what-happened","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/24370\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I walked in a weighted vest for a week \u2013 here\u2019s what happened\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

It seems that everywhere we look on our social feeds, everyone is donning a weighted vest or packing their rucksacks for their walks in pursuit of a low(er) form of exercise intensity. It turns out that whether you prefer to don a rucksack (see: \u2018rucking<\/a>\u2019) or walk in a weighted vest, semantics aside, carrying things over long distances is a killer move for upgrading our cardio efforts. Acutely aware of these benefits, I was keen to suit up my daily walks for a one-week challenge.<\/p>\n

In fact, this wasn\u2019t the first time that I\u2019ve built loaded carries into my daily routine. For years, I would carry heavy equipment up a steep hill for a 15-minute hike to reach an outdoor training spot for my personal training clients. In doing so, I\u2019d inadvertently received the rewards of being the fittest and strongest I\u2019d ever been. This is something that I have greatly missed now that the commute to my desk is particularly light in comparison.<\/p>\n

Michael Easter<\/a>, author of The Comfort Crisis, is also a strong proponent for rucking or walking in a weighted vest \u2013 especially for women \u2013 and he believes that it is the solution for the modern day dilemma of a chronic sedentary lifestyle. In Easter\u2019s 2% newsletter<\/a>, he explains: \u2018The human body is built to ruck, to carry weight over distance.\u2019<\/p>\n

It\u2019s something that humans through the ages have naturally taken to, explains Easter. \u2018We\u2019re the only animals that can carry stuff far,\u2019 he adds. \u2018As we\u2019ve evolved, we\u2019ve used this skill to hunt and gather, move resources and bring tools into the unknown.\u2019<\/p>\n

An area of increasingly more interest, Easter adds that more and more health scientists are realising that rucking might be the best exercise for women. \u2018That\u2019s because rucking gives women unique benefits that other exercises don\u2019t,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n

\"a<\/p>\n

unknown – Hearst Owned<\/p>\n

Why should women walk in a weighted vest?Gym-free weight training<\/p>\n

We get it. We need to do resistance training and we are increasingly aware of this need to do resistance training as we get older<\/a>. And if we don\u2019t quite fancy heading to our gym during rush hour, walking in a weighted vest allows us to improve our strength without even going near a weight room.<\/p>\n

One of the most appealing benefits of walking in a weighted vest is that we can do it in our local park while getting some fresh air. Plus, with movement guidelines<\/a> recommending 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, walking in a weighted vest can help us to effectively tick that box. \u2018Rucking combines endurance and strength,\u2019 says Easter. \u2018It allows women to meet [exercise] guidelines and work their muscles without setting foot in a weight room.\u2019<\/p>\n

Low-impact cardio<\/p>\n

By bearing more weight when covering the same distance, we increase our heart rate and the intensity of the movement that we carry out, without the higher impact of jumping or running. A study<\/a> on women conducted by the University of New Mexico found that using a weighted vest, in this case when walking on a treadmill, can increase VO2 max<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Improved bone density<\/p>\n

A study published in Quality of Life Research<\/a> found that when older participants took part in exercise in a weighted vest, they increased their bone density by 1%. By contrast, the bone density of the participants who didn\u2019t wear a weighted vest decreased by 0.6% over the course of the investigation.<\/p>\n

\u2018Everyone starts losing bone density around the age of 30,\u2019 according to Easter. \u2018But women after menopause begin losing it at a rapid and dangerous rate. This is why bone fractures<\/a> are one of the biggest health threats to women.\u2019<\/p>\n

A way that we can prevent this decline in bone density is by adding some weight to our walks. Another study published by The Journals of Gerontology<\/a> found that when investigating the effects of exercise with a weighted vest on postmenopausal women, hip bone density loss was prevented and bone mineral density was maintained. Not only this, commitment to the exercise programme lasted for over five years, suggesting that it was perhaps an easy and enjoyable addition to their routine.<\/p>\n

Higher exercise exertion<\/p>\n

It seems that the rumours about us tolerating discomfort in exercise are true. Easter explains that women tend to push themselves harder when exercising \u2013 and this is particularly the case with rucking or walking<\/a> in a weighted vest. He references a study<\/a> on British military recruits: \u2018The recruits had to ruck six miles with either 33 or 44 pounds. The weights weren\u2019t split by sex, meaning some women rucked with 44 pounds.\u2019<\/p>\n

Referring to the same study, Easter says that the women completed the course, on average, two minutes faster than the men. \u2018Because of this effort, the women reported a higher rate of perceived exertion<\/a> \u2013 which is basically how hard the ruck felt \u2013 compared to men, yet they were better able to push through the discomfort,\u2019 he says. \u2018This is a finding that\u2019s been repeated in other research. Women have a high exercise discomfort tolerance.\u2019<\/p>\n

These weren\u2019t the only findings, explains Easter, \u2018The women also recovered their fitness faster. When they retested the men on a marker of leg strength, their performance had plummeted. Meanwhile, the women\u2019s strength hadn\u2019t dropped all that much.\u2019<\/p>\n

It seems that walking in a weighted vest, or rucking, could be a hidden talent of ours, which is waiting to be tapped into.<\/p>\n

What muscles does walking with a weight vest work?<\/p>\n

Walking in a weighted vest predominantly works your lower body muscles \u2013 so, your quads<\/a>, hamstrings<\/a>, glutes<\/a> and calves<\/a>. However, it also works your core, trapezius and trunk stabilising muscles while you try to stay upright. When you wear a rucksack filled with weights, you\u2019ll find yourself contracting your abdominal muscles to prevent it from pulling you back. A vest, meanwhile, is weighted proportionately around the body, so it works the back and abdominal muscles more equally.<\/p>\n

To make sure that I made the most out of walking in a weighted vest and was working the right muscles, I focused on the following:<\/p>\n

Keeping an open chest with my eye line up and ahead.<\/p>\n

Having even strides to ensure that I was being economical with my movement.<\/p>\n

Either holding onto the handles of the rucksack or letting my arms swing loosely at my sides.<\/p>\n

Engaging my core when fatigue increased to avoid slouching.<\/p>\n

5 things I learned from a week of walking in a weighted vest1. It was more intense than I expected<\/p>\n

Recommendations are to start rucking or walking in a weighted vest with 10-15% of your bodyweight. I had optimistically opted for the higher end of this scale and decided to use a 10kg weighted vest. On my first day, I set out for 30 minutes on the treadmill<\/a> at my usual pace, but found that I needed to lower the speed a little after 10 minutes. I even debated taking some weight out, but eventually got into the swing of it. Walking at a brisk pace for 30 minutes was certainly enough to get a good sweat on.<\/p>\n

2. I prefer walking in a weighted rucksack<\/p>\n

A personal preference, I like to position the weight behind me in a rucksack. This means that my trap muscles \u2013 the muscles either side of my neck \u2013 don\u2019t have to work so hard and aren\u2019t so achy when I\u2019m walking for longer distances. However, a weighted vest is a little more practical to fit under a coat or hoodie for dog walks<\/a> or short walks around the block. You can take the weights out of your weighted vest and pop them in your rucksack if you\u2019d prefer to use this \u2013 just make sure that the straps of your rucksack are fitted tightly and comfortably.<\/p>\n

3. My walking heart rate was much higher than usual<\/p>\n

If you regularly walk a dog, you\u2019ll be familiar with stopping on a regular basis to patiently wait for them to sniff around and, as a result, you\u2019ll know how hard it is to get your heart rate up for a sustained period. The benefit of wearing a weighted vest is that during the periods of walking at a brisk pace, you can increase your heart rate more, even if you do need to stop here and there.<\/p>\n

4. You can increase the weight and duration gradually<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t have to be super intense. In fact, you can start with a weight that you feel is manageable and add 1-2kg every few weeks as your strength increases. Because the demand on your body is less than it is with running, you may also find that your needs for recovery are reduced, so you can include it more frequently in you routine. On the days that I wanted to lower the intensity, I simply completed 10 minutes in the weighted vest and took it off for the rest of my walks that day.<\/p>\n

5. I found it to be a great source of stress management<\/p>\n

I am a huge fan of walking and walking for at least an hour a day is already a very engrained habit in my routine. But the addition of a weighted vest and a good playlist was the perfect way to feel grounded and start my day with a bigger endorphin boost. The increase in intensity was welcome on that days when I didn\u2019t quite feel like a run, but still felt like doing \u2018something\u2019.<\/p>\n

Overall thoughts after walking in a weighted vest<\/p>\n

For me, walking in a weighted vest feels like a fairly easy thing to adhere to long term, so I will continue my new habit beyond the seven-day challenge. Whether you choose to walk with a weighted rucksack or a weighted vest, it’s an easy way to bear more weight in your daily activities, without having to commit to a workout. Plus, for women, bearing weight is so important to maintain muscle mass and bone health \u2013 and this something that I’m particularly interested in focusing on now that I’m in my thirties.<\/p>\n

Regardless of age, though, the main selling point of walking in a weighted vest is how low impact it is. For someone who tends to get injured from too much running, this is the perfect substitute that raises my heart rate more than walking \u2013 I enjoy it, too, and can stay consistent with it for the long term.<\/p>\n

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