It seems that everywhere we look on our social feeds, everyone is donning a weighted vest or packing backpacks for their hikes in pursuit of a lower intensity form of exercise. It turns out that whether you prefer wearing a backpack (see: ‘Rucking’) or walking with a weighted vest, semantics aside, carrying things long distances is a killer move for improving our cardio efforts. Aware of these benefits, I was keen to fit in my daily walks for a week-long challenge.
In fact, this wasn’t the first time I built loaded tools into my daily routine. For years I would carry heavy equipment up a steep hill for a 15 minute hike to get to an outdoor training location for my personal training clients. In doing so, I had unwittingly reaped the rewards of feeling the strongest and strongest I had ever been. Something I’ve sorely missed now that the trip to my desk is particularly light in comparison.
Author of The Crisis of Comfort, Michael Easter is also a strong proponent of sliding or walking with a weighted vest, especially for women, and believes it is the solution to the modern dilemma of a chronically sedentary lifestyle. In the 2% Easter newsletter he explains: ‘The human body is built to grab, to hold weight at a distance.’
It’s something people down the ages have taken for granted, Easter explains, ‘We’re the only animals that can carry things far. As we evolved, we would use this ability to hunt and gather, move resources and bring tools into the unknown.’
An area of increasing interest, Easter adds that more and more health scientists are realizing that sliding may be the best exercise for women. “That’s because sliding gives women unique benefits that other exercises don’t,” says Easter.
Why should women walk in a weighted vest?
Weight training without the gym
We get it. We need to resistance train, and we are increasingly aware of this need to resistance train as we grow older. And if we don’t really like going to our gym during rush hour, walking with a weighted vest allows us to improve our strength without ever stepping foot in a weight room.
One of the most appealing benefits of walking with a weighted vest is that we can do it in our local park while getting some fresh air. And with UK movement guidelines recommending 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, walking with a weighted vest can help us tick that box effectively. ‘Rucking combines endurance and strength. It enables women to meet [exercise] instructions and work their muscles without setting foot in a weight room.’ Easter says.
Cardio, but do it low impact
By carrying more weight and covering the same ground, we increase our heart rate and the intensity of the movement we perform, without the greater impact of jumping or running. In a study on women conducted by University of New Mexico, found that using a weighted vest can increase VO2 max when incorporating slow treadmill walking. So, putting on a weighted vest can be an easy way to get our cardio in, without the treadmill.
Improving bone density
A study published by Quality of life research found that when older participants participated in exercise with a weighted vest, they increased their bone density by 1% compared to the group that did not wear a weighted vest, whose bone density decreased by 0.6% during the course of the investigation.
According to Easter, ‘Everyone starts to lose bone density around the age of 30. But postmenopausal women begin to lose it at a rapid and dangerous rate. This is why bone fractures are one of the biggest threats to women’s health.’
And one way we can prevent this decline in bone density is by adding some weight to our walks. Another study published by Journal of Gerontology found that while investigating the effects of weighted vest training in postmenopausal women, loss of bone mineral density was prevented and bone mineral density was preserved. Not only that, long-term commitment to the exercise program was observed for more than five years, meaning it was probably an easy and enjoyable addition to their routine.
Higher exercise effort
It seems the rumor that we tolerate discomfort in training is true. Easter explains that women tend to push themselves harder during exercises such as sliding or walking with a weighted vest, and refers to a study on British military recruits, ‘The recruits had to walk six miles with 33 or 44 kilograms. The weights were not divided according to sex, which means that some women gained 44 kilograms”, says Pashkët.
Women completed the course an average of two minutes faster than men. Because of this effort, women reported a higher degree of perceived exertion (basically how hard the beating felt) compared to men, but they were better able to cope with the discomfort. This is a finding that has been replicated in other research. Women have a high tolerance for exercise discomfort.’
Those weren’t the only findings Easter explains, “Women also recovered their fitness faster. When they retested the men on a measure of leg strength, their performance had dropped significantly. Meanwhile, the strength of women had not fallen that much.’
It seems that walking with a weighted vest, or gliding, may be a hidden talent of ours, waiting to be used.
What muscles does weight vest walking work?
Walking with a weighted vest mainly works the muscles of the lower body, ie the quadriceps, hamstrings, pectoral muscles and calves. But also your stabilizing core, trapezius and trunk muscles as you try to stay upright. With a backpack full of weights, you’ll find yourself contracting your abs to avoid pulling you back. Whereas a vest is weighted proportionally around the body, thus working the back and abdominal muscles more evenly.
To make sure I got the most out of walking with a weighted vest and working the right muscles, I focused on:
- Keeping an open chest with the eye line up and forward
- Also having steps to make sure I was economical with my move
- Either holding onto the handles of my backpack or letting my arms swing loosely at my sides
- Engage my core when fatigue sets in to avoid slouching
5 things I learned from a week of weighted vest hiking
1/ It was surprisingly more intense than I expected
Recommendations are to start squatting or walking with a vest weighted at 10-15% of body weight; I had optimistically chosen the highest end of this scale and decided to use 10 kg. On my first day, I hit the treadmill for 30 minutes at my usual pace, but after 10 minutes I found I needed to slow down a bit. I even debated losing some weight, but eventually I got the hang of it. 30 minutes at a brisk pace was certainly enough to work up a good sweat.
2/ I prefer to hike with a weighted backpack versus a weighted vest
A personal preference, I like to put the weight behind me in a backpack. This means my trap muscles (the muscles on either side of my neck) don’t have to work as hard and aren’t as sore when walking longer distances. However, a weighted vest is a bit more practical to tuck under a coat or hoodie for short walks around the block or dog walks. To use a backpack instead, you can remove the weights from the weight vest and put them in your backpack, just make sure the straps are tight and comfortable.
3/ My heart rate on the walk was much higher than usual
Anyone who regularly walks their dog will be familiar with pausing patiently on a regular basis while they sniff and will know that it’s hard to get your heart rate up for a sustained period. The benefit of wearing a weighted vest is that during periods of brisk walking, you can get your heart rate up more, even if you need to stop here and there.
4/ You can gradually increase the weight and duration
It doesn’t have to be super intense. In fact, you can start at a weight that you feel is manageable and add 2-5 kg every few weeks as your strength increases. Because the demand on your body is less than running, you may also find that your recovery needs are reduced, so you can incorporate it into your routine more often. On days I wanted to lower the intensity, I simply completed 10 minutes wearing the vest and took it off for the rest of my walks that day.
5/ I found it an excellent stress management resource
I am a big fan of walking and at least an hour of walking a day is already a very ingrained habit in my routine. But adding a weighted vest and a good playlist was the perfect way to feel grounded and start my day with an extra boost of endorphins. The increased intensity was welcome on days when I didn’t feel like running, but felt like I was doing ‘something’.
General thoughts after walking with a weighted vest
For me, it’s pretty easy to stick to long-term, so I’ll continue my new habit beyond the 7-day challenge. Whether you choose to walk with a backpack or weighted vest, it’s an easy way to carry more weight in your daily activities without having to commit to a workout. Plus, for women, weight maintenance is so important to maintaining muscle mass and bone health—something I’m especially interested in focusing on now that I’m in my thirties.
However, regardless of age, the main selling point of walking with a weighted vest is how low impact it is. For someone who tends to get injured from running too much, this is the perfect substitute that gets my heart rate up more than walking, which I enjoy and can stay consistent for a long time.