NEED TO KNOW
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Weighted vests have become a trendy workout accessory, and while they do have “great benefits,” they can pose risks to some people
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Dr. Lutul Farrow, Executive Director, Cleveland Clinic Sports Medicine, tells PEOPLE that they should be seen as the “next level of working out” for those who are already engaged in a fitness plan
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The vests can help someone “efficiently” exercise — and are safer than the ankle weights of the ‘80s
Weighted vests have dominated TikTok feeds as the trendy workout tool of the moment — and with good reason.
The heavy accessory is worn on the torso just like vest, and has “a lot of great benefits,” Dr. Lutul Farrow, Executive Director, Cleveland Clinic Sports Medicine, tells PEOPLE. The added weight —generally 20 lbs. for men and 14 lbs. for women — can help you “do more work more efficiently,” Dr. Farrow explains, as carrying the extra weight causes you to work harder.
“If we’re working harder, we can get a much more intense workout in a shorter period of time,” he says. “It helps us to basically build muscles. And even in some older patients, more weight can help with building bone mineral density. So people who have osteoporosis, it can help with prevention of that. It can help with the rapid loss of bone mass, especially in women.”
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Stock image of a weighted vest.
But it’s not as simple as just strapping on a vest and running out the door, he cautions. “If you’ve never worked out before, you don’t want to start your workout plan with the weighted vest,” he said, explaining that people with comorbidities like heart problems, asthma, musculoskeletal pain or arthritis shouldn’t begin their fitness plan with one.
Instead, it’s best to view the vest as “the next level of working out for people who are already accustomed to working out and who are already engaging in a fitness program of some sort,” Dr. Farrow said. He also explained that, much like overworking a specific muscle group at the gym, you should be mindful of not overusing the vest.
“Proper management of the weighted vest is not using it for every workout every day of the week, but maybe taking 2 or 3 days throughout the week to incorporate that as part of a greater fitness, weight training, cardio routine,” Dr. Farrow said. Spacing out use of the weighted vest can avoid “overuse injuries” like so tendonitis, stress fractures, joint aches and pains, and spine problems.
One of the biggest risks of using a weighted vest, he says — especially in the summer — is dehydration. While overuse injuries such as tendonitis are the most common injuries he sees from weighted vests, Dr. Farrow tells PEOPLE “we see heat illness, heat exhaustion, heat stroke.” That’s because the vest covers such a large section of your body, “it decreases your ability to dissipate heat.” And since the vests are often dark, “not only does it keep heat inside, it also absorbs more heat.” Especially in the hot summer months, Dr. Farrow cautions people to “monitor your intensity based on what the weather conditions are.”
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Stock image of ankle weights.
The vests, Dr. Farrow says, are “safer than running with ankle weights,” which was a popular trend in the 1980s. “The vest is close to your center of gravity … things that are closer to your center core ultimately put less stress on your skeletal system and your muscles.” If you’re using leg weights for, say, leg lifts, that’s fine, but, Dr. Farrow says, “if you want to add some weight to things, it’s better to wear a weighted vest to do that.”
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