Weighted Vest

[Bogart0416]

Can you recommend a weighted vest for walking. I am 5' 103 lbs with osteoporosis in my lumbar spine (-3.1).

[Met00]

I like the Hypervest Pro, which is fully adjustable, slim fitting, and with very small metal weights, allowing a very gradual increase in weight. But it's expensive!

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to Met00]

I’m using a Hypervest Elite - the Pro comes out best according to Margaret Martin but I wanted the black one! According to the size chart the small one would fit - I was borderline S/M - but I forgot about my large bust with the result it was really tight. As it was very, very heavy with all of its weights fitted I couldn’t face returning it so I bought two lengths of shock cord, changed the laces and solved the problem.

As Met00 says the very small weights allow for a very gradual increase in weight. It feels very comfortable on, sits nice and snug to your body so it feels good on but it is pretty expensive.

It is definitely much better than wearing a heavy back pack though.

[Met00 in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Funnily enough I had a similar experience. I chose small because my top half is tiny, but forgot my large hips! In my case there was just enough adjustment in the laces to loosen it sufficiently at the hips.

[lilo789]

With respect to the osteoporosis diagnosis of the spine, the DXA may be skewed because of your size. I used Dr. Susan Ott's BMAD calculator to obtain T-scores which added in the dimension of depth.

courses.washington.edu/bone...

[yogalibrarian]

There is a great article in the Harvard Health Letter about wearable weights — including weight vests — that explains it particularly well.

"Wearable weights: How they can help or hurt —They're great as a substitute for a dumbbell, but a risky choice for some exercises.

"

health.harvard.edu/staying-...

A table in the Hard Health publication, Strength and Power Training, provides some guidance on suggested weight ranges and maximum weight based on body size.

Because you have been diagnosed with spinal osteoporosis, you should begin using a weight vest with caution and under the guidance of a physical therapist who specializes in osteoporosis. (This is not the time to work with one who specializes in sports medicine.)

The PT can help you choose the right vest, fit/adjust it properly, and create a safe program. (A lot of exercise equipment is designed for men and we all know that women's bodies are not shaped the same way. A woman is not just a small man.)

BMD is a volumetric measure so the calculation can sometimes over-estimate the level of osteoporosis. I would still exercise caution. Fractures can happen at all bone densities.

[Bogart0416 in reply to yogalibrarian]

Really good article; thank you for the response. More to think about.

[lilo789 in reply to yogalibrarian]

As I am petite and small-boned DXA appears to have over-estimated my level of densitometric osteoporosis. There was an entire standard deviation difference in the L1-L4 T-scores based on BMD versus BMAD, using Dr. Susan Ott's BMAD calculator.

[HeronNS]

I wear a hypervest as well. Expensive but well worth the money, and durable - you'll never need another.

[cardinalfan]

Just purchased the Hyper vest Elite, online. I was thinking about the TRX vest. But after reading this article. I could see that the hyper vest was a much better choice for my needs. Thank you for all the information!

[HeronNS]

I use the hypervest too. I used their size chart to figure out my size and as I was exactly between small and medium I e-mailed the company for advice. They advised to get the medium, and I have had no problems with fit. It is very comfortable.