Weighted vests are nothing new, but the popularity of wearing them while working out is gaining traction.
A quick search at Amazon makes it clear that the market is pandering to men and women buying into the value of wearing a weight vest while working out. Prices range from the mid-to-upper $20s to over $200, with big Black Friday deals on Amazon currently in effect.
The Wall Street Journal wrote about the benefits of wearing the vests, despite their appearance making those wearing the vest look like “DEA agents who are about to bust a meth lab.”
A new study published in October 2024 by the Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness revealed that weighted vests in “normal-weight obese women” have “significant implications for healthcare.”
“Whole-body circuit training with weighted vests has effectively improved body composition, reduced serum resistin, and lowered insulin resistance, reducing cardiovascular disease risk factors in normal-weight obese women. These results could inform and enhance the treatment and management of obesity-related cardiovascular and metabolic disorders,” reads the findings.
Wearing a weighted vest has become exceedingly popular with women over 40 who hope to add more resistance to build muscle and retain bone density, and research supports this.
In September 2000, the Journals of Gerontology published a study revealing that “long-term exercise using weighted vests prevents hip bone loss in postmenopausal women.”
Going back further, the same journal published another study in January 1998 that determined that weighted vest exercise lowers the risk of falls in postmenopausal women and improves lateral stability, lower-muscular strength, muscular power, and leg lean mass.
However, older women aren’t the only ones pumping their workout by wearing a weighted vest.
Omorpho is a weighted-clothing company founded by Stefan Olander in 2021 after he worked for over 20 years at Nike. Omorpho’s designs are worn by Olympians, NFL stars, elite male and female athletes, neighborhood walkers, and everyone in between, reported WSJ.
Heads up for those who want to try something from Omorpho but the cost is weighing you down. According to the company’s website, Black Friday sales are going on now with up to 60% on select styles.
“If it doesn’t look good, you don’t feel good and if you don’t feel good, you’re not going to wear it,” said Olander, per WSJ.
The craze continues to grow, as enthusiasts are now seen wearing their weighted vest beyond their workouts, into grocery stores, workplaces, and most everywhere life takes them.
