It seems like everywhere we look on our social feeds, everyone is donning a weighted vest or packing their backpack for hikes in search of a low(er) form of exercise intensity. It turns out that whether you prefer to carry a backpack (see: ‘rucking’) or run in a weighted vest, semantics aside, carrying things long distances is a great move for improving our cardio efforts. . Well aware of these benefits, I was keen to supplement my daily walks for a week-long challenge.
In fact, this wasn’t the first time I incorporated loaded totes into my daily routine. For years, I carried heavy equipment up a steep hill for a 15-minute walk to reach an outdoor workout spot for my personal training clients. By doing this, I had inadvertently received the reward of feeling the fittest and strongest I had ever been. Something I’ve missed dearly now that the commute to my desk is particularly light in comparison.
Author of The comfort crisisMichael Easter is also a strong advocate of wearing or walking in a weighted vest, especially for women, and believes it is the solution to the modern dilemma of a chronically sedentary lifestyle. In Easter’s 2% newsletter, he explains, “The human body is built for lugging, for carrying weight over distances.”
It’s something people have naturally gravitated toward over the centuries, Easter explains. ‘We are the only animals that can carry things far. As we evolved, we used this ability to hunt and gather, move resources, and bring tools into the unknown.”
An area of growing interest, Easter adds that more and more health scientists are realizing that rucking may be the best exercise for women. “That’s because rucking offers women unique benefits that other exercises don’t,” says Easter.
Why do women have to wear a weighted vest?
Gym-free strength training
We get it. We need resistance training, and we are increasingly aware of this need to do resistance training as we get older. And if we don’t feel like going to the gym during rush hour, walking in a weighted vest can improve our strength without stepping foot in a weight room.
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. And with the UK exercise guidelines recommending 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, walking in a weighted vest can help us tick that box effectively. ‘Rucking combines endurance and strength. It ensures that women can meet each other [exercise] guidelines and train their muscles without setting foot in a weight room.” says Easter.
Cardio, but keep 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. From a survey among women conducted by the University of New MexicoResearch showed that using a weighted vest can increase VO2 max when walking slowly on the treadmill. So putting on a weighted vest can be an easy way to get our cardio in, without the treadmill.
Improved bone density
A study published by Research into quality of life found that when older participants participated in exercises wearing a weighted vest, they increased bone density by 1% compared to the group not wearing a weighted vest, whose bone density decreased by 0.6% over the course of the study.
According to Easter, everyone starts to lose bone density around the age of 30. But women after menopause begin to lose this bone density at a rapid and dangerous rate. That’s why bone fractures are one of the biggest health threats to women.”
And one way we can prevent this decrease in bone density is by adding some weight to our walks. Another study published by The journals of gerontology found that when examining the effects of exercise with a weighted vest on postmenopausal women, loss of bone density in the hip was prevented and bone mineral density was preserved. Not only this, the long-term commitment to the exercise program was maintained for more than five years, meaning it may have been an easy and enjoyable addition to their routine.
Higher effort
It seems that the rumors that we tolerate discomfort during exercise are true. Easter explains that women tend to push themselves harder during exercises, such as ruffles or walking in a weighted vest, and points to a study of British military recruits: ‘The recruits had to run six miles with 33 or 44 pounds. The weights were not broken down by gender, meaning some women weighed 44 pounds,” Easter said.
‘The women completed the course on average two minutes faster than the men. Because of this effort, the women reported a higher level of perceived exertion (basically how hard the ruck felt) compared to men, but were better able to endure the discomfort. This is a finding that has been replicated in other research. Women have a high tolerance for exertional discomfort.’
These were not the only findings, Easter explains. ‘The women also recovered their fitness more quickly. When they tested the men again on a measure of leg strength, their performance had dropped. Meanwhile, the strength of women had not diminished that much.”
It seems that running in a weighted vest, or rucking, could be a hidden talent of ours, waiting to be tapped.
Which muscles does walking with a weighted vest work?
When you run in a weighted vest, you mainly train the muscles of your lower body, i.e. your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and calf muscles. But also your core, trapezius and torso stabilizing muscles while you try to stay upright. With a backpack filled with weights, you will find yourself tightening your abdominal muscles to prevent them from pulling you backwards. While a vest is weighted proportionally around the body, putting more even strain on the back and abdominal muscles.
To make sure I was getting the most out of running in a weighted vest and working the right muscles, I focused on:
- I hold my chest open with my eyes up and forward
- I even had steps to make sure I was careful with my movements
- Either by holding the handles of the backpack or letting my arms swing loosely at my sides
- Engaging my core as fatigue increases to prevent me from slumping
5 things I learned from a week of hiking in a weighted vest
1. It was surprisingly more intense than I expected
Recommendations are to start rucking or walking in a weighted vest with 10-15% of body weight; I optimistically opted for the higher 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 noticed after 10 minutes that I needed to slow the speed down a bit. I even thought about taking some weight off, but in the end I did it. 30 minutes at a brisk pace was certainly enough to break a sweat.
2. I prefer to wear a weighted backpack rather than a weighted vest
A personal preference: I like to place the weight behind me in a backpack. This means that my trap muscles (the muscles on either side of my neck) don’t have to work as hard and aren’t as sore when I run longer distances. However, a weighted vest is a bit more practical to fit under a jacket or hoodie during a short walk around the block or with the dog. If you want to use a backpack instead, you can remove the weights from your weight vest and put them in your backpack. Just make sure the straps are tight and comfortable.
3. My running heart rate was much higher than normal
Anyone who regularly walks their dog will be familiar with having to patiently stop frequently while sniffing, and will know that it is difficult to get your heart rate up for an extended period of time. The advantage of wearing a weighted vest is that during periods when you run at a brisk pace, you can increase your heart rate more, even if you have to stop here and there.
4. You can gradually increase the weight and duration
It doesn’t have to be super intense. You can even start at a weight that you think is manageable and add 2 to 5 pounds every few weeks as your strength increases. Because less demand is placed on your body than running, you may also find that your need for recovery decreases, so you can incorporate this into your routine more often. On days when I wanted to lower the intensity, I simply wore the vest for 10 minutes and took it off for the rest of my walks that day.
5. I found it to be a great source of stress management
I’m a big fan of walking, and walking at least an hour a day is already a deeply ingrained 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 an extra endorphin boost. The increase in intensity was welcome on days when I didn’t really feel like running, but felt like doing ‘something’.
General thoughts after running in a weighted vest
For me, it feels pretty easy to stick with it long-term, so I’ll continue my new habit after the seven-day challenge. Whether you choose to run with a weighted backpack or 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 bearing is so important to maintaining muscle mass and bone health – something I’m especially interested in now that I’m in my 30s.
Regardless of age, the main selling point of running in a weighted vest is its low impact. 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 in the long run.
Kate is a fitness writer for Men’s Health Britain where she regularly contributes workouts, training tips and nutrition guides. She has a postgraduate diploma in sports performance nutrition and before joining Men’s Health she was a nutritionist, fitness writer and personal trainer with over 5,000 hours of coaching in the gym. Kate has a keen interest in volunteering for animal shelters and when she’s not lifting weights in her garden, you can find her with her rescue dog.
