Why I'm Not Buying a Weighted Vest, Even Though I'm in Perimenopause
Weighted vests can be useful, but let’s be honest about the benefits.Topics discussed:(00:06) - Who's excited about a weighted vest?
(00:48) - Why is Lindsay not jumping on getting a weighted vest?
(02:46) - Does it help with bone density?
(03:28) - Does it build more muscle and strength?
(05:54) - Does it burn more body fat?
(13:56) - The nuance of the studies being used to justify weighted vests
(21:08) - I love food!
(26:43) - I appreciate your words of encouragement
Walking alone is not a strong enough stimulus for muscle or bone.Inactive postmenopausal women who walked with or without a vest for 18 months had no significant bone density changes (PMID: 22338922). Full breakdown belowEven wearing a vest for 8 hours/day (PMID: 40540267) or 10 hours/day (PMID: 30095153) showed minimal skeletal benefit.The muscle and bone gains you see in the research?They’re mostly in untrained individuals doing loaded exercises like squats, lunges, and jumps with the vest (PMID: 10995045, 9467434, 17724395).In these cases, the vest is just a hands-free way to add weight — not magic. As people progress, they’ll need more load than a vest alone can provide.And for fat loss?Calorie burn from vest-walking is only ~10–15% higher than without it. That’s 30–50 kcal for an hour walk — about a single untracked bite of food.Long-term fat loss comes from managing intake, not chasing small increases in burn. Your diet is the real game changer.If you lift weights regularly, walk, and are mindful about food, a weighted vest probably isn’t a “must-have” for you. it’s most effective in the right context.Study Overview: Walking With vs. Without a Weighted Vest PMID: 22338922Authors & Journal: Tantiwiboonchai N., Kritpet T., Yuktanandana P. in Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand, 2011 (EurekaMag).Participants: 48 working women aged 30–60, randomly split into two groups: one walking with a weighted vest, the other walking without, on a treadmill 3×/week for 12 weeks (EurekaMag).Protocol: Vest group started walking without it for the first 2 weeks, then began adding 2% of body weight weekly until reaching 8% by week 6 (EurekaMag).FindingsBone Markers: Both groups showed large decreases in bone resorption (β-CrossLaps)—~19.1% for the vest group vs. ~21.8% for the non-vest group—no significant difference between them (EurekaMag).Physical Fitness: Improvements in leg and arm strength, endurance, and VO₂ max were seen in both groups—again, no significant differences between vest vs. non-vest walkers (EurekaMag).Bottom Line—What This MeansWalking, with or without a weighted vest, helped with fitness and reduced bone resorption—but wearing the vest didn’t offer any extra benefit. So if you’re thinking the vest is a cheat code for stronger bones or muscles… this study says otherwise.
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