Since I started walking with a weight vest, my cardio fitness has improved dramatically

Walking with a weighted vest: these are the positive effects it can have on your fitness level.

My first weighted vest looked like it belonged in a SWAT team's gear. It was bulky and heavy. I used it for about a month of training before selling it online. At the time, I had no idea that weighted vests—once only a thing among hyrox fanatics and CrossFitters—would soon become a fitness trend that completely took over my TikTok. There, weighted vests are touted as a miracle cure for increased endurance, higher bone density, and more muscle mass. Clearly, I had to test it again.

After picking up my new five-kilogram weighted vest, the first challenge was getting it home. The obvious idea of just putting it on didn't occur to me, so instead I alternated between carrying the bulky box on my shoulders. Once home, I resolved to run at least three times a week with the weighted vest on to see if it would make any difference to my health. At the very least, I suspected it would make my normal walks a little more strenuous—a suspicion confirmed by Holly Haywood, lead trainer at Third Space Soho in London.

"Walking with a weighted vest adds additional resistance and increases the intensity of your workout without having to change the pace or length of your walk ," she explains. So, more output for the same input? Sounds good. "Walking with a weighted vest can improve both cardiovascular fitness and muscular endurance," says the expert. "It can also have a positive effect on bone density (similar to strength training), which is especially important as we age."

How does it feel to run with a weighted vest?

Heavy, of course. But pretty cool – like being Lara Croft, if Lara Croft liked to get her daily steps in before work. Because it's a vest, the weight is evenly distributed, leaving your hands free to do things like check Spotify , answer emails, or take photos of your surroundings.

It's a bit like carrying a heavy backpack, only less bulky and with more comfortable padding. At five kilograms, the vest is heavy enough to be strenuous, but not so heavy that I lose interest and want to throw it into the bushes mid-stride.

How to choose the right weight for your weight vest

The right weight depends on several factors: your base fitness level, your weight, and your expectations for training with a weighted vest. "The general recommendation, as with most resistance training, is to start with a lighter weight and gradually increase as your strength improves and you get used to running with the vest," explains trainer Haywood. "However, a good rule of thumb for starting with a weight is to use approximately five percent of your body weight."