Use of Weighted Vests in Endurance Sports
Endurance athletes are always
looking for ways to improve performance. Adding more weight to your
body would seem to make your body work harder during exercise so that
your muscles and respiratory system becomes more efficient, thus
improving your endurance. Gaining weight for the purposes of training is
not practical, but adding weight in the form of a weighted vest might
be.
About Endurance Sports
Endurance
sports involve performing prolonged aerobic activity over an extended
period. Examples of endurance sports include cross-country skiing, road
cycling, marathon running and long-distance triathlons. When you train
for endurance sports, you seek to adapt your muscles to working for long
periods of repetitive activity. You also seek to improve the efficiency
of your oxygen use so you can go longer with less effort. Adding load
through a weighted vest might help with these training goals.
Research
A
study in the “European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational
Physiology” published in 1987 found that athletes who trained with a
weighted vest for four weeks experienced lower levels of lactate in the
blood during nonweighted runs than athletes who did not train with one.
High levels of lactate in the blood hasten fatigue. Wearing a weighted
vest also increased athletes’ VO2 max -- or ability to use oxygen during
exercise. A January 2012 study in the “Journal of Strength and
Conditioning Research” found that training with a weighted vest can
improve running time and agility slightly, which can also help with
endurance sports such as skiing and trail running.
Safe Weight
Although
a weighted vest can offer some training benefits, you don’t want one
that is too heavy. Too much weight can increase your risk of injury and
make you too uncomfortable to complete your activity. Stick to one that
is just 5 percent to 10 percent of your body weight, recommends the
American Council on Exercise.
Concerns
Adding
a weighted vest to already strenuous activities can be harmful. Weight
vests can increase body temperature in warmer environments, putting you
at risk for heat-related complications. A weighted vest worn during
extreme training sessions such as 20-mile or longer runs could hasten
fatigue and make you more vulnerable to injury.
References
- American Council on Exercise: Do the Benefits Outweigh the Risks if Individuals Hold Dumbbells in Their Hands While Doing Step Aerobics or Other Cardio Activities?
- European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology:Metabolic Response of Endurance Athletes to Training With Added Load
- Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: Effect of Weighted Vest Suit Worn During Daily Activities on Running Speed, Jumping Power and Agility in Young Men
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