Weighted Vests What They Do....and What They Don’t Do......
I’ve written about weighted vests before, but the questions keep coming, especially from people hoping they’ll help with weight loss or bone density.
Most of these questions circle back torucking, which is simply walking with added weight.
Rucking originated in the military out of necessity. Soldiers don’t do it because it’s the best way to build endurance; they do it because they need to carry equipment.
If rucking were superior for cardiovascular training, endurance athletes would be using it.
They don’t.
Cardiovascular fitness improvements depend on:
Intensity
Duration
Frequency
Structure (steady-state vs. intervals)
The type of activity matters less than how it's done.
Rucking isn’t better cardio. It’s just different.
What the Research Shows
There are some benefits to wearing a weighted vest but they’re modest.
In small studies of older, sedentary adults, adding a weighted vest to walking or light exercise led to:
Slight improvements in strength and functional measures
Better balance
Improved sit-to-stand performance
Small gains in walking distance
Another study of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis found that walking with or without a weighted vest improved blood markers of bone health.There was no difference between groups.
The study was too short to assess bone density changes. The vest group lost a bit more fat and gained a small amount of muscle but again, this was short-term and modest.
Essentially, weighted vests can make light activity slightly more demanding, but that's not what many people are hoping for.
What Weighted Vests Don’t Do
👉 They don’t build meaningful strength.
Strength requires high force through a full range of motion. Walking—vest or not—doesn’t come close.
If you're taking hundreds or thousands of steps, you’re training endurance, not strength.
👉 They don’t significantly improve bone density.
Bones respond to high-magnitude loads, not mild increases in body weight. Rucking doesn’t apply enough mechanical strain to stimulate bone growth.
Research consistently shows that heavy resistance training—not walking—is what improves bone density.
👉 They don’t burn more calories than other cardio.
Calorie burn is driven by heart rate, body weight, and duration—not the novelty of the activity. If your pulse and time are the same, rucking hasn't increased energy expenditure.
One of our clients commented that her vest resulted in slowing her heart rate and pace.
👉 They don’t build core strength.
Your abs don’t get stronger from walking any more than they do from cycling. Feeling “engaged” isn’t the same as creating overload.
A Weighted Vest Might Make Sense If...
You enjoy walking and want it to feel slightly harder
You’re pain-free and not at fracture risk
You’re not using it to replace strength training
You're training for backpacking
If you enjoy it, tolerate it well, and understand its limitations, it can be one tool in the toolbox—just not the foundation.
Important Caveat: Some activities are not vest-friendly. Bending, twisting, gardening, yoga, and floor work increase joint and spinal stress. Take the vest off.
The biggest concern isn’t that weighted vests are harmful. (though I worry when I see the posture and imagine the back implications for some people wearing them.....)
It’s that people use them instead of proven interventions.
Research shows that:
Muscle strength improves by training through full ranges of motion with heavy resistance
Bone density improves with high-intensity resistance training and impact loading
Walking—weighted or not—doesn't produce the same adaptations
When it comes to muscle, bone, and long-term resilience, nothing beats lifting heavy things.
Remember: You can't train for cardio and strength benefits at the same time.
They're 2 different energy systems.
Trying to do both results in diminished results for both!
