A good weighted vest can be a huge asset to anyone who wants to get in better shape.  This simple piece of equipment can seriously turn up the intensity on bodyweight exercises like pushups, pull ups and squats or completely transform your walking, jogging or hill sprint workout.  A weighted vest can turn your evening dog walk into a strength training workout and give you a completely hands free way to make exercises like walking lunges, jumping jacks and mountain climbers much more difficult.

If you don’t have much room in your home or apartment for fitness equipment or would simply prefer to stick to bodyweight style exercises a weighted vest is a great way to keep things fresh and to keep you progressing.  The right weighted vest will offer multiple adjustments, giving you the opportunity to reach new heights of fitness at a comfortable pace and to give you the perfect amount of resistance for a wide variety of exercises.

Features to Look For

Adjustability should be high on your list of priorities when it comes to choosing a weighted vest.  You want a weighted vest that you can increase and decrease the amount of resistance to fulfill your needs for whatever exercise you happen to be doing.  In all likelihood you won’t be using the same amount of resistance on pull ups or pushups as you would during hill sprints – having a wider range of adjustment makes your weighted vest a more versatile piece of equipment that will help you reach your fitness goals faster.

You also want those weight adjustments to be easy to institute.   One of the biggest advantages of the weighted vest is its convenience – you don’t want to negate that convenience by picking a vest that takes a long time or that is difficult to adjust.

Features You Don’t Need

While it’s nice to have a wide range of adjustments, it isn’t necessary to go overboard.  Most people don’t need to pay the exorbitant amount of money that is usually required to get a vest with triple digits of weight.  If you are just looking to increase the intensity of bodyweight exercise and turn up the heat on hill sprints or jump rope you don’t need to pay up for a 100 lb vest.

You can also do without a built in hydration pack which can add substantially to the cost of a vest.  If you are going on an extended hike or jog a regular water bottle (which is probably already in your arsenal) should suffice.

Durability is another major factor when it comes to weighted vests.  This piece of equipment will be likely be bouncing with your body through extended cardio workouts including running, jumping rope, burpees and more.  If it isn’t put together well it won’t stand up to the regular abuse that you need it to in order to help you reach your fitness goals.  You want a vest where the base material, weight pockets and straps are all crafted from a material that is durable.

You can expect to pay anywhere from about $35.00 to $130.00 for a good weighted vest.  The best manufacturers in this price range are ZFO, Pure Fitness, Mir and Walkvest.

Comfort is also a big consideration, especially if you plan on using your vest for running.  While just about any vest could help you make pushups and squats more intense fit is a much greater consideration when you are wearing a vest when running.  If you have a vest that fits loose and that bounces around your daily runs won’t be very comfortable and could conceivably end in injury.  Make sure you get a weighted vest that will be adjustable to fit your body type and that will stick with your body during movements.