The Weight Vest: A Runner’s Secret Weapon

Now runners don’t let the myth that only bodybuilders and CrossFit athletes use weight vests scare you off. Running and training with a weight vest can help increase strength, improve speed AND even boost your endurance.
When you break it down, wearing a weight vest makes you weigh more which makes everything you do harder, meaning you’re going to be working harder, therefore getting stronger 💪 Coach Morgan will go over how runners of all types can reap the benefits of using this new tool to help them reach their goals.

APPAREL:

[littleoldmanrunning]

I'm actually doing this for my running now. But not with a 10 pound pack / vest. i just wouldn't notice that amount of weight.
I'm currently doing hill reps with a 7.5 kg (16 pound) pack and aiming for a 10kg (22 pound) load in a couple of weeks.

It it not that hard to run with the weight as long as you take it slow and don't try to run as fast as you can without weights.
Your knees and ankles will be sore the next day, so be ready for that. I'm alternating nice easy flat running on my following day.

Just for comparison (and why I'm using a pack and not a proper weight vest) I'm 5 foot 1 (so, hobbit sized) and I weight 55kg (122 pounds) so the weight vest just won't fit me.

I checkout out the women's vest but it just won't be heavy enough, although it might fit.

The big thing (I think) to also focus on when you are doing hills with the weights on - don't hunch over! Keep upright with your chest out and get your core working hard to stabilise you. The challenge is to maintain good form while you're doing this, otherwise you'll just end up creating problems further down the line.

I'd recommend NOT doing what I'm doing ;-) No-one ever accused me of being a smart man ;-)

[Crymerge]

No weight vest needed for me, I constantly have an additional 10-15 pounds on me.

[abhishektodmal]

Thank you for covering this particular topic, Coach Morgan! Been considering purchasing a weighted-vest to add something a little more unique to my training. You've given me food for thought! Appreciate it, and God bless! :)

[reydecastro]

Another awesome topic covered. You seem to cover cool options for enhanced training. Thanks again coach Morgan! 🍎

[dr.suezettealoysiaandcarla]

Weight vest 👍🏾Very nice explanation for the Sprinters, timing is everything ❣️

[xvsj-sx]

Great review, &!Pro Tip recommendations 🦋 Thank you for sharing ✌️

[tomrankin]

This is a great (and new to me) idea. Thank you for introducing weight vests and what to do & not do.

[Rycamcam]

Good point about hill sprints. Don't be like me and sprint down the hill because you'll injure your hamstrings and probably other things. Tore a bit of my hamstring muscle, and it took about a couple weeks to feel ok again

[fragrancefilms]

Very helpful video!!! Exactly what I was looking for 😃 Thank You!!!

[ShaderockLouis]

Thanks for this contribution. I am finally using a vest that holds weights in the utility pockets.

[capeflatterytrail]

informative video--thank you for covering sprinting, as well.

[psudoctor]

I ruck between my runs, and do ultra 50 milers with a 25 pound ruck for 50 plus miles. Helped me train for my 50 mile ultra 6 weeks after my 50 mile ultra ruck race. I also only trained about 4 weeks for my first 50 mile ultra.

[ripv]

I wear a 50lb vest. I started with half the weight jogging slowly 1km per day, before long I was running 3km, 5km and 10km. Also when I get used to long jogging with that weight, I did sprints on slopes of between 30 and 200 meters.
today I put full weight on it (50lbs) and started jogging slowly, starting the process from the beginning. highly recommended, great footwork to trapeze, absolutely. I recommend serious conditioning of the CORE abdominal / lumbar, trapezius and legs before buying 1 of these vests.

[nihonbunka]

I have run up a local hill in a 10kg 22lb vest a few times. I don't think it makes me faster, but the weight-training combined running combats age. Or at least when I take off the 10kg I feel young again, for a short while.

[ShaderockLouis]

Thanks for this contribution. I am finally using a vest that holds weights in the hat utility pickets

[LS-yfvu]

Wow great vid! i want to get a vest with 25 and up weight, which one would you recommend?
I have hiked long distance with 30 + and did pretty well.

[thomasaussem]

Thank you -- looking at doing a walk/run (8.5 min / 1.5 min) and build up to 50 miles (Kennedy 50) and saw about walking with a weighted vest -- hopefully that would help -- appreciate your observations

[matchit]

Quick question, I been running a mile every other day with a 35 lb weight vest and I weigh around 148 lbs without it. Will the weight vest make me faster? I run around a 8min 8s on average with the weight vest on, but without it I was running around a 6 min 30s to 6min 50s on average. Can weight vest running help you run faster?

[natronthegreat]

I have a weight vest with the 2lb sandbags you can attach for variable weights. I dont use it all the time but I may have to bust it out after this video. Hi Coach Morgan!

[madmoon]

I (45kg, 5km runner) just casually bought a vest and ran 5km with 6kg today without researching beforehead on weighted running.
And now watching this video back at home. Let me see what I did wrong...
Not warm up with vest ❗
Sprinted 400m in my 5km ❗
Do not run on flat ground ❗
But I slowed down to run parellel with my beginner runner friend today, from usually 5min30sec per km to today 8min per km, so seems fine for me for now.