weight vest
 

i use a 45 lb vest when im on the stair climber or on a treadmill. ive been using it for awhile and like intensity of having it on. today someone made a comment regarding the compression of my spine that is caused by the extra weight. he said it wasnt good for my spine, is this true? the vest has 8 pockets, four on the front, and four on the back that holds 5 lb spuare plates.

should i stop using the vest?

You would probably want to consult a physician about this topic. Nutritional and most exercise related questions can be answered by our posters but this is one you would want to be held by a MD. There are many things a vest could possibly effect, posture, spinal compression, back pain, etc.

I use a weighted training vest as well, along with ankle weights, wrist weights, and weighted shorts. I always warm up first with a full body stretch, and a couple thousand jump ropes. I've never had any problem with spine compression, but I've never used that much weight on the vest. My vest is about 20 lb. (can go up to 40). I bought my vest because it was the only vest I've seen that really stays on; I can easily jog or jump rope without it bouncing or moving at all (here's the site http://www.strength-systems.com/feat...ght_vests.php). The vests I tried before this one were always loose and bounced every which way, so if that's what your's does then I could see that causing some spine trouble. I agree that you should consult a physician/specialist. You also might want to lower the weight; 40 lb. for a jog might be overdoing it. It sounds fishy, because I've been using mine for nearly two years now and have never had any trouble, but if your doctor tells you otherwise let me know!

What kind of vest do you have?

Double post...

It doesn't seem to hurt Army/Marines as they march with full packs. Not as much running with them but enough. But they're doing it so they can carry the packs.

Spinal compression from 45 pounds? Baloney.

Like thingstodo said, soldiers/Marines regularly march with 100+ lb packs. Sure it's tiring and it sucks, but I've never heard of someone getting spinal compression from it.

I think posture would be more of an issue than the weight.

Think of it this way- if you weighed 45lbs more than you do right now and were on the treadmill, would that be a problem? Probably not. The vest is just a way for you to have more body weight so your resistance is more. Stand up straight, make sure the vest fits right... go see a doctor if you're really concerned about it. :D

For those that bring up the Army argument:

Have you ever gone backpacking? Heavy backpacks use a padded waist strap to take the weight off of the shoulders. If you think they could do all the marches will all that weight solely on their shoulders, you are crazy. The waist strap is night/day difference.

However, the vest, if it is snug (with the weight distributed), might not be a problem.

Makes a good point. The difference between proper support and bad support is huge. The weight is almost irrelevant (for health concerns), it's how that weight is distributed that's important.

Exactly why I bought my vest. I shopped around until I found one that was not only evenly distributed, but stuck to me like a second skin.

its an old vest, but does have a waist strap. even with that tight, it still feels like the weight sits on my traps. i only use the vest when im on the stair climber, because the candidate physical agility tests uses a simulated weight as well during the testing. i do keep a good posture when im on the stair climber, and the first thing to fatigue is usually my lower back.

ill consult with my physician.

Your lower back fatigue may not be related entirely to the backpack. That's where fatigue can begin in general. I used to have that problem when I first started riding road bikes a longer dustance. It improved as I got in better shape and also worked more on my core strength. Your problem may be a sign of a need to work on your core more with crunches, back extensions, etc.