Weighted vests are popular with people who want to incorporate weight bearing exercises into their osteoporosis exercise program. Since publishing my written and video reviews of 5 weighted vests, I have received questions on the specific use of the vests.
Some people find weighted vests can cause discomfort when used during their weight bearing exercises/activities and strength training.
Recently, a reader contact me about shoulder pain she experienced when using her weighted vest while walking and asked me for some suggestions on how to deal with the pain.
Weighted Vest Dilemma
Ruth lives in Kentucky and is a reader of my blog. She has followed the weighted vest reviews and reached out to me with her question. I anticipate a number of other people experience the same problem as Ruth.
I have osteoporosis (more severe in the hip). I am very interested in the weighted vests and watched your video. However, I have experienced a problem with a weighted vest. The downward pull of the vest exerts a strain on the shoulders after a while of walking — at least, it does with my vest (mine has 10 lbs of weights). I have had to stop wearing my vest because of injury to my shoulder. I started using weights strapped around my legs instead, but was told not to do that either.
My question is: How do you avoid the drag on your shoulders that it seems to me all weighted vests (even lighter ones) would cause?
Good question, Ruth. I decided that I could best address your question with a show-and-tell video. I have also provided the key points that I made in the video in this blog. You will find the video at the bottom of this page.
Three Options If Your Weighted Vest Hurts Your Shoulders
There are three things Ruth can do to address the shoulder pain caused by her weighted vest. I encourage her to consider all three.
- Be careful how you load your weighted vest.
- Make sure you maintain a good posture.
- Consider a weighted belt as an alternative.
1. Be Careful How You Load Your Weighted Vest
If your weighted has front and back pockets to accommodate the weights, I suggest that your place the weights in the back pockets first. Then, counterbalance with equal amount of weight in the front pockets. This will help you obtain proper postural alignment.
Some vests have high and low back pockets. If your vest does, start loading the high pocket first since this will encourage an upright alignment.
2. Make Sure You Maintain Good Posture
I cannot emphasize this point enough. Good posture will address many of the back and shoulder issues caused by the loading of the weighted vest. Here are a couple of key points to keep in mind:
- Stay in optimal postural alignment. If you have a forward lean (a slouch), do not load the front of the vest. Only load the back of the vest to encourage you to straighten up.
- Make an effort to actively use your postural muscles to lift against the weights.
3. Consider a Weighted Belt
Since Ruth has concerns about building bone at her hip, she should consider a weighted belt. Like the weighted vest, the belt allows you to load gradually. You should start with a low weight load and gradually build up your weights.
Video: 3 Tips for Your Weighted Vest
Here is the video explaining the options in more detail.
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