A Weighted Vest For Explosive Training

The weighted vest is a pocket assemblage which is detachable and the detached parts can be used on other parts of the body.

A weighted vest can be the missing piece for enhancing your explosiveness, but be advised: this popular weighted vest does not work well with all exercises and training styles. An error in judgment can lead to training transgressions and even injury. With a little common sense and prevention injuries could be prevented. 

Ten Percent Rule

The general rule of thumb for selecting the appropriate amount of weight is not to exceed 10 percent of your body weight. For example, a 150-pound athlete should use no more than 15 pounds of external load in the weighted vest.

Speed vs Endurance When Using A Weighted Vest

Unlike some speed training tools, a weight vest enables an athlete to sprint without compromising form. Nevertheless, your speed muscles will fatigue faster when you’re vested up, which can lead to flaws in your mechanics. To get the best from your vest, D1 Sports director of training Kurt Hester recommends performing 20-Yard Weighted Sprints for three to five reps. Distances beyond 20 yards tend to become more of a conditioning workout, says Hester, and “you don’t want to do anything that may hamper your stride length or stride frequency.”

Weighted Vest-to-Rest Ratio

“Typically with free sprints, the rest time is one minute for every 10 yards sprinted,” Hester says. When speed training with the weighted vest, he recommends 80 seconds per 10 yards.

Exercise Caution

When speed training, athletes are at greatest risk for injury when decelerating. The external load of the weight vest increases the risk, which is why you must pay special attention to bending your knees, lowering your body and slowly decelerating, says Danny Arnold, owner of the Texas-based Plex training facilities.

No Jumping

“I wouldn’t do jumping exercises with the vest,” Arnold says. Instead, he recommends bodyweight exercises such as Lunges, Push-Ups and Half-Squats—”basically anything that will not risk or add more pressure on the joints.”

Training Without The Vest

Generating explosive movements requires more ground force production when you’re wearing a weighted vest. Once you’ve trained your speed muscles to fire in an explosive manner, transfer that ability by performing free sprints following a series of weighted sprints.

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