There’s a new fitness trend draped over many shoulders. If you’ve taken a walk lately, you’ve likely noticed people wearing weighted vests.
The market for weighted vests is expected to grow to more than $300 million over the next few years.
The Mill City Rucking Crew works with weighted backpacks.
“I would probably describe it as walking with weight on your back,” Evelyn Keaton, a rucker said.
For Nicole Keaton, who rucks between 20 and 30 pounds, it’s a strength thing.
“I am aging and my body is changing. It helps keep me grounded,” Nicole Keaton said.
Weighted workouts have been standard in the military for generations. Now, thanks to weighted vests, they are more popular than ever.
“You’ve seen both rucking and weighted vests in GQ and Men’s Health, so I think it’s found these appetures where it’s getting more widely known. It’s a very similar concept,” Ronaldo Ruiz, a weighted vest wearer, said.
A concept Ruiz is in on. When he’s not longboarding, he’s suited up in a weighted vest.
“For me, I slouch over, so I like to use it to kind of correct myself a little bit, but I also like it adds a little bit of strength,” he said.
The vests can also be found in the exercise science lab at St. Catherine’s University in St. Paul, Minnesota.
“Exercise science is really looking at, ‘How does exercise impact our bodies?'” Dr. Joshua Guggenheimer with St. Catherine’s University said.
WCCO asked Guggenheimer, who heads up the exercise science department at the college, if the benefits of weighted vests are clear.
“I think there’s evidence saying that, yes, if you’re losing weight, or you’re losing bone mineral density, and you wear this, this may help negate that somewhat,” he said. “I don’t know that I saw anything saying, like, if you wear this vest, your bone mineral density is going to go through the roof, and you’re going to have indestructible bones.”
A medical study posted by JAMA Network, a monthly medical journal, showed weighted vests didn’t make a remarkable difference in preserving hip bone density.
But the popularity is undeniable, especially amongst women facing menopause. Guggenheimer says it’s all about gravity.
“It’s Newton’s third law: the more force you apply on a thing, the more force it applies back to you. So if you put these vests on, you’re getting more impact on the ground, and therefore, theoretically, more stimulation of bone formation in those impacted limbs,” he said.
Even though the data is new, just like the popularity, Guggenheimer says one thing is clear — the best exercise for you is the one you’ll actually do.
“If this is a way to augment that in a way that might actually help bone density, in a way that you wouldn’t get because you don’t go to the weight room, then that seems like a win for me,” he said.
The difference between the vests and rucking is that rucking places all the weight in the backpack. The Mill City Rucking Crew host free weekly events for both. Learn more about the group here.
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