Weight Vest Plates — What is It, Advantages and other Considerations
If you are looking to step up the intensity and push your limits, weight vest plates should be a fixture in most people regimen. Whether you’re a seasoned athlete, regular gym-goer, or just someone wanting to level-up your at-home training sessions, weight vest plates can be an easy way to add some resistance for bodyweight movements, make cardio tougher and help with strength overall. This article discusses the specifics of weight vest plates, advantages of them, ways to select and use them safely during exercise.
Plates are removable weights that you can add or take out of your vest similar to weight plates for barbells and kettlebells but smaller, thinner and more compact.
They are just small, flat and fairly heavy plates made of metal or composite material that slide into a dedicated weight vest. The vests are used for different types of drills with all sorts of workouts to make the body work a little harder by carrying some additional load. The extra weight adds its own drag and prompts the body to push harder, developing more strength, endurance, and cardiovascular fitness.
Typically made from steel, iron or another material capable of withstanding wear and tear, they are available in a variety of weight sizes. Generally, they are also adjustable as users can add or deduct plates to adjust intensity for specific workouts to the desired level according to fitness and/or training goal.
Benefits of using Weight Vest Plates
More Power and Stamina
Resistance training, [1] such as push-ups, pull-up, squats, lunges or running with weights on you makes your muscle to work harder. The extra resistance fortifies an over time physiological adaptation that will enhance hypertrophy, muscular endurance and overall performance. Users can increase the weight plate by plate allowing them to use a foundational principle of strength-training called progressive overload.
Better Heart Health
Aerobic — You may put on a weighted vest (on top of normal body clothes) throughout aerobic workout (i.e., functioning, strolling or biking) to give additional load on the cardiovascular system. More weight at rest means that the heart pumps more blood to provide oxygen to the muscles which is very beneficial for your heart and athletic performance!
How Fat Store works and Losing Weight
Weighted Vest Plates– Added weight and a workout make for one massive calorie torcher! The addition of a weight vest can be useful for increasing fat burning and managing weight as increased workload with the added extra load means that more energy must be spent to perform identical movements. So they are just the thing for anyone who already wants to burn some more calories whilst doing daily exercise, or a power-walk around the parks, or a run round the neighbor hood.
Better Posture and Core Stability
Added load that we carry via the weight vest changes the positioning of our body. This can also strengthen the abdominal muscles required for stabilization, including core support muscles needed for good posture, such as lower back & obliques. These muscles engage more than usual when wearing the vest during cardio, walking or even sitting at a desk and they contribute to alignment which helps prevent that backward slouch bad posture long term over time!
Increased Bone Density
Prevention of osteoporosis is likely through increasing bone formation and strength by loading it, the process which explains why weight-bearing exercise will benefit bone. Using weight vest plates gives a person resistance which will strengthen their bones and help them fend off osteoporosis or any other bone disease related to old age. For seniors who need bone health as they age, this is even more critical.
Ways in which you can weighted vest plate
They can be a wide range of style, design, material, weight capacity and size. Here are a few of the more common types:
Steel Plates
Steel Plates — these are the most traditional, and ever popular weight vest out there. They are extremely durable, takes less space and in most cases inexpensive. Typically, these weights will be in multiples of standard weight (5, 10 or 20 pounds normally) and can rest on top of one another. Steel plates are a favorite due to their cheap rate and authenticity.
Iron Plates
They also tend to attract countless fans of the weight vest, who opt for iron plates. Another kind of plates are the actual iron plates just like this one made out of cast iron and these are also pretty much equal to steel in terms of how long they last but may be a bit more money. However, they are frequently lined with rust evidence so as to help increase the lifecycle of the mannequin, if anything. So also the iron plates comes in different size and weight like steel plate.
Add plates composites or adjustable
Some utilize more recent plates, either composite or flexible plates (plastic, rubber, aluminum). These plates provide so much resistance but are lighter than traditional steel or iron. Some modular composite plates even let you add or remove sections to change the overall weight. This is especially helpful for those moving from high- to low-intensity workouts or vice versa.
Buying Appropriate Plates For Your Weighted Vest
Here are some things you might consider when selecting weight vest plates.
Weight and Size
Select plates with appropriate weights based on your fitness level and training direction. Make it easier on beginners by using lighter bangers (i.e. 5–10 lb.) and slowly increasing as strength comes. More advanced lifters will have to load the bar with heavier plates (20–40 lbs plus) to achieve enough of a stimulus on the body.
Vest Compatibility
Also, make sure that those plates you pick fit your weight vest. All of these plates are only compatible with certain vests, so be sure to read the manufacturer specs for confirmations.
Material
Choose plates made from tough materials that are built to withstand the wear and tear your training typically dishes up. Iron or steel, however, is a strong choice for something more permanent and heavy-duty while light-weight versions made of a composite exist. Keep in mind that while larger plates tend to be tougher, they have the potential to be more cumbersome as well.
Adjustability
Some have plates whose weights you can adjust up or down based on what your situation calls for. It will come in handy for anyone who wants to advance their training over distinct phases without needing to buy multiple sets of plates.
Comfort and Fit
Vests have different designs: some suitcase style weight vests are bad for fit comforts; ideally they should be well-padded and adjustable, you want it to be tight but not too tight so as to avoid irritation or chafing on long sessions.
Safety Considerations
Weight vest plates can be an amazing way to bring a little extra challenge into your workout, but they also need to be used with caution. Edging the body too stuffed, so quickly leads to a bigger percentage of injury. Start with a low bar and increase it as your body settles in. So also wear a secure vest because they could shift around and get uncomfortable during workout.
Conclusion
Weight vest plates come in handy here because they take every workout, and make them that much harder, increasing strength and endurance to improve your fitness overall. Through the use of cardio, body weight exercises or even aerobic activities you can create a new stimulus to encourage muscular development as well as add in resistance demands on your cardiovascular system and fat loss. And that is before you even consider the material, adjustability and compatibility! With the proper plate installed and when utilized appropriately, a weight vest can be a game changer in lukewarm mobility to level-up just about any repetition.
