Weight Vests: Are they doing what we think they are?


Sep 9, 2025

 by Abby McCoid
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Weight Vests: Are they doing what we think they are?

If you’ve been scrolling fitness feeds or walking around your neighborhood lately, you’ve probably seen more women strapping on weighted vests. What used to be a piece of gear reserved for military recruits, CrossFitters, and hardcore athletes is now part of the “hot girl walk” or even your neighbor’s evening stroll.

A Quick Backstory
The weighted vest isn’t new. Soldiers have trained with packs for decades, and athletes used vests to push conditioning. Most everyday people noticed them in the early CrossFit era, especially with the “Murph” workout. Fast forward, and now you see sleeker, Instagram-friendly vests marketed directly to women.

Why Women Are Buying In
The appeal makes sense:

  • Bone density awareness (we all know load matters for bone health).

  • Feeling stronger without touching a barbell.

  • Accessibility, just throw it on for a walk.

  • And yes, they look kind of badass.

Add to that the influence of social media: plenty of fitness influencers, especially those targeting women in their late 30s to 50s (the perimenopause crew), get kickbacks every time someone buys the vest they have “linked in bio.” It’s less about your results and more about their revenue. That doesn’t make the vest worthless, but it’s worth knowing what’s in it for them.

The Upside
Vests can absolutely add some value:

  • There’s a bit more calorie burn on a walk. Studies show wearing a light weighted vest (5–10% of body weight) during a 30-minute walk will typically increase calories burned by about 7–15% compared to walking without a vest. For example, if a 30-minute brisk walk burns about 150–200 calories without a vest, adding a light vest will result in approximately 10–30 extra calories burned during that session.

  • Some extra resistance for bone and joint health. But the studies that showed the major benefits were found in people running and jumping while wearing the vests, not simply walking.

  • If wearing a vest gets people out and moving more, that’s always a good thing.

The Catch
But here’s the thing, and this is where I get concerned:

  • They can cause back, knee, and hip pain, especially if you go too heavy too soon.

  • They can throw off posture if you don’t move well (see back pain above).

  • And most importantly, they can create false progress. Walking in a vest is not the same as building real strength under a barbell, dumbbell, or even your own bodyweight in progressive ways.

The Bottom Line
Weighted vests are a tool, not a training program. If you already strength train, adding one can give you a nice bump in load during walks or bodyweight workouts. If you don’t, it’s not a substitute. It will not replace squats, deadlifts, presses, or the kind of progressive resistance that actually builds and maintains muscle.

So yes, women are loading up and I am here for it. But don’t confuse accessorizing your walk with doing the work of strength training. The vest can complement your fitness, but strength training is non-negotiable if you want to stay strong, age well, and actually change your body.