what kind of weighted vest?

[balletgrrl]

To A-Jock and others,

Where did you buy your weighted vest that you use in your leg workouts? I would love to get one of these as I think my legs could handle a lot heavier weight than my upper-body can lift on my back. Thanks!

 

[wutherhi]

I made my own. I stole my husband's hunting vest and buttoned my weights into the pockets. I also use his leather toolbelt, sometimes, turned backward, with the weight in the nail pouch.

Shari

 

[naughtoj]

Balletgrl....
I have researched vests at length, and found that the cheapest would be Sports Authority. It is $80.00 I beleive. You can add up to 40lbs of weight max. It is blue in color with black metal rods. I think All-Pro makes it, but I am not sure. I know here in Phoenix that is the cheapest way to go. I went and got one and then returned it because I felt it was too big (I am only 5'0). But as of late, I am wanting one again so I will probably go try and give it another get go.... Anything you find on the internet will be VERY $$$ plus shipping..call around locally...

Janice

 

[Aquajock]

I too got the All-Pro brand that Janice described at a local (Twin Cities Minnesota) SportMart, and I believe I paid about $95-100.00 for mine.

The All-Pro brand is good, but warning: for shorter women it CAN feel very long and somewhat clumsy; mine feels like a weighted A-line pup tent when I'm wearing it. I believe I saw another brand and style in the Perform-Better or Power Systems paper catalog that looked far more form-fitting but with the same design (lotsa pockets for lotsa iron rods) that may be more comfortable. Knowing what I know now, I'd probably have gotten that one for comfort's sake even if it were more expensive.

A-Jock

 

[Gretzky]

And be careful! I'm 5'3" and have the pup-tent vest also. I can safely lift 55 lbs. over my head for squats, but when I had the vest on, this became a feat of Herculean proportions! The vest got in my way of being able to squat down and pick up the barbell... I wobbled all over my living room before I got it up. Talk about a hot flash!

Now I load up the vest and lessen the weight on the barbell to about 40 or 45 lbs. It makes a huge difference!

 

[mogambo]

I am tall, but also cheap. I use a hunting vest also. I put a 5 lb plate in the central back pocket and 2 2 1/2 pound plates in the side pockets. I also have a set of 2 1/2 pound ankle weights that I velcro around my waist right after the warmup of the workout I am doing. The ankle weight belt adds 5 lbs, and then I can easily add or remove the other ten pounds throughout the workout for a 15 lb addition to the barbell. I don't mess with putting more than 55 lbs over my head, but 50 is more comfortable.

So, for S/H Legs or PS Legs I use a the vest and belt arrangement, for Pyramids I just use the belt.

 

[Mandyf]

I just purchased an adjustable women's 45 lb. weighted vest from this site.

http://www.weightvest.com/

It looks like a much more comfortable design than the pup tent All-Pro vest. After adding the shipping in for the All-Pro vest, they're approximately the same price. I looked all over my area to buy one in a store but couldn't find one. I figure this is one of those pieces of fitness equipment that I will have and use for life so it's a good investment. It's uses I have planned are resistance for pushups, ab crunches, squats, lunges, calf raises and leg presses. The big advantage of this vest is that it frees your hands to use as support and/or balance for some exercises. For example, you can go deeper into a calf raise off a low step if you have a back of a chair to hang on to for balance. Can't do that with a barbell and only can with a dumbell if you do it one-legged.