Post: #1

I saw some dragonball z the other day and it got me thinking about weighted clothing to help increase strength and speed. I already wear weights for things like chins and dips, but I was wondering about weighted clothing to wear throughout the course of my day.

From browsing the net it seems ankle and wrist weights are frowned upon as they add a load on the ends of your extremities, raising the risk of injury, but I'm more interested in weight worn around your core, ie vests and shorts. The reason being you should be able to add significant weight to your torso, but because it's close to your centre of gravity, it should still be fairly safe.

I'll probably end up experimenting with it for myself over the next few months, but was wondering if anyone here had used weight vests/clothing outside their workouts, and if so, the results they got?

How much weight could you wear and how long could you tolerate it for?

Are there are brands/items they used to add significant weight while maintaining a fairly low profile? Or even better, is there an ingenious way someone has made their own weighted clothing using common and cheap materials?

Post: #2

I dunno about that. You'd really have to watch your posture, and make sure these things are easily removable. If there's a fire and you need to get out in 15 seconds, you may be able to do this normally but what about with these clothes on?

Does seem like a good idea however.

Post: #3

Don't. There's no real long term benefit. Ask any person from the military or law enforcement. Military guys wear weighted vest (plate carrier), and weighted hats (helmet) and that shit sucks. You'll get short term gains in the shoulders, lower back, and core,but overtime you could develop knee and back problems. Ask any grunt. Use a weighted vest for certain workouts, but weighted clothing is like being a fat person. Your joints are being worn down. I say this because the natural human tendency is "more". If it's not heavy enough to be noticed you'll only go heavier.

Post: #4

(10-26-2014 04:05 AM)Vroom Wrote:  I saw some dragonball z the other day and it got me thinking about weighted clothing to help increase strength and speed.

Post: #5

(10-26-2014 10:11 AM)scorpion Wrote:  

(10-26-2014 04:05 AM)Vroom Wrote:  I saw some dragonball z the other day and it got me thinking about weighted clothing to help increase strength and speed.

When you've got kids you often catch bits and pieces of kids shows. And when you do, you realise a lot of them are better than 'real' tv.

Post: #6

(10-26-2014 09:17 AM)vinman Wrote:  but weighted clothing is like being a fat person.

That's what I figured - if fat cunts can do it all day every day, surely I can handle it for a few hours.

Post: #7

(10-26-2014 04:05 AM)Vroom Wrote:  weighted clothing to help increase strength and speed.

vinman already told you, look up injuries sustained by army men that carry equipment all day. To list a few, hernia, slipped discs, pinched nerves, arthritis, etc...

What are you trying to achieve with this?

Strength is relative so is speed, for some people strong means having a high 1RM bench, squat or deadift for others strength means mastery over you body, being able to do ring muscle ups, handstand push ups and such.

Then you have to look at sports, if you are for example a boxer and want a stronger or faster punch you should do specific drills with the heavy bag or mitt work instead of just trying to get stronger muscles.

Other example, running will make you run faster, but its very different when you have a soccer ball on your feet or a basketball in your hand.

This is really a bad idea, there is no need to try and reinvent the wheel. Define what your goal is and focus on a sport that will allow you to get there.

Post: #8

All it will really do is increase your cardio.

Post: #9

I haven't really read the thread at all, but there was this guy named Steve Justa who wore 100 pounds of chains for six months pretty much 24/7, even while he worked his manual labor job. It's probably a great way to get lean and have badass calves.

Post: #10

(10-26-2014 09:17 AM)vinman Wrote:  Don't. There's no real long term benefit. Ask any person from the military or law enforcement. Military guys wear weighted vest (plate carrier), and weighted hats (helmet) and that shit sucks. You'll get short term gains in the shoulders, lower back, and core,but overtime you could develop knee and back problems. Ask any grunt. Use a weighted vest for certain workouts, but weighted clothing is like being a fat person. Your joints are being worn down. I say this because the natural human tendency is "more". If it's not heavy enough to be noticed you'll only go heavier.

Roughly how much do these vests and hats weigh? And am I right in assuming they need to be worn for full shifts ie 8 hours+ whether you like it or not? I'd expect many injuries would occur due to fatigue, whereas I could take it off or lighten the load at any time, depending on my circumstances.

Quote:This is really a bad idea, there is no need to try and reinvent the wheel.

It's funny that you'd consider this 'reinventing the wheel', to me it's getting back to basics. Go back a few centuries and people wore armor and carried weighty metal weaponry almost all the time. I bet they didn't do squats on a bosu ball though.

Post: #11

(10-26-2014 08:16 PM)Vroom Wrote:  

(10-26-2014 09:17 AM)vinman Wrote:  Don't. There's no real long term benefit. Ask any person from the military or law enforcement. Military guys wear weighted vest (plate carrier), and weighted hats (helmet) and that shit sucks. You'll get short term gains in the shoulders, lower back, and core,but overtime you could develop knee and back problems. Ask any grunt. Use a weighted vest for certain workouts, but weighted clothing is like being a fat person. Your joints are being worn down. I say this because the natural human tendency is "more". If it's not heavy enough to be noticed you'll only go heavier.

Roughly how much do these vests and hats weigh? And am I right in assuming they need to be worn for full shifts ie 8 hours+ whether you like it or not? I'd expect many injuries would occur due to fatigue, whereas I could take it off or lighten the load at any time, depending on my circumstances.

Quote:This is really a bad idea, there is no need to try and reinvent the wheel.

It's funny that you'd consider this 'reinventing the wheel', to me it's getting back to basics. Go back a few centuries and people wore armor and carried weighty metal weaponry almost all the time. I bet they didn't do squats on a bosu ball though.

The armor can weigh up to 40 pounds or more easily, and the helmets weigh around 10 pounds.

Post: #12

Don't listen to these nay sayers. They are all jealous and weak. I did try this once and it increased my power level over 9000!

Post: #13

I used to do carpentry and carry around a toolbelt. Was anywhere from 20-40lbs depending on what I needed to carry with me. Sits around your hips.. I wore suspenders as well so most of the weight was on my shoulders. Can't say I noticed anything specific although my shoulders/traps are pretty built. 40-60hrs a week for over a year.

Post: #14

(10-27-2014 08:57 AM)Mage Wrote:  Don't listen to these nay sayers. They are all jealous and weak. I did try this once and it increased my power level over 9000!

It's more alpha to train in a chamber at 100 times normal earth gravity haha

Post: #15

(10-28-2014 01:04 PM)rdvirus Wrote:  I used to do carpentry and carry around a toolbelt.

This is how Mario the plumber became SuperMario!

Post: #16

Will this help me go Super Sayian? That might be my ticket to grow my hair back.

Post: #17

Nonito Donaire training in weighted clothing in the lead up to a fight.

Post: #18

(10-26-2014 05:04 PM)Vroom Wrote:  When you've got kids you often catch bits and pieces of kids shows. And when you do, you realise a lot of them are better than 'real' tv.

Post: #19

I've also caught more than my fair share of peppa pig too, what of it?

You can find inspiration almost anywhere if you keep your mind open. But if you write ideas off simply because of how you perceive the source that inspired it rather than the potential of the idea itself, you'll always be a follower, constantly seeking approval from the herd.

Post: #20

(10-30-2014 07:57 PM)Vroom Wrote:  I've also caught more than my fair share of peppa pig too, what of it?

You can find inspiration almost anywhere if you keep your mind open. But if you write ideas off simply because of how you perceive the source that inspired it rather than the potential of the idea itself, you'll always be a follower, constantly seeking approval from the herd.

Conceptuals ideas this might work for but to think weighted clothes is a good idea, as it is something grounded in reality, without googling it and proceeding to start a thread about it is pretty laughable. If you aren't writing a data sheet or bringing a blog link you might as well not start a new thread and just post on the forum lounge especially a laughable idea of physical reality like this not grounded in scientific fact

Post: #21

When I ran track we used weight vests and parachutes for speed days. The parachutes were pretty fun, but the weight vest was a total pain in the ass, while it made the work out more challenging, the constant noise it made was unbearable for me and threw off my rhythm.

Post: #22

(10-30-2014 08:25 PM)hwuzhere Wrote:  

(10-30-2014 07:57 PM)Vroom Wrote:  I've also caught more than my fair share of peppa pig too, what of it?

You can find inspiration almost anywhere if you keep your mind open. But if you write ideas off simply because of how you perceive the source that inspired it rather than the potential of the idea itself, you'll always be a follower, constantly seeking approval from the herd.

Conceptuals ideas this might work for but to think weighted clothes is a good idea, as it is something grounded in reality, without googling it and proceeding to start a thread about it is pretty laughable. If you aren't writing a data sheet or bringing a blog link you might as well not start a new thread and just post on the forum lounge especially a laughable idea of physical reality like this not grounded in scientific fact

I just posted a video of a world champion boxer using one, and know they are commonly used in elite sports. What part of that makes it "a laughable idea of physical reality like this not grounded in scientific fact" in your mind?

Post: #23

I had this same thought once but I was like 10 years old.

Post: #24

Quote:Finnish Researcher Helkki Rusko...opted to test the gravity-leg-strength connection by strapping weighted vests onto his subjects, 12 well-trained athletes. Each vest weighed 10 percent of the subject's total body weight, forcing leg muscles to work harder, even during routine activities like standing and walking. Rusko's subjects wore their vests all day long for four weeks and during at least three of their eight weekly workouts.

The initial results were negative. After four weeks: the runners needed more oxygen to run at a given pace (that is, their running economy had deteriorated). Similarly, their leg muscles were producing more lactic acid, a possible sign of muscle fatigue.

Fortunately, Rusko didn't give up at this point. For the next two weeks, he asked his subjects to take off their vests and continue training as usual. A retest at the end of this two-week period produced far different results.

This time, lactate threshold was 2 percent higher (meaning that the runners produced less lactic acid), and max V02 had also increased by 2 percent. Two other important measures also improved: Endurance while sprinting soared by 25 percent, and stair running speed, a good indicator of leg-muscle power, increased by 3 percent.

These improvements in speed and power occurred because weighted-vest running altered the test subjects' basic running mechanics and activated the fast-twitch muscle fibers in their legs. Only the group's running economy remained slightly depressed.

The bottom line? Wearing a weighted vest has the potential to strengthen your leg muscles, make you faster, improve your kick and make you a better hill runner. However, it's important to bear in mind the following points:

* If you decide to try using a vest, wear it as much as possible during your daily routine. Wearing a vest only for workouts may not provide enough stimulation of fast-twitch muscle fibers.

* Wear the weighted vest during some, but not all, of your training sessions. The vest actually slows your average speed during training, so constant use would eventually teach your muscles to work at a slower rate.

* You'll have to stop wearing the vest for several weeks before you see positive effects. Your body needs a "furlough" to recover from the extra stresses of vest wearing.

* Don't try to substitute hand weights for a vest. Hand weights may slightly increase your oxygen consumption, but they won't do anything for your leg muscles or increase your max V02 to any significant degree.

* Don't attach weights to your ankles. The extra poundage could cause injuries and may wreck your running economy.

* Weighted vests will probably prove most beneficial to middle and short distance runners. Distance runners may be able to improve their lactate threshold, max V02 and kicking ability by using a vest, but they must guard against loss of running economy. You can buy weighted vests in some sporting goods stores.

http://www.fluidmovement.com/vest/Articl...sonPhD.htm

Post: #25

I have so far only posted two jokes about this because I couldn't resist.

But I actually believe this thing has potential. At least it deserves a try out.

Majority of people will laugh about anything unorthodox as always.

Some 8 years ago I also did this experiment - I wore ankle weights after morning shower and remover them only before evening shower. I was doing this for every second day - rest is also needed. I was not wearing a vest due to aversion to constant sweating and skin not breathing. But perhaps if I had configured my gear differently this could have been done.

I was not doing any other training at that time and I was very skinny - I was young student with little money to spend on food because housing, clothes and girls were a priority.

But I remember that after wearing ankle weights for a few weeks I once ran run without stopping with a girl in my hands weighing 80% of my own weight from ground floor to 7th floor. My legs were strong but without bulk.

Eventually my focus shifted and I stopped wearing weights. Not because of a lack of results, but because for a moment other things became more important.

As long as your expectations are realistic - you don't expect that your hair will get erection and emanate light - you can try this out and report back to us. Maybe I will try this again too.