Lose Weight Faster With A Weighted Vest
Wearing a weighted vest during exercise is a great way to add up the calories burned while working out. Weighted vest workouts also help you maximize muscle gains while losing weight at the same time. The following exercises have to be performed properly to prevent injuries, but can burn fat quickly when done correctly.
Before beginning any weighted vest exercise, make sure that you have on a weight vest that is best suited for the type of exercises you will be performing. thoroughly warm up all of your muscles with light cardio exercise. Light cardio can be as simple as jumping rope, or taking a quick 5 minute jog. Each weighted vest exercise that you perform should be done sequentially until all reps are finished, and then the whole circuit should be done 3 times.
A 45 second rest should be taken between each set you perform, and a 1 minute rest should be taken before changing exercises.
Weighted Lunges
Weighted lunges are a great way to start out.
To perform a weighted lunge, take a big step forward and continue going forward until your back knee is almost on the ground. Your front knee should never go past your toe, if it does, you have stepped too far. Your back should stay straight in this process. After you extend, step back so that you are standing up straight again. Proceed with your other legging stepping forward. For a beginner, 3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 reps should be performed.
Muscle groups targeted by weighted lunges include glutes, hamstrings, calf muscles, quadriceps, abdominal muscles, and back muscles. Lunges not only work several muscle groups at once being a benefit to losing weight, but also help you burn calories.
The intensity of weighted lunges can be varied for beginner to advanced by varying the weight of the vest and the numbers of reps and sets performed.
Weighted Squats
Weighted squats are performed by standing upright with your feet slightly wider than your shoulder width. You hold your shoulders back, stomach in, and eyes straight forward. Slowly squat down to approximately 90 degrees while allowing your hips to go backward, this helps keep the weight evenly distributed. For a beginner, 3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 reps should be performed.
Squats target the buttocks and help build lean muscle mass.
The added benefit of performing weighted squats is that it accelerates your metabolism and in turn accelerates weight loss.
The intensity of weighted squats, similarly to weighted lunges, can be varied by the weight of the vest along with the number of reps and sets performed.
Weighted Press Ups
Weighted press ups are performed by lying face down with you legs flat on the ground and your hands on the ground with a width just slightly wider than your shoulders. Keeping your back straight, and a tight stomach, push your body up until your arms are straight. Lower your body back down until your shoulders are even with your elbows. For beginners, 3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 reps should be performed.
Weighted press ups target the chest, shoulders, triceps, arms, neck and back while also improving core strength.
The added benefit of weighted press ups is that it increases core strength and adds stability to the torso area.
The more weight that is added to the weighted vest can increase the intensity of weighted press ups, while also increasing the number of reps and sets performed.
Weighted Sprints
Weighted sprints should be performed by a beginner by sprinting for 1 minutes at high intensity followed by 1 minute at low intensity. This should be performed 6 to 8 times.
After these sets, a cool down should be performed for approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Low intensity sprints should be performed for 1 minute alternating with jogging then gradually decrease during the 5 to 7 minute cool down.
Weights sprints target the quads, calves and hamstrings.
The benefits of weighted sprints include burning calories for longer periods of time after the workout is finished, burning more fat during the exercise and takes much less time than a slow and steady pace.
The intensity of weighted sprints can be varied by time sprinted and weight in the vest to incorporate workouts for everyone from beginner to advanced.