Lurker4 wrote:
I think this was a great idea. It's one thing to BS with your buddies about doing it, but he actually did it! Great job Joe! I do think it's pretty funny that he screwed up the shoes he was planning to run in. Personally, if I was doing that run I wouldn't want to risk running in any shoe with a high stack, squishy foam, etc. So he probably did himself a favor by forgetting.
So if Joe decides to wear the weight vest full time will his run times decrease?
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I very much doubt that he would use it for his regular run training as those things can be pretty restrictive,(not to mention the increased chance of injury). The bulk is one thing but,as he mentioned,having to really tighten the velcro straps to stop excess movement has the negative impact of restricting breathing during harder sessions (especiallywith the larger ones). I could see (and have seen) benefit in using weight vests for things like HIIT workouts, stair rep's/steep hill rep's and soft sand running,over short intervals as there is way less chance of injury. Those type of workouts though tend to be of more benefit to people who are trying to get fit as opposed to those who are in the top 5% of the sporting population. I am sure that there are many military types here who have had weighted packs strapped to their backs for years who can chime in with more experienced anecdotes.
I have had different vests over the years and still use my 5kg one.It is great. As and aside,taking one on a commercial aircraft is always interesting. (Here is my current 5kg vest)