Are Weighted Vests Worth It? What’s True—And What’s Not—About Their Usefulness

Once reserved for military drills and CrossFit, weighted vests have found a new identity as the effortless way to add a hint of resistance to everyday movement. There’s a chance that someone just starting out could see a little growth in muscle strength and endurance (newbie gains! Weighted vests get a lot of credit for supporting bone health, but the evidence so far is limited and highly specific. Before you count on a weighted vest to shore up your bones, it’s worth noting what the research actually shows, and what it doesn’t. Some proponents claim that slipping on a weighted vest helps them opes up the chest and pulls the shoulders into better alignment.