Why You Should Walk with a Weighted Vest 🚶🏽‍♂️

28 Apr 2026 · 1 min

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1:25

In this instructional video, Eric Roberts explains why walking with a weighted vest is an effective tool for fat loss, cardiovascular health, and bone density improvement. He outlines three core guidelines: (1) vest weight – for individuals with less than ~40 lb of excess body fat, a vest of 15–25 lb is optimal; heavier loads increase risk of knee and lower‑back injuries. (2) session length – 15–45 minutes is ideal, though even a 10‑minute walk provides benefit. (3) frequency – 2–4 sessions per week is the sweet spot, though daily use is possible if tolerated. Roberts also notes that incline treadmill walking or stair‑stepping can deliver comparable benefits as alternatives to a weighted vest. The overall tone is practical and encouraging, aimed at helping viewers safely integrate weighted‑vest walking into their fitness routine.

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Walking with a weighted vest is one of the best exercises for fat loss, heart health, and bone density. Here's exactly how you should set it up. First, how much weight to use for the vest. If you're somebody who has more than 40 pounds of body fat that you want to lose— not trying to be mean— but you already have a weighted vest, so you don't need to throw on extra weight because This could lead to injuries of knees, lower back, so on. So once you get below that, typically a weighted vest of 15 to 25 pounds. Once you start going above 25 pounds, you may also have some injuries. Number 2, how long should you do the walking for? Anywhere between 15 to 45 minutes. But even a 10-minute walk is better than a 0-minute walk. And then how many days per week should you do this? Technically, you could do it every single day, but as long as you're getting 2 to 4 times per week, that is the sweet spot of getting all of the benefits. And if you're not walking with a weighted vest but you're doing the incline treadmill walk, you're doing the stair stepper, those are still great alternatives where you will get all of the benefits as well.