Most runners know that building muscle strength can come from two specific activities: interval training, which can be simulated by running stairs or up hills; or weight lifting. However, research has shown that adding weight to a runner in the form of a vest filled with metal or water weights can also have significant benefits related to both strength and endurance.
Metabolic Benefits
Endurance training requires sustained effort from your muscles, while strength training requires high exertion for very brief periods of time. Weight training with a weight vest can have an effect on the metabolism of distance athletes, as illustrated by a study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology cited in an article of Northwest Runner; the study found that athletes who wore vests weighing 9 to 10 percent of their body weight for four weeks had improved their ability to consume oxygen and their lactate threshold, the exercise intensity that causes lactate to begin to accumulate in the blood.
Specificity Advantages
The strength training carried out in the study by adding a weighted vest was likely an effective way to train because runners were walking and running with an added load, thus building strength doing activities very near to what they would do without the vest. While some might find it impractical or uncomfortable to wear a weighted vest to gain the training specificity that the vest allows, from a technical standpoint a weighted vest is an excellent addition to the runner's toolkit to help build strength.
Usefulness
In addition to being able to help you get stronger, a weighted vest can have practical benefits. Vests you can fill with water to drink while running are now on the market, helping you eliminate the need to carry a water bottle for a long run.
Additional Explosiveness
According to Dr. Peter Vint, Sport Technologist for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Committee, wearing a weighted vest during all waking hours for about three weeks helps athletes develop more cardiovascular strength. As an expert sport technologist, Vint uses data from athletic performance to see what training measures have been scientifically proven to produce results.
References
- "Metabolic response of endurance athletes to training with added load"; European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology; Rusko & Bosco; 1987
- USA Today: In Hunt for Olympic Gold, Tecchies Are Major Players
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