Rocker walking for weight loss refers to a program created by competitive athlete Debbie Rocker. The plan is an exercise program that incorporates a weighted vest, Walkvest, to enhance resistance while exercising. By using the vest to increase weight, you will burn more calories with your walk. Rocker’s program offers the vest, weights and instructional guides that promise to accelerate weight loss. Discuss any fitness program with your doctor before beginning to ensure you are healthy enough for exercise.
Debbie Rocker
Debbie Walker is an American Council on Exercise certified trainer and the president of Dare to Be Fit Inc. At the beginning of her career, Rocker trained for a year and a half to set the world record for women’s tandem cross country cycling. She also helped to develop the fitness phenomena of Spinning®. According to the bio for Debbie Rocker on the Walkvest website, she created the core equipment for her walking program as a way to increase her own personal fitness. The success of this experiment led her to design the Walkvest.
Walkvest
The Walkvest is nylon clothing that carries between 2 to 16 pounds. The goal is to increase body weight while undertaking a walking program for fitness. Wearing the vest adds resistance to your walk to make your body work harder and increase calorie burn. The company website states that the balanced vest improves bone density to prevent osteoporosis. The vest design includes pockets around the front. Each pocket can carry a weight bar. Walkers start at a comfortable weight and increase by as they grow stronger. To enhance the weight load of the vest, you just slide a weight bar into an empty pocket.
Program Package
The starter Walkvest program includes the vest, 4 lb. of weight, an audio CD for motivation and complete instructions on how to implement the plan. Vests come in multiple sizes and prices vary by size. Debbie Rocker also has instruction DVDs that are not part of the vest purchase, to teach the most efficient way to walk for weight loss and fitness. Purchasing additional weight bars increase the load of the vest.
Fitness Plan
Rocker recommends exercising with the vest six days a week for 20 to 40 minutes each session. Walking is an effective way to both burn calories and tone muscles. Rocker recommends brisk walking to accelerate weight loss. The website posts a quote from the Mayo Clinic that states brisk walking will allow you to burn as many calories as running the same distance.
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