John Peterson
11-17-2008, 10:38 AM
Hey Friends,
In a private e-mail today I was asked about weight vest training because someone had seen the cover of PYTP and wondered if I endorse the use of a weight vest. My answer is that the vast majority of people will do just fine without it. After all, the average person already has enough difficulty with the vast majority of body weight Power Calisthenics. At least that is the case at first.
But let me also state that although a weight vest would seem to only add more weight to body weight movements it actually does more than that and changes the weight distribution that your muscles are accustomed to in a dramatic way. This is especially true if the weight is placed directly over your chest and upper back. In such cases it also forces a change in the range of motion for Pull-Up and Chin-Up variations as well as Push-Up variations. One caution that I would like to advise is that if you feel that you must use a weight vest that you use a very, very light amount of weight at first and then add to it very slowly. If you do not, YOU WILL have serious issues with tendinitis as a result. This is because the change in weight distribution will challenge muscles and tendons at the attachment point. Believe me friends, It is no fun to experience a serious case of tendinitis.
So the Bottom line is that I don't have anything against the use of a weight vest but that I do not feel as though I personally benefited in the way that I had hoped from the effort that I had put into it when I did use one. So, use one if you must, but utilizing added self applied muscular tension works for better in my opinion.
---John Peterson
In a private e-mail today I was asked about weight vest training because someone had seen the cover of PYTP and wondered if I endorse the use of a weight vest. My answer is that the vast majority of people will do just fine without it. After all, the average person already has enough difficulty with the vast majority of body weight Power Calisthenics. At least that is the case at first.
But let me also state that although a weight vest would seem to only add more weight to body weight movements it actually does more than that and changes the weight distribution that your muscles are accustomed to in a dramatic way. This is especially true if the weight is placed directly over your chest and upper back. In such cases it also forces a change in the range of motion for Pull-Up and Chin-Up variations as well as Push-Up variations. One caution that I would like to advise is that if you feel that you must use a weight vest that you use a very, very light amount of weight at first and then add to it very slowly. If you do not, YOU WILL have serious issues with tendinitis as a result. This is because the change in weight distribution will challenge muscles and tendons at the attachment point. Believe me friends, It is no fun to experience a serious case of tendinitis.
So the Bottom line is that I don't have anything against the use of a weight vest but that I do not feel as though I personally benefited in the way that I had hoped from the effort that I had put into it when I did use one. So, use one if you must, but utilizing added self applied muscular tension works for better in my opinion.
---John Peterson