Walking with Weighted Vests: What the Current Research Says

One of the fastest-growing fitness trends is walking with a weighted vest. The purported weighted vest benefits include improved muscle strength, increased bone mineral density, and greater energy (calorie) expenditure that might contribute to weight loss.

But what does the research say about walking with a weighted vest?

Surprisingly, for a trend that has been so widely adopted, there is very little weighted vest research to support these claims. Let’s walk through each of the purported benefits:

• Muscle Strength

  • In order to increase muscle strength and endurance, we need to progressively overload our muscles, which generally involves more meaningful external loads (weight). To be clear, we don’t have to lift extremely heavy weights, but the resistance must be sufficient so that our muscles reach the point of fatigue or failure. Walking with a weighted vest does not build muscle strength.

• Bone Mineral Density

  • A 2025 review published in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that walking with a weighted vest did not improve bone density or prevent bone loss in adults over 60 years of age. For individuals seeking to maintain or increase bone mineral density, other forms of resistance training are more effective.

• Calorie Expenditure & Weight Loss

  • Early research suggests that walking with a weighted vest for weight loss may slightly increase calorie burn (30–50 calories in 30 minutes). However, energy expenditure is determined mostly by exercise intensity. If we walk faster, walk at an incline, jog, or increase the cadence of rowing or stepping, we burn more calories. Additionally, following cardio exercise, energy expenditure declines (after we do cardio, the body compensates by burning fewer calories later). Cardio, with or without a weighted vest, is minimally effective for overall calorie expenditure or long-term weight loss.

• Cardiovascular Health

  • Weighted vest cardio doesn’t provide additional cardiovascular health benefits compared to other forms of exercise, including walking, walking at an incline, StairMaster, elliptical, rowing, or jogging.

Of course, movement and physical activity—so long as they don’t promote injury—are always beneficial. So if putting on a weighted vest motivates you to exercise, continue to do so. But if your goal is to maximize the benefits of your workouts, the current weighted vest research does not support it as a highly effective training tool.