Some Warm Up Suggestions So Far
In previous posts I’ve shared a couple ideas for how you can warm up before exercising. Well, if you’re looking for a little more intensity, the weighted vest is for you. More about that in just a minute.
A popular way to warm up is jumping rope. It’s also a pretty good exercise all on it’s own. World champion boxers all over the world can’t be wrong. I know you’ve seen those Rocky movies.
Another great way to warm up is going for a brisk walk. This is also a great work out with tons of benefits. Remember, if I can go for a walk, you can too. You can’t be lazier than me.
I’ve mentioned these warm up exercises earlier and I think you will really enjoy including them in your routine.
I’ll be sharing with you several other warm up exercises that I think you will like. I’ll tell you how I fit them together for a complete warm up session and the benefits they give you. I’m sure you want to hear about how these exercises will help you burn calories, strengthen your core and build your endurance. These are all amazing physical fitness goals.
I’m going to tell you all about those other great warm up exercises real soon.
For now I wanted to jump ahead a little bit and share something I do for a little added challenge.
The Monster Known As The Weighted Vest
If you’ve been exercising for a while you might feel like your routine has hit a plateau. For me, that means I’m not progressing anymore with the workout. I still feel good. But it feels like I’m not improving anymore.
There’s a lot of advice out there about what you can do to break through that point in your workout when you’ve hit a plateau. I found a quick and easy article that describes why you’re hitting a plateau and how you can break through it.
When my workout is hitting a plateau, I find that to be the best time to exercise with a weighted vest. If you’ve already been working out for a while and haven’t tried this, give it a shot. I really felt a difference when I first tried one. Also, changing things up can be a good exercise habit.
It’s awful and feels like work but it makes a huge difference quickly.
I would hold off on including the weighted vest if you haven’t worked out before or haven’t in a long time. Save it for when you feel like your exercise routine needs a little something extra.
Where To Begin
There are a few places to start with the weighted vest to see what works best for you. I tried it while walking. This can be fun if you’re doing it outside around your neighborhood. Watch the expressions on peoples faces. Otherwise, you can try it out on a treadmill or doing the stairs in your home.
As you can imagine, the weighted vest is great for body weight exercises. I’ve used it while doing push-ups, pull ups and even while jumping rope. Try to find one that you can fasten comfortably and securely so that it doesn’t bounce around too much.
A quick search online will show you all kinds of vests. If you decide that you want to try out a weighted vest, I would recommend getting one that allows you to vary the weight. The one that I have has pockets for adding and removing little weights that are included with it.
This way you can start out slow with virtually no weight to get used to wearing the vest while you work out. Then, gradually increase by adding weight until you feel challenged.
The Weighted Vest As An Alternative
If you’ve been exercising for a while and enjoy body weight exercises, maybe you’ve tried your pull-ups and chin-ups with a weight plate attached to your belt.
You may want to try a weighted vest instead. This is just my preference. I find it much easier to control.
Also, the vest allows you to incorporate your lower body into the workout as well. You can throw in leg lifts and tucks. This is much harder to do if you have a plate dangling beneath you. You also have to be careful you don’t bang your legs on the plate.
Another thing that I enjoy using the vest for is exercises that I like but would prefer to do without free weights. Some people may disagree with this but you’ll see what I mean.
For example, I’m not crazy about putting heavy weight on a bar across my shoulders and doing squats. But I do like the exercise. So, I put on the vest, toss on the weight and I do the squats.
Now you will not develop huge quads doing squats like this. I get it. However, if you like the exercise and want to develop strong toned legs, I believe you will find that doing the correct range of motion for squats with the vest will get you what you need.
Going Forward
I’m going to get into more detail about the exercises I’ve mentioned here in later posts. Some are great warm-ups and some are great on their own. I just wanted to mention the weighted vest so you could have something else to think about that could challenge you when your routine gets boring or starts to seem too easy.
Again, do whatever works best for you. It’s your journey towards physical fitness. I’m just making suggestions. I wouldn’t say the weighted vest makes exercising more enjoyable. Ugh. If you do decide to start using one, I do think you will be feeling the results pretty quickly.
If you didn’t already know about weighted vests, I hope this was helpful. Best of luck if you decide to start using one in your exercise routine. If you don’t like it ( and in the beginning you won’t) you can’t blame me.
