Gaining Weight to Lose Weight

Hi Guys. Today I will be appearing as (okay, writing as) the Exercise Scientist. The following information will be more interesting and educational than it will be motivating and inspiring (as such). It won’t be hilarious or particularly amusing either but I think many of you who are looking to Renovate Your Body (or simply lose some lard) will find it relevant, thought-provoking and possibly, enlightening.

What Most of Us Want

Apart from world peace, inner peace, healthy kids, better relationships, a ticket to heaven, a Golden Retriever that doesn’t crap, moult or fart and an endless supply of unconditional love and foot rubs from our partner, what is it we all want?  A smaller arse, of course. And stomach. Legs. Arms. In fact, pick a body part. Over the years, the vast majority of people who have walked through the door of my gym for the first time have had one thing in common: a desire to be leaner. There are very few people who go to a gym (or start an exercise program at home for that matter) who don’t want to lose a little flab.

Now, being as losing flab essentially comes down to the equation of energy intake (calories in our gob) versus energy expenditure (calories burned), it makes sense that we should explore ways to increase our energy expenditure without having to get too creative, hard-core or uber-athletic and without having to (necessarily) increase our training time. While there are many ways to manipulate the intensity and resultant effects of exercise on our body, today I want to discuss a very simple but effective concept: making our body heavier (for an hour or so) while we exercise.

That’s right, the more weight we carry, the more energy we expend carrying that weight so why not opt for some temporary weight gain to speed up your weight loss? Now you’re interested aren’t you?

Knew it.

What is a Weight Vest?

A weight vest is a training (exercise) tool that can be used for a range of applications, in a range of situations and settings for anyone from the unfit novice exerciser through to the elite athlete. As the name indicates (and the picture shows), it is a vest to be worn while people exercise or participate in almost any kind of physical activity. Those activities might range from domestic duties (gardening and vacuuming) through to elite-level fitness and sports training (sprinting, climbing, plyometrics, aerobic endurance, muscular endurance and much more). These days, using a weight vest is commonplace among athletes at the pointy end of their sport. The vest has compartments (pockets) which allow the user to load up to 140lbs (64kgs) of weight.

While the weight vest has a wide range of high-performance applications and potential physical benefits, today I want to focus on the one benefit that is (typically) of greatest interest to most people who don’t fall into the elite athlete category: increasing calorie expenditure while exercising (with the goal of decreasing bodyfat and weight). Yep, that’s right; the weight vest is a simple (yet effective) tool that allows the user to drastically increase his or her energy expenditure (that is, calorie burning) while completing their regular tasks, activities and/or workouts.  

For example, the person who walks 7km (4.2mi) every day (a random distance chosen by me and used in the tables below) can significantly improve their aerobic and muscular endurance and drastically increase their energy expenditure (cals burned) by simply adding some weight to their walk. They don’t need to walk any further, faster or more often. They don’t need to develop a new skill or try a new activity. All they need to do is what they’ve done for the last (?) years while increasing the load a little (or for some, a lot) by adding some weight to the process.

To give you an idea of how effective adding weight to your exercise program can be, I’ve done some rudimentary calculations based on a 75kg (165lb) person completing a sixty-minute walk at 7kph (4.2mph) with various weights added (table 1) and then the same for a 60kg (132lb) person (table 2). Take a minute to look at the tables and then I’ll discuss some of the implications, suggestions and possibilities below.

Table 1

Table 2

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If we look at table 2, we can see that a 60kg person can increase his/her energy expenditure by 16.1% by adding as little as 10kgs to their walk. This is a simple and (relatively) low-intensity way to burn a lot more calories over a typical week of walking. I also did some additional calculations based on my body-weight (95kgs/209lbs). By adding a 30kg/66lb vest to my daily walk, I would burn an extra 44,720 calories over a twelve month period (walking an average of five days per week). No greater time commitment, no faster walking pace, no further distance covered – just a heavier load. Not only would I be leaner at the end of that period (all things being equal), I would also be fitter (aerobically) and stronger because my heart, lungs and muscles would be under greater load (and therefore need to adapt accordingly).  

Potential Applications

I won’t explore the potential applications for elite sport in this post (I don’t believe it’s relevant for the majority of my readers), but I will say that a weight vest can be a valuable addition to almost any weight-bearing activity (walking, jogging, skipping, stair walking, climbing, hiking – and more) for anyone looking to change their body composition. I even know quite a few people who put on their weight vest around breakfast time (usually with a light to moderate load) and keep it on until lunch time. They simply go about their daily business (chores, responsibilities, activities) while laden with a few extra pounds. The net result? Increased energy expenditure and, ultimately, faster weight-loss.

*Note: extra weight also means extra load on ligaments, tendons, joints and discs – which naturally means a greater potential for injuries. Before you load yourself up with a bazillion pounds (1) make sure you’re good to go (see a doctor or highly-qualified fitness professional) and (2) build a training (fitness/strength) base before you start heaving around anything too heavy.

Now, before you write and ask, yes, you can improvise and create your own (version of a) weight vest. A decent backpack and a few bags of rice and sugar is always a good starting point. In fact, carrying additional weight anywhere on your body (carrying the groceries for example) will increase energy expenditure. Of course, the weight vest is not a stand-alone, all-purpose fitness or weight-loss solution. However, it certainly has the potential to be a great resource and a fantastic addition to our training bag.

Let me know your thoughts, ideas and experiences.

* I look forward to seeing a hundred (or so) of you this Sunday at my centre in Brighton for a little RYB love. And possibly a hug.