It’s another sunny and hot day in beautiful San Diego. A perfect day to do a mixed bag workout with one of my favorite training aids the V-Max Weight Vest by Weightvest.com.  I’ve been using the vest for a year, apart from the sweat marks, the vest shows no signs of wear and tear 

When I first looked for a weight vest, I had three conditions that needed to be met. 

• The vest needed to be a “jack of all trades” vest. I needed a running, weights, circuit training, and bag work vest.
• Comfortable.
• Mirror the weight and feel of my on duty vest.

I checked on Amazon and found the Mir Short Style adjustable weight vest.  The Mir vest matched my criteria  and cost $99.00. I then found Weightvest.com and viewed  several of their vests, including their top of the line V-Force rig and the one size fits all Box vest.  

The features of the 30 pound V-Max Short Vest seemed to match my conditions and was possibly better made than the Mir. Made with 1000 denier nylon and coupled with a lifetime warranty, the V-Max was the clear winner. The made in the USA put the V-Max vest over the top.

 

 

I purchased the V-Max for $149.00 with free ground shipping.  You might say, “Dude that’s pricey!” I say “Sure bro”,  but you get what you pay for and I don’t mind saving up for quality equipment that will last for years.

Another great feature when ordering from Weightvest.com is the ability to customize the vests.  WIth 17 colors to chose from and two shoulder width sizes, you can fit your style and comfort level with the V-Max.  I chose the steel color (dark gray) and the narrow 3 ¼” shoulder width. The narrower shoulder gave me the ability to have shoulder mobility while sacrificing a minimum amount of comfort.

I received my vest and found that the workmanship of the V-Max was excellent.  The overall build quality from the stitching to the materials used was impressive, and I realized that the vest was worth the price point.  I opted to buy the removable sweat liner which keeps the stinks away (well worth the extra money) and helps to keep the vest snug to my body.

My vest came with twelve 2.5 pound cast iron weights which could be removed individually to customize the weight of the vest.  I put the V-Max  on my body and found it to be extremely comfortable.  My first test comprised of short runs and time on the heavy bag.  The vest remained snug during the runs and very little bounce from quick boxing movements. I found that  even with the  smaller shoulder width on my vest, my shoulders remained comfortable and ache free.

Having used the V-Max for prolonged training throughout the year, the vest remains almost as new as the day it was purchased.  The inner sweat liner was a great addition and has stood up to many wash cycles (cold wash and hang dry).

The V-Max vest has become one of my favorite tools for gaining explosive movement and overall body conditioning.  While at work, I carry a daily load of approximately 25 pounds on my body, the V-Max can simulate that load during my workouts and I’ve found it an invaluable tool for functional fitness.  While the V-Max is more expensive than most weight vests, the build quality and lifetime warranty is unmatched. You will not be disappointed.

 

 

 

Tell us your experiences with weighted vests and what brand you like to use.