A weight vest comes in perfectly handy when you’re looking to make the most of your CrossFit fitness regimen. Sometimes referred to as a weighted vest, the weight vest can be instrumental in enabling you to complete your CrossFit WODs. As a Crossfit enthusiast, you know that this celebrated fitness system or technique incorporates aspects of competitive functional fitness and traditional physical exercises.

Crossfit WOD or ‘workout of the day’ integrates elements of aerobics, high-intensity strength training, powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting, and gymnastics, and much more. More often than not, strapping a weight vest around your chest allows you to ramp up your CrossFit WOD intensity. If you can use the extra heft of a weighted vest to your advantage, you’ll benefit from workouts that demand extreme physical prowess and stamina, ultimately making you stronger.

Top 5 Weight Vests for Crossfit

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1. Aduro Sport Weighted Vest

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Aduro Sport’s Weighted Vest is a fairly standard product within an acceptable price range, whether you are a CrossFit veteran, a beginner or an aspirant looking to get into it. Usage of said vest guarantees increased strength, endurance, and agility. The vest by design is perfect for the intense cardio and weighted workouts that CrossFit demands and is comfortable thanks to its soft neoprene material.

The vest, however, isn’t suitable to be fitted on everybody due to poor strap placement that often leaves some parts loose and is mostly designed keeping a mean body type in mind. The vest comes with weight slots that allow you to adjust the weight of the vest by adding on more weights. One thing to note however is that you can’t reduce the weight of the vest by removing pre-fitted weights. They can only be added to.

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Material: Breathable Neoprene material.
Adjustable Weights
Washable
Warranty: Lifetime

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Comfortable to wear
Adjustable size
Mesh pockets to add more weight
Balanced Weights and weight distribution
Washable

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Some cases of weak stitching that can be undone after rigorous use.
Fitting not suitable for everyone due to poor belt placement.

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2. ZFOsports Weighted Vest

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ZFOsport’s vest can be best described as a premium in design and still manages to be cheaper than it’s Aduro counterpart. With a one-size-fits-all philosophy at the core of its design and executed to excellence thanks in par to velcro, it manages to exceed most counterparts in the market.

The vest comes with a water bottle holder that can carry bottles weighing up to 16 oz and has a better strap belt placement allowing one to adjust the vest in a better fashion. It also comes pockets to store other equipment making it quite a lavish vest to own for CrossFit diehards.

The only downside seen in the product was the lack of an instruction manual to assist assembly which could be a bit tedious with the lack of one.

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Product Dimensions: 15 x 12 x 2 inches
Warranty: Lifetime

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Balanced weight distribution
Great fitting

No vest assembly instruction manual given with the product.

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3. RUNmax Pro Weighted Vest

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RUNmax’s Weighted Vest is pretty similar to other vests in the market but at a more affordable price. It doesn’t necessarily include the lavish features its ZFOsport counter-part showed off, but it gets the job done while keeping your wallet still fairly heavy. One cool feature they do get to boast about is the option to attach shoulder pads which you could go for if you want that extra boost for your shoulders.

Shoulder pads paired with decent fitting thanks to two belts instead of one make this a vest you couldn’t go wrong with purchasing.

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Option to attach shoulder pads
It comes with extra weights that can be added on to the vest.

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Great fitting
Shoulder pads
Inexpensive

None.

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4. CROSS101 Weighted Vest

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Cross101’s vest is a peculiar one. Though they come with a flashier design thanks to its camouflage variants, it’s very similar to other products in the market with no real features to distinguish it with apart from it’s a fairly higher price.

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Warranty: Lifetime

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Decent Fitting

Expensive. Try other alternatives.

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5. CAP Barbell Weighted Vest

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CAP Barbell’s vest is for sure one of the better products out there thanks to it taking most of the good traits of the above products except maybe the lavish water bottle pocket which the ZFO variant sported.

It’s fairly comfortable to put on thanks to its neoprene material and is easily adjustable due to its many straps. It also comes with a different version for women which also holds the one-size-fits-all philosophy. It also has an extra pocket for cell phones. The material of the vest gives enough mesh breathing room allowing users to feel comfortable. All of this adds up to make a solid product that is definitely a bang for your buck.

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Product Dimensions: 15 X 17 X 5 inches
Material: Neoprene

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Great fitting
Extra pocket for cellphones
Comfortable material

None

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Weight Vest for Crossfit Buying Guide

What exactly is a weight vest? Do you need such a vest for CrossFit WODs?

A weight vest, as the terminology indicates, is a sleeveless vest that is remarkably heavy. Weighted bags are outfitted with sandbags or components made of iron that makes them hefty, letting you rev up your CrossFit exercises. Weight vests help in building up greater resistance by putting more stress on your torso, especially your chest and shoulders.

These vests enable you to perform high-intensity workouts that exercise your entire body, while you’re running, walking, or striding. So, if you’re looking to burn calories for building six-pack abs or simply intending to boost up your strength, then a weighted vest serves you well.

If you cannot make up your mind on whether you require a weighted vest for your Crossfit workout regimen, then this review will come to your aid. We’ll first walk you through aspects you need to keep in mind before buying a weight vest. After that, we’ll discuss a few FAQs related to weighted vests that’ll help you to decide whether you need this product.

Considerations for buying a quality vest for CrossFit

You could easily mistake a weight vest for a bulletproof armor or breastplate that soldiers put on while preparing for a battle. And if you see a guy or gal stretching out in the gym wearing a weighted vest, you may quickly jump to the conclusion that he or she is overly pretentious. There’s no disputing that weight vests are particularly suitable for veteran athletes and competitive sports professionals.

However, if truth be told, a weight vest could also assist laypersons and amateurs in becoming stronger, healthier, and sprightlier, provided they use them appropriately. A weight vest for Crossfit is very much similar to a vest that you strap around your torso while running long distances. That said, a CrossFit weighted vest, like a running vest, should fit perfectly and comfortable to wear as well.

Nevertheless, a weighted vest worn for CrossFit workouts tends to be more versatile than a running vest. A CrossFit weight vest lets you make your tough workouts tougher by adding extra resistance. You can compare a weight vest that you wear on your chest to a weighted armband or ankle weight.

The majority of weight vests that you’ll find in the market, by and large, weigh anywhere between 10 lbs and 45 lbs. Just like a weighted armband and an ankle weight thoroughly exercises your arms and legs respectively, weighted vests exercise all your body muscles rigorously. Since a weight vest (or rather its load) is secured around your trunk, you do not have to hold it separately like a kettlebell or dumbbell.

You can put on a weight vest with your routine workout outfit, and fasten it to your trunk using the built-in Velcro straps.

Things to look for in a weight vest for CrossFit training

Construction

Since all weight vests are not created equal, it does not need to be emphasized that they are created using different types of materials. However, most of the weighted vests that you’ll come across are generally stitched out of nylon or polyester or from variants of these synthetic fabrics. You’ll want to buy a weight vest that has been embroidered from premium-quality materials and features robust stitching, making the product durable and resilient.

At the same time, the materials used for producing your weight vest should make the same comfortable to wear. In other words, the materials should help promote good circulation of air and should be hygroscopic, i.e. soak up moisture. Performing CrossFit workouts could be very exhausting, making you perspire profusely.

Hence the weight vest you wear should be made from materials that have moisture-wicking properties, enabling the vest to absorb the sweat. Also, ensure that the weight vest is machine-washable or hand-washable; this feature allows you to keep the product squeaky clean.

Add-ons

When it comes to selecting a weight vest that is ideal for your Crossfit exercises, the simpler the product you choose the better. A weight vest per se is quite heavy, to say the least. On top of that, if you add a phone pouch or water bottle holder to the weight vest, it will become heavier.

Remember that you’d be wearing this vest while you’re exercising in the gym or your home. And if at any time, you need to take a break for drinking water or attending to a phone call, you can easily take off the vest. Therefore, you’d be better off opting for a CrossFit vest that does not come equipped with add-ons.

The weight factor

The weight of a CrossFit vest could vary widely based on the product’s design. While some weight vests could weigh as low as 10-12lbs, a few could add up to 45-60lbs to your body weight. Nevertheless, one good thing about these vests is that you can always offload their total weight to a considerable extent.

You can get reduce the cumulative weight of a CrossFit vest by at least 10 lbs. You can do this by offloading individual weight components until you achieve a weight that you can comfortably bear. Weight vests that offer this feature tend to be more expensive than products that do come equipped with the functionality.

Design

This is undoubtedly the most crucial aspect or feature that you will need to take into account while choosing a quality Crossfit vest. The design of a weighted vest will invariably make a significant difference in how effectively you perform your CrossFit WODs. That being said, an ergonomically designed weight vest should provide you an excellent range of motion, allowing you to crouch, jump, deadlift, and smash out with ease.

To put it in short, you should choose a short and compact weighted vest that allows its heft to be distributed around your upper back and chest. Additionally, the vest should fit comfortably without being excessively taut or loose, and it should let you breathe normally. Go for a weight vest that comes with multiple cords or straps for adjusting it across all sections of your torso.

FAQs

What are the benefits of putting on a weight vest for Crossfit?

The chief objective of wearing a weight vest is to reinforce your CrossFit workout regimen that can be quite challenging. You’d not want to put on a vest that gets you bogged down, thereby putting paid to your workout goals. Of course, such a vest should be hefty but then again, it should not be so heavy that your resistance training becomes overkill.

Put, a weighted vest should enable you to carry out CrossFit workouts with greater efficiency and effectiveness rather than weighing you down. The resourcefulness of a 45 lb or 12 lb vest lies in the fact that it lets you perform pushups and pull-ups with greater vigor.

Will the heftiness of a weight vest tie you down? Putting it into perspective, how hefty should be a weight vest for Crossfit?

You’ll find a wide range of weight vests for CrossFit that cater to the high-intensity training requirements of people of varying sizes amateurs to leviathan athletes. So, it follows that the different brands have their unique design. The thumb rule you should follow while purchasing a weighted vest is to ensure that its heft should be roughly equivalent to 10% of your weight.

Even if you are thinking of buying a weight vest that is about 15% to 20% of your body weight, you always have the option of decreasing its overall weight.

Is putting on a weight vest safe from the perspective of health?

Yes, it is. Putting on a CrossFit vest is as safe as running on a treadmill or exercising with a fitness ball as long as you use it properly. For getting the best results, make sure the vest fits you suitably. At the same time, it should make you feel cozy i.e.; it should not be too tight-fitting or overly loose.

However, you are advised to take the opinion of your physician before starting to use this vest, especially if you have any preexisting muscle or bone condition.

Table of Contents

Best Weight Vest for Crossfit 2020 Reviews – Top Crossfit Weighted Vest

Top 5 Weight Vests for Crossfit

1. Aduro Sport Weighted Vest

2. ZFOsports Weighted Vest

3. RUNmax Pro Weighted Vest

4. CROSS101 Weighted Vest

5. CAP Barbell Weighted Vest

Weight Vest for Crossfit Buying Guide

What exactly is a weight vest? Do you need such a vest for CrossFit WODs?

Considerations for buying a quality vest for CrossFit

Things to look for in a weight vest for CrossFit training

Construction

Add-ons

The weight factor

Design

FAQs

What are the benefits of putting on a weight vest for Crossfit?

Will the heftiness of a weight vest tie you down? Putting it into perspective, how hefty should be a weight vest for Crossfit?

Is putting on a weight vest safe from the perspective of health?

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