5 Weighted Vest Movements For The Gym
1 - GHD Sit Up
Climb into the Glutei-Ham-Developer (GHD), anchoring your feet between the holds. You should position yourself so that you’re sitting toward the back of the pads with only a slight bend in the knees. Lower your torso back toward the ground while maintaining tension in your abs. Reach your arms overhead until your fingers touch the ground. Immediately initiate with your quads and drive your knees down (so that your legs are pretty much straight) and use your core to sit back up and touch your hands to your toes. The GHD sit up is great for developing core, quad, and hip-flexor strength.
2 - Box Jump
Stand in front of the box with your feet shoulder width apart. Slightly bend your legs, swing your arms back, then swing them forward and jump up and forward, landing on the box as softly as possible. Aim to land with your entire foot flat on the box. If the box is shorter, you may be able to land in the same position you started in (quarter squat) while a taller box may require you to land in a deeper squat (as shown in the video). The box jump is a plyometric move that works all your main lower-body muscles and boosts explosiveness. It’s a good move for people exercising to improve sports performance, and if you do if for more than a few seconds, it’ll get your heart racing for cardio as well.
3 - Sled Push
Load the sled with a comfortable weight. Choose a hand position below the top of the poles. The lower you grip, the easier pushing will be. It doesn’t matter whether your arms are straight or bent. As you move forward, keep your core tight and press into your forefoot with each step (you may even stay on your toes the whole time). To develop power and endurance, push lighter weight faster for longer; to build muscle, opt for heavier weight and shorter distances. Sled pushes target the quads and calfs with secondary impact on the glutes, hamstrings, and core.
4 - Rope Climb
Wrap your dominant leg around the rope so that the rope goes behind your thigh and then in front of your shin and on top of your foot. Reach up and grab the rope above your head. Pull up and tuck your knees with the rope still wrapped around your leg. Then use your free foot to step down on the rope laying across your dominant foot. Straighten your legs until you’re in a standing position, then reach and grab a higher part of the rope and repeat until you reach the top of the rope. This technique primarily works the biceps, forearms, shoulders, abs, and quads. If you’re interested in building more upper body strength, you can opt for a legless rope climb which will eliminate the aid provided by the lower body.
5 - Pull Up
Grab the pull up bar with your palms facing away from your body. Your grip should be a bit wider than shoulder width. Allow your body to hang with straight arms and legs off the floor. Pull all the way up until your chin passes the bar. Control decent until your arms are straight again. Pull ups are mostly an upper-back and arm exercise, but your abs are used to stabilize and prevent swinging when you hang.