Weight Vest to improve Power, Agility and Endurance?

[mamu18]

Hi Guys, I am a Football (Soccer) player and i am working hard on improving Power, Agility and Endurance.

I am nearly 7 inches tall, weigh 85kg and I am slim but muscular.

I was wondering whether it is dangerous to run with a Weight Vest?

I know you can do pushups, squats, lunges etc to improve these but can I actually run or jog with it? Will it be dangerous for joints?

Also what weight do you recommend, I have found between 10-20kg (22-44pounds)

I want to start before pre-season kicks off in a month.

Thanks for your help

[Boss Man]

Hi Mamu, good to talk to you.

Firstly, I assume you're not close to 7 inches tall, unless you're Tom Thumb .

Secondly when you say what weight, what are you referring to, do you mean the weight of the vest?

[mamu18]

Thanks for your reply Boss Man.

Yeah it is 7 feet not inches haha

So body weight is 85kg, the weight vest is 12kg.

[Boss Man]

I have never heard of any concerns relating to weight vests and running, but in mind it then becomes the consideration of whether adding the extra 12kg to your torso will increase the burden on the hips and knees, or whether those areas would actually be able to tolerate that or not.

I would say heed caution, as weight vests are mainly used for weightlifting so maybe you could decide against using one for running, or alternatively contact a manufacturer and ask them what specific caveats might be placed on the use of one and if so judge things for yourself based on their response.

You could even contact a few manufacturers just to ascertain some level of consistency, in case one company is being economical with the truth.

[Alinshop]

http://www.muscleandfitness.com/workout ... eight-vest" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There is a good description in the above muscle and fitness link. It states the vest is for a number of activities and suggests starting with low weights eventually working your way up.