Buying a weighted vest and progressing to weighted legs ($$$$) Research + Notes…

---Short vest is better because…... More versatility and more comfortable.

-I would recommend the narrow since it allows for a greater variety of exercises.

How the fuck do you put these big ass vests on???? If I remember correctly, I actually laid down on
the ground into the back half and then flipped the front half over my head and sat up

Short vest vs long vest

2. Short Vest: This is the most popular version among the three versions of V-Force weight
vests. It sits above the waist. Its padded shoulders help distribute the weight comfortably and
evenly across the upper area of the body. The vest comes with side pockets at the back and front.
This allows the user to distribute the weight.

3. Long Style Vest: This version sits right at the waistline and is specifically designed to
distribute the weight more evenly across the entire upper region of the body. The pockets are
found at the back and front of the vest, which allows the user to customize the load weight.

The short style vest’s weight capacity ranges from 25 to 100 pounds, while the large vest’s
weight capacity ranges from 45 to 150 pounds. However, the 150 pounds long vest is made up of
two 75 pounds’ vests that are designed to be used together.

Narrow vs wider shoulder traps

Narrow if need to move shoulders overhead (pullups or handstand)

Wider distributes more evenly more comfortable experience. So walking for example. The site
says “calisthenics” but it seems really general and no specifics. Narrow it is.

Short vs Long

Long for maximum load vest.

Short for better center of gravity focusing on the core. Anything where you need to bend at the
hips such as lifting a tire or jumping. It won’t infringe on your waistline.hmmmm

V-Force short vest: $387 V-Max short vest: $357

V Force long vest: $471 V-Force Long Vest: $452

Short seems better, but long has higher maximum load. Hmmmm

1
Long vests

Long weight vests lower the weight 5" off your chest and add a second belt system for more
stability. 12"W x 16"L x 4"D

Long weight vests are best for:

 Running, walking, hiking
 Stairs and treadmills
 Lower body strength training
 If you perform exercises for both short and long vests, we recommend the short version for
versatility.

Short vests are more compact, keeping the weight off your stomach and allow you a full range of
comfortable motion. 12"W x 11"L x 4"D Short weight vests are best for:

 Agility and versatility

 Gym or CrossFit exercises
 Calisthenics
 Any exercise requiring a lot of bending at the waist

-------------------------------

Hi Matt,

You are taller than average, but to make sure, the long version is 16 inches in length. If you
were to measure from your collar bone downwards for 16 inches, that would give you an idea of
where the vest would end. In general, for a lot of bending at the waist movements I would
recommend the short version as it keeps the weights off your stomach area. I think the long
would be fine for all squat movements though given your height.

The V-FORCE version of our vest is the full camouflage version that has been beefed up a bit by
added reinforcement along the flaps and belts. The V-MAX version is black and colors with a
slightly less wide belt. Basically, if you like camouflage you probably would like the V-FORCE.
Both are equally comfortable and perform the same.
I hope that was helpful a bit and thanks for your email,
Clark
----------------------------------------------

Reviews from site….

-I have used this vest(s) pretty much every day since I received it. The vest actually comes as
two and Velcros to the other, which makes it convenient if you have a workout buddy. I highly
recommend getting the 150lb version even though it is slightly more $$ than the 100lb. You'll
eventually need the extra weight. Definitely makes pull-ups and burpees more challengin
-I'm the kinda guy that likes to workout from home. Don't want a gym membership or any of the
hassle. If I workout from home I know I can find motivation sometime in the day to workout.

2
The weightvest adds much more resistance for push ups, sit ups, calf raises, and squats. It can be
combined with other vests or kettlebells too depending on your level. I love the vest.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jokkos best equipment
1. Gymnastic Rings(can do Dips and Pullups)
2. Squat Rack
3. Olympic Lifting bar and plates
4. Kettleballs (swings, farmerwalks, snatches, Turkish getups, etc.) (the gargage gym
review guy has a 53 pound kettleball in his top three workout equipments if stuck on an
island)

Glute ham developer machine(can do glute ham raises, reverse hypers,) Rogue Abram GHD
2.0(pricey as fuck though....) Stall bars are cool too(I use them at dave randall tot)

--------------------------------------------------------------------

HP Mageson

Rings, weight vest, kettleballs (I AGREE SIMPLE)

You want strength....... My experience in strength training was pull up's, hindu squats and kettle bells did
the best for strength and endurance. I felt this when doing Judo during the classes you have to get on
the mat and wrestle against other members of all belt levels this could last up to an hour. I noticed it
was what I mentioned that gave me the advantage in strength and endurance only. Everything else was
not as good as this. Including running long distance. I used to run up to twenty miles in a session.

Now let us think on strength I was doing one handed pull ups to sixty plus pull ups of different kinds in
one session. The same problem just going up endless reps does not equal extra strength after a point. I
was also doing hundreds of push up and handstand push up's.

Now for strength lets say you can do 10 standard pull up's fine with no real effort...... Get a weight vest
and put how much weight onto this and then try and do three to five. Same with one armed pull ups
which are powerful for strength. It also leaves no room for babying the weaker side of the body.

Gym rings are superior for pull ups for that reason the babying effect is not there. Note also do some
squats with a weight vest on. You want cardio there you go. You can do the same with push up's now its
a strength training exercise.

Cost a weight vest, some gym rings and that's it not an expense gym fee for hurting yourself with body
building methods that ruin the body and don't build strength just strange looking muscle you look like
trazan but have the strength of jane.

3
Bulgarian split squat = goat by Bruno, Athleanx, and Mike Boyle(advocates single leg work

One leg straight deadlift. Good lift

Best if done with one dumbbell/kettleball in one hand. But once get to 80 pounds need to switch
to bar or two dumbbell version. How much weight to shoot for?: I have found that most athletes
will be able to handle 80-100 pounds in one hand in a 1 Leg SLDL if pushed. I have done 70 for 8 at 185
lbs and 46 years of age.

Weighted vest box jumps: start 10% of total BW and progress to 20% max.

Bottoms-Up Single-Leg Foot and Shoulder-Elevated Hip Thrust

Leg Curl sideboard(I can do it with yoga ball)

Some goals to hit(by Bruno)

 Work to the point where you can do Bulgarian split squats with a load equal to your body weight
(be it barbell, dumbbell, weighted vest, or some combination thereof) for 6-8 reps per leg using
a full range of motion. Or do walking lunges with a load equal to your body weight for 16
consecutive steps (that's eight per leg) with good form. (Mike Boyle says 225x5 is the
benchmark)
 Work to the point where you can do unsupported skater squats with half your body weight for 6
reps per leg.
 Work towards being able to do single-leg RDLs with 75% of your body weight for 6-8 reps per
leg.

about 50% bodyweight pistol = 2x bodyweight squat other guy(kinobody) says 100 pound(2x 50 DBs)
+175(his bodyweight) = 375 back squat Pistol squat to back squat = bodyweight in pounds + (additional
weight x 2). Exercise is probably better done Bruno style with working leg elevated with balance and also
to prevent extreme rounding.

Single Leg Squat Calculations: once familiarized females: 20-50 males: 75-110 external weight
sometimes more. 80 pounds weight +176 bodyweight for 6 reps translates to 164 BW (-12 for lower
leg,foot), + 80 = 244. Need to back squat 336 x 6 to get same working load. Ben Brunos used 184
weight at a BW of 183 (171 weight exclusing lower leg, foot) = 355 on working leg. To get same overload
for legs on backsquat need to do 539 for 6 which wouldn’t be able to unrack lmao.

Hamstring Hell(Sliding Leg Curls) by Tony Bruno. GREAT hamstring/glute exercises low injury risk.
https://www.t-nation.com/training/hamstring-hell-sliding-leg-curls

Note: Sliders are used for a lot of these exercises.

1. Squeez Sliding Leg Curl (both legs) foam roll between legs and slide back and forth. Don’t sag
the butt squeeze to get a better contraction
2. Resisted Single Leg Curl. One leg sliding back and forth. Can use chains, a WEIGHTED VEST, or
plates to increase resistance(yes!!!!). even 5-10 pounds makes a huge difference! Could put a
plate on the slide pad as well.

4
 3. Body Curl. Works best on a slideboard but can rest shoulders on a plate with two sliders
underneath(can probably use other shit too. can have weight(vest) on hips but start BW only.
keeping a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Cues same as sliging leg curl
4. Barbell Body Curl. Same as prior but with barbell
5. Single Leg-Curl. The master of all. Even if able to do 135 sliding leg curls won’t be able to do 1
of these bad boys. To build up to doing the true single-leg version, try the single-leg eccentric
version, which is also a great exercise in its own right. Bridge up normally, then push out on one
leg and pull back in with two legs.
How to Incorporate Them: Add these exercises in towards the end of lower body
workouts after your heavier work. You can do them up to four times a week without
issue because they're very easy on the joints. It's definitely an exercise that lends itself
well to higher frequency training, making it a great choice if you're looking to bring up
lagging hamstrings.

If you don't have access to a slideboard, you can create a similar training effect using a pair of
Valslides or plastic furniture movers on a carpeted surface, or even just placing a towel on a
wooden floor or any other slick surface.

Another exercise by ben Bruno/brett: single leg suspended hangin hamstring curl: This exercise can be
made harder by wearing a weighted vest, increasing the height of the bench, or increasing the length of
the straps. It can also be performed unilaterally.
For a leg workout I'll do: shrimp squats, goblet squats, single leg romanian deadlifts, nordic
curls, single leg calf raises, hip thrust on
Love goblet and single leg squats with a vest on.

Back bridges are a great exercise many neglect to do. That and kettlebell swings make for a decent
placeholder for deadlifts.(guy got this from Convict Conditioning) .

Posterior chain you'll want a mix of bridge through to back limbers glute ham raises for the hamstrings.
Back lever(skill work), front lever (rows/0 for back. Maybe some rope climbs?, you've got yourself a full
deadlift replacement. Pistol squats/hillsprints for squats.
What do you Faggots do for Legs???
Natural Hamstring Curls
Single Leg Squats (Pistol squats, shrimp, skater, split squats, warrior, etc…)
Deep Step ups
Jumps(single and both legs)
Weighted Version of all of the above with DB’s, KB’s, vests
Sprints(hill/flat ground)

Top 5 glute exercises by girl:

1. Romanian deadlift
2. Bulgarian split squat
3. Hip thrust
4. Half kneeling squats (lol) (knees outwards apart normally toes inwards closer) (pulsing
works more hamstrings, glute squeezing works more glutes)
5. Goblet Squat

5
This probably isn't going to get a lot of upvotes, but if money is not an issue, I'd say go ahead
(probably look on eBay for a cheaper price) if you already have:
 pull up bar
 rings
When choosing a weighted vest, consider what exercises you want to use with it.
Shoulder-width Push ups:
 Your upper arms need to glide across your ribs smoothly. The design you linked doesn't
seem to have this problem.
 The gut area of the vest should not bang the floor before your chest (lower RoM), and
this seems like it might.
Close Grip Push Up:
 The chest weights should not bang into the back of your hands (the one you linked seems
like it might)
Horizontal rows on rings:
 Weighted vests are much better than backpack-on-chest. (I clocked myself in the chin
with a weighted backpack)
Pullups / Chins:
 upper arms scrape lats cleanly
 (close grip pullups and chins) gut weights might bang into forearms
Handstand Pushups:
 The weight vest doesn't shift / fall off when you invert.
Kettlebells > dumbells
Swings are a fantastic exercise
I just feel you'd get more out of kettlebells by doing the usual kb movements like TGU's(Turkish
get ups) and swings, which I'm pretty sure are damn useful for anything, including MMA. And
IMHO doing anything with kb's that are close to, or around, 40kg's (swings, TGU, C&P, pistols)
is a huge accomplishment no matter what you goals are.
--
Double KB snatch and clean and jerk are another path to progression, they are similar to the
olympic lifts. You can't really challenge your max easily, but doing them for reps is very
challenging for strength- endurance. Simple and Sinister is a good program, I follow a similar
rep scheme with my heavy swings, but I time the sets with an interval timer, so it is consistently
challenging on cardio. (NOTE: Simple and Sinister is a Pavel program/book). Pavel
recommends “strong gentleman” have a 53 and 70 pound kettlebell. Sounds the most useful.

ROCKRAIDER ON PISTOLS

Full ROM deep step ups, pistol squats and practicality of adding extra load
(includes probable weighted pistol world record) even with poor ankle
mobility.
The Recommended Routine uses the step up progression, and the ultimate form is this, with the
free foot not touching anything at the bottom. Note how he still keeps the foot in contact with the
box, especially at the bottom.
This is an interesting thing, because you can keep your free leg behind the box without touching
it only if you have amazing ankle dorsiflexion, since normally in single leg squats the free leg

6
helps as a counterweight. Yet it's not bad to allow the free leg to slide against the box as long as
long as you don't push off a surface with the foot at the bottom, in fact it helps those with poor
ankle mobility and even with my horrible dorsiflexion I can do them.
If we keep the free leg on the side of the ledge/box instead of the back, the exercise becomes
more similar to a pistol squat, it's a good way to scale it if you don't have the hamstring mobility
+ hip flexor compression strength to keep the free leg horizontal. It's also probably the most
practical way to do weighted pistols, you can express your strength without worrying about
mobility, you only need to avoid excessive back rounding and knee caving in/valgus. You can
see Eric Bugenhagen do a pistol with +102kg/225lbs here. I've never seen a heavier pistol,
although in this discussion there is a claim that an NFL punter named Tommy Parks did a pistol
with a 315lbs/143kg barbell.
Another practical way of loading single leg squats is with two dumbbells. You can keep them
raised in front of you as a counteweight, but with heavy loads it will be less practical and you
will be forced to keep them close to the ground, like this. If you stand on a small platform you
can keep the dumbbells down and the only upper body requirements would be grip and back
(spinal erectors) strength.
As a final note, if you lack ankle dorsiflexion or the ability to keep the free leg straight (which
helps with mobility because it acts as a counterweight), consider adding something under the
heel (books, a wedge, wearing shoes or even weightlifting shoes, doing them on a ramp etc.).
Ben Bruno weighs 176lbs/80kg and can do two pistols per leg with +100% bodyweight using an
aid for dorsiflexion, as shown here. Adam Raw doing a pistol with 64kg/141lbs of shoulder
loaded kettlebells looks badass but is more risky for injuries unless you have excellent mobility
and stability (also I like the message of his video).
(My note: Step Calf stretches and pike/hamstring work will help the flexibility.)
Note that Bulgarian split squats may be a more stable way to overload the legs if you have
enough weight to do them but not enough to do two leg squats (or if you have back problems and
don't want to load it a lot). Here is Pete Rubish doing reps with 405lbs/182kg.
I think the ultimate way to do pistols for long term progressive overload even with extreme
weights, no matter your body proportions or lack of mobility (I still recommend trying to
improve it) is to raise the heel with something stable if you lack dorsiflexion, a wedge like in
Ben Bruno's video or weightlifting shoes like in Eric's video or a ramp seems to be the best way,
and being on a small platform so you can hold two dumbbells with the arms down and you can
bend your free leg if needed
------------------------------------------
Reddit advocates Deep Step ups over Pistols. Pistols as skill work, but can definetly be main
movement. Harop Curl for Nordic Curl (Beginner(Pike at hips) -> Arms at side -> arms on chest
– arms on head -> arms overhead.
Harop Curls/Nordic curls: tightly rolled towel below knee.
blanket above back of heels
pillow for knees
do not fully extend the knee or lock out
 You want to be anchored about a fist's distance away from your ankle.
 Ascend by squeezing your glutes and driving your ankles up into your anchor

7
Equipment (long term stuff)
 Paraletts/pushup bars in next planche progression. parallets, push up handles, or any raised
platform such as dictionaries, benches, chairs, etc, to increase the range of motion.

 Weight Vest

 Kettlebells(Pavel recommends 53(best) and 70 pound ones for strong)

o 53
o 70
 Resistance band (for KB swings, and maybe other stuff DeFranco likes them for Bulgarians)

 Gymnastics Rings(can do pullups, dips all kinds of stuff and put them anywhere)

 Elevated step (front leg elevated Bulgarians) not high at all maybe 3 inches

 Slidershttps://www.amazon.com/Elite-Exercise-Smoothly-Surface-Exercises/dp/
B00OYRW4UE SLIDERS. Do single leg slided exercises https://www.amazon.com/s/?
keywords=exercise%20sliders https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?
_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313.TR4.TRC1.A0.H0.Xexercise+sliders.TRS0
&_nkw=exercise+sliders&_sacat=0
 Neck Harness
o elitefts™ Head/Neck Harness: http://www.elitefts.com/elitefts-head-neck-harness.html
Highly Recommend Senshi Japan equipment, really cheap but amazing quality.
Senshi Japan Version III Head Harness Dipping Belt Neck Exercise Weight Lifting Gym
Fitness Weight Training V3: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Senshi-Japan-Harness-Exercise-
Training/dp/B00ZLDIAYO/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1435623515&sr=8-
5&keywords=senshi+japan+neck+harness

Senshi Japan Heavy Duty Nylon Head Harness Neck Harness Adjustable
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Senshi-Japan-Heavy-Harness-Adjustable/dp/B00UMDJF2Y/
ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1435623515&sr=8-3&keywords=senshi+japan+neck+harness

 Rebounder(good low impact cardio and stimulates the crown chakra)

 Ankle weights (reverse hypers and leg raises) (low priority)

 Heavy Bag/Gloves (if want to do that)

 Cheap headphones stay in ear (Kz ATE Copper Driver Ear Hook Hifi in Ear Earphone
Sport Headphones for Running with Foam Eartips with Microphone):
http://www.amazon.com/KZ-Earphone-Headphones-Running-Microphone/dp/
B00Y0F6IBG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451289685&sr=8-1&keywords=kz+ate
o Sandisk clipjam cheap mp3 player