How to Add a Weight Vest to Your Workout

If you want the same pump as lifting weights but do not have weights available, try the following workout with a weight vest or a 10- to 20-pound backpack. This workout makes your standard calisthenics more difficult and helps you not overdo the repetitions.

Warm-up Section

The following half pyramid (or ladder) is a quick warm-up that mixes in short jogs with pull-ups and push-ups. Depending on what you consider a "warm-up," you can go up the half pyramid to Set 5 or continue to Set 10 (or anywhere between). When you see the following, this is what it means:

Warm-up: Push-ups/pull-ups/run pyramid 1-10 warm-up with a 100-meter jog in-between + run one mile

• Set 1: Do 1 push-up and 1 pull-up, then jog 100 meters if outdoors or with a 50-meter section to run in your gym.
• Set 2: Do 2 push-ups/2 pull-ups, then jog 100 meters (or do jumping jacks/jump rope for 20 seconds)
• Set 3: Do 3 push-ups/3 pull-ups ... and continue up the ladder until you feel warm and ready. This may have you stop at Set 4 (10 reps of each exercise -- 1+2+3+4 = 10), or if you continue up to Set 10, you will accumulate 55 reps each.

The Workout

Now put on the added weight. We tend to do this particular workout on Wednesday and call it "Weight Vest Wednesday" to make calisthenics harder and focus on fewer repetitions but with heavier versions. Rest as needed between exercises, but with this particular workout, the goal is to get as many reps as possible with a 10- to 20-pound weight vest; then, for the last exercise before the run, take the weight vest off and do as many push-ups as you can.

This Push-Pull-Push-Run combination is tough, even for three sets.

Repeat three times.

• Weight-vest dips max
• Weight-vest pull-ups max
• Weight-vest push-ups max: After a very likely tiring set, take the weight vest off and see how many regular or hand-release push-ups (Army) you can do. You will likely fail before the 10^th rep.
• Run 400 meters (or bike for two minutes) at an easy pace to shake off the above exercises. Use this as an active rest/recovery.
• Stretch as needed before the next circuit set.

After the challenging part of the workout, run one mile or bike for 10 minutes to reduce the upper-body pump, as you have one more cooldown set of pull-ups and push-ups. Depending on your warm-up from the first section above, start where you left off with the warm-up and repeat the pull-up/push-up/jog cooldown in reverse order.

Cooldown Section (No Weight Vest)

This includes Push-ups/Pull-ups/Jog 2 x 25 Reverse Pyramid 10-1 with dynamic stretches cooldown in-between: Say you finished the full warm-up above at Set 10. Then start at 10 and repeat 10 sets in descending order until down to set 1:

• Set 1: 10 pull-ups/10 push-ups: Jog 2 x 25 meters (mix in dynamic stretches along the way, as desired)
• Set 2: 9 pull-ups/9 push-ups: Jog 2 x 25 meters ... keep going until you get to Set 1.

If you fail after the weight-vest burnout, start smaller, like Set 5, and just do five descending sets as your cooldown. If your arms are cooked and have nothing left, simply get on the bike or walk for 10 minutes, followed by stretching and foam rolling as desired.

Cooldown

• 10 minutes of stretching/foam rolling

Stew Smith is a former Navy SEAL, fitness author and a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Visit his Fitness eBook store if you're looking to start a workout program to create a healthy lifestyle. Send your fitness questions to stew@stewsmith.com.

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