The effect of wearing a weight vest during walking on the energy consumption in adults with obesity

Abstract

This study investigates how oxygen consumption, energy consumption, respiratory-exchange ratio, heart rate, relative exercise intensity (percentage of the maximum heart rate), perception of exertion and discomfort were affected by wearing a weighted vest of 15% of the body mass (BM) during treadmill walking at three different speeds (3, 4, 5 km/h) in adults with obesity. The oxygen consumption (p < 0.01), energy consumption (p < 0.01), heart rate (p < 0.01), relative exercise intensity (p < 0.01) and carbohydrate oxidation (p < 0.05) were significantly higher during walking with a weighted vest of 15% BM than without a weighted vest and significantly increased with increasing speed (3, 4, 5 km/h). Wearing the weighted vest had no significant effect on the RER at 3 and 4 km/h and on the fat oxidation at all speeds. The increase in energy consumption by wearing the weighted vest is significantly greater at a speed of 5 km/h (22%) than at 3 km/h (17%) (p < 0.01), but not than at 4 km/h (19%). Additionally, the weighted vest could cause discomfort at the level of the hip, back and shoulders. The weighted vest of 15% BM provides a higher energy consumption with the largest benefit at a speed of 5 km/h in adults with obesity. This offers opportunities for walking programs to lose weight in the future, taking possible discomfort into account.