Slowned jacket and backpack | More weight, more results

Walking is the simplest of physical activities. Know that there is an equally simple way to maximize your benefits: walking with a weighted jacket or backpack. We discuss it with the physiotherapist Denis Fortier, himself a follower of rucking.

Darling accessory

Denis Fortier practices walking and running to keep in shape. His darling accessory? His weighted backpack. It is a small and flat bag, in which we slide a weight similar to a thick cutting board.

Denis Fortier also has a weighted jacket, which looks like an individual flotation jacket, a heavy version. For Denis Fortier, author of books Get up and walk! et Never again sick! (Trécarré), it is an effective way to make your training more paying for health.

Different programs

The rucking, or walks with weighted bag, is associated with military training. Normal: Wearing weight is part of the soldiers’ work. That being said, no need to be a muscular young adult and in great shape to practice this form of walking.

“It is applicable in lots of contexts, from crossfit to rehabilitation”, summarizes Denis Fortier. He gives the example of a program for people who have undergone a vascular cerebral accident that precisely uses weighted jackets.

At sportsmen

At the other end of the spectrum, athletes can also train with jackets or weighted bags to increase their performance. Small studies carried out on badminton and soccer players have shown that such training could make changes of direction faster on the field.

“When I make intervals with my weighted bag, I can tell you that when I take it away, that goes there!” Summarizes Denis Fortier. “A whole range of people can find his account there,” he says, “as the thirty-something who goes to work on foot and the octogenarian who finds regular walking a little cushy. »»

Multiple benefits

Walking with weight has several health benefits. This increases the level of difficulty, and therefore the energy expenditure. People therefore access levels of moderate intensity (heat and difficulty singing) and sustained more easily (heat and difficulty talking). It is from the moderate intensity that the benefits of physical activity become substantial. “It has benefits on the heart, on our arteries, on blood circulation, on the lungs, on breathing, on the brain …”, lists Denis Fortier.

It’s also good for health … muscles. The World Health Organization recommends that adults have at least two weight training sessions per week. The weighted bag and jacket easily strengthen the thighs. You just have to go up and down the stairs, or even do a dozen squats or half-squats during it every five or ten minutes.

Bag or jacket?

Some people will find the jacket more comfortable, and others, the bag; It all depends on the anatomy and the preferences of each. The two options have their advantages. The weighted bag is close to the body. The jacket is easily worn under a coat in winter, and its weight is distributed around the body. It also tends to compress a little more breathing, observes Denis Fortier. “In a training context, it’s interesting to have a constraint in the rib cage-it stimulates these muscles, but a more anxious person could find this less fun “, He said.

There are also weights to put on ankles and wrists. “It increases the load, but it’s complicated to put as much weight as in a bag or a jacket,” warns Mr. Fortier. People who have joint problems should avoid putting weights greater than two kilos per ankle, he said.

And an ordinary backpack?

You can also choose a third option: an ordinary backpack in which we simply put weight. “I would tend to take a small backpack, so that the weight is higher – if the bags bag, it will be less comfortable,” says Denis Fortier.

“And I would use the belt with the size or the chest to bring it closer to the body. The suspenders should also be cushioned. This kind of backpack offers the best combination in terms of balance, stability and activation of the muscles. “The closer the bag, the less of the body of the body, the less it changes our walking boss,” adds Denis Fortier.

Gradually go there

Before spending on a backpack or a weighted jacket (expensive products!), Denis Fortier advises to try first with an ordinary backpack. “And go for it gradually,” he insists. You can start with a weight equivalent to 5 % or 10 % of its weight. And what kind of weight put? Denis Fortier thinks of bottles of water, or even potatoes. For the weight to be stable and close to the body, you can compress bottles or potatoes with bath towels.

Danger for the back?

Is the rucking painful for the back, or for the trapezius? The body is made to transport things, recalls Denis Fortier. “If it hurts, it may be because it’s too heavy,” he said. There are also two movements that we do not want to do with the shoulders, as much by walking as in front of a computer: the borough of the shoulders and the elevation of the shoulders. Denis Fortier advises to become aware, while walking, of his posture and his breathing.

Where to buy them?

Denis Fortier never suggests brands, but there are few models of jackets and weighted bags on the market. Lests jackets are on sale at Sports Experts and Décathlon. Online merchants sell both backpacks and weighted jackets, including Northern Fitness, Rogue and Amazon.