Are you comfortable as you read this? Most likely sitting indoors with a thermostat set to keep you not too hot – not too cold – but just right at 72F/22C? Over the last decade, brown fat research studies provide evidence that our health is improved by exposure to cold temperatures. New discoveries about an ignored type of fat tissue mammals use to stay warm plays a role in humans. They discovered that “fat” is an important and misunderstood organ.

The scientific word for “fat” is adipose tissue, and we have two primary types – white adipose tissue (“white fat”) that stores energy, and brown adipose tissue (“brown fat”) that is packed with mitochondria  and uses glucose to generate heat. White fat is what so many of us constantly battle. It stores energy in deposits under our skin and inside our body. White fat is undesirable and we do everything we can to lose weight – before it also leads to obesity and metabolic disease like diabetes. Brown fat was once believed to be non-existent and unimportant for adults. Today it is a fertile field of study in the areas of weight loss, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis and cancer.

Everything in our understanding of fat has changed. White fat and brown fat are now known to be part of an interconnected metabolic system. A system that modern life has broken – where our poor diet and exercise leads to large, unhealthy deposits of white fat, and our temperature controlled environment allows the good brown fat to be dormant.

Long term brown fat activation research using mild cold exposure is already been proven in mouse studies to cause weight loss, treating obesity and diseases like diabetes. Long term, larger scale human studies are now needed. Obesity and diabetes are huge, growing and costly health issues. Researchers are excited to explore the benefit of active brown fat to improve human health.

Why study brown fat?

We now know that brown fat plays a very important role. It maintains your body temperature by producing energy and burning calories. This also helps maintain healthy blood sugar and insulin levels in your body.

Brown Fat Burns Calories – “Good Fat” – Brown Adipose Tissue

Studies in animals show that activated brown fat will use a lot of glucose and it plays an important role in human metabolism. With mild cold exposure some white fat cells are also changed and become richer in  mitochondria. These cells become browner in color and are known as beige fat.

Cold Exposure Reduces “Bad Fat” – White Adipose Tissue

White fat is our energy storage depot. Exposure to cold temperatures causes brown and beige tissues to burn glucose and reduce the stored energy in white fat deposits.

Brown Fat Non-shivering Thermogenesis Boosts Metabolism Naturally

While many methods of activating brown fat in humans are being studied and tested, the use of mild cold exposure has the benefit of using a natural process. It is as simple as lowering the thermostat or using cooling body suits and vests. Mild cold to stimulate non-shivering thermogenesis is an accepted way to stimulate brown fat.

How Have Scientists Activated Brown Fat?

Almost all studies on rodents and humans have involved lowering room temperature to around 58 degrees or using cooling vests, garments and blankets to target the non-shivering cooling effect. Cold exposure times have generally been 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours a day for several weeks. Cooling vests have been proven to activate brown fat in studies that used a water circulating vest attached by tubes to a chiller, but they are very expensive surgical cooling vests that prohibit movement.

A practical solution for consumers to benefit from cooling brown fat is needed. “Research in the past few years has focused on activating brown adipose tissue as a potential treatment for obesity and diabetes mellitus. So far, cold exposure has proved to be the most effective method of activating brown adipose tissue; however, cold exposure is not a practical therapy as it is time consuming and uncomfortable for most people.” Adipose Tissue: Towards mimicking cold exposure, Nature Reviews 7 April 2017.

So while cold exposure is the most natural and effective way of activating brown fat, the research community had not seen it as practical in 2017. Now in 2022, affordable and practical brown fat cooling vests are available. The Cool2Shape cooling vest and accessories targeting mild cold for non-shivering thermogenesis, for example, use 15 degrees Celsius/59 degrees Fahrenheit portable cooling packs. With

neoprene for insulation and fit, the vest, waist, leg and arm pieces allow movement – even exercise – and cool for a couple of hours. Mild cold is comfortable – even soothing. And developing a habit of wearing Cool2Shape for 2 hours a day for a few weeks is not time consuming when you are able to be active with a cooling device you wear and are un-tethered.

Can Cryotherapy and Ice Barrels Activate Brown Fat?

Recent years have brought an explosion of interest in cryotherapy, ice barrels, and the cold plunge. Brown fat research says we should be in mild cold environments. Brown fat activation is naturally triggered by exposure to mild cold – no colder than about 58 degrees Fahrenheit (14 degrees celsius). This is the key. Non-shivering thermogenesis temperatures. There are other benefits to cryotherapy and icing, but turning on your brown fat is not one.

Shivering is also a different process. Get colder and your body shivers. Skeletal muscles start to fire and help warm the body. Shivering is a completely different way of staying warm than brown fat’s “non-shivering thermogenesis.” While shivering burns calories, it is really uncomfortable and does not have the benefits of activating brown fat.

 Sweating burns calories too, but weight loss from sweating is just temporary loss of water weight. Neoprene waist trimmers and sauna suits will not spot remove fat or do anything but temporarily give you hope from a lighter weight on your scale.

What Diseases Are Being Studied?

Metabolic Diseases: Obesity, Weight Loss and Diabetes

Because of its role in controlling blood sugar and insulin levels, discovery of brown fat in adult humans became an increasingly important area of study. In rodent studies there is solid evidence of the importance of brown fat, and human studies continue to focus on obesity and diabetes.

Cardiovascular disease

Obesity is a condition that is known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Excess white fat has been a focus of research and treatment to help prevent cardiovascular disease. Only recently have researchers begun to study the role brown fat might play. It is already clear that brown fat is an endocrine organ in addition to being a thermogenic organ. Brown fat has a strong anti-inflammatory effect that plays a significant role in addressing cardiovascular disease. But its role is complex and needs further study.

Brown Fat Research and Cancer

Exciting new findings published in the journal Nature show great promise in the treatment of cancer by activating brown fat. (Seki, T., Yang, Y., Sun, X. et al. Brown-fat-mediated tumour suppression by cold-altered global metabolism. Nature 608, 421–428 (2022)).

Energy is needed by the majority of cancers to fuel their out-of-control growth. Tumors use glucose and need a lot of it. Brown fat that is active is also fueled by glucose. In a study of rodents and a test study of a human, scientists found that brown fat activated by mild cold “competed” with cancer cells for glucose and slowed the growth of tumors. This effect even included untreatable cancers such as pancreatic cancer. The research opens the door to a new field of study for effective treatment of cancers by using cold exposure or other approaches to activate brown fat to treat cancer.

Brown Fat Research and Osteoporosis

Cold temperatures have an impact on bone density. Changes in bone mass from low temperatures are believed to involve brown fat. Science is not clear on the relationship but brown fat is seen as an important area of research to understand and potentially treat osteoporosis.

Brown Fat and Alzheimers Disease

Alzheimers is a terrible disease that is extensively studied. Aging adults suffer a decline in their ability to maintain body temperature – that and other indications show that brown fat volume and activity declines with age. Sound evidence shows a link between this failing ability to maintain body temperature and metabolic changes linked to the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Brown fat not only works to maintain body temperature – it is an endocrine organ that is involved in a number of functions that are key to preventing Alzheimers: healthy metabolism, secreting hormones, improving insulin sensitivity and increasing the utilization of glucose. Interesting research on brown fat is uncovering the relationship between the decline of brown fat with age and the development of Alzheimers.

Other Ways to Activate Brown Fat?

Diet and Supplements to Trigger Brown Fat

The Cleveland Clinic recommends a healthy diet and increasing iron in your diet for healthy brown fat. Iron is essential for the mitochondria – the “furnaces” packed into brown fat that use glucose to generate heat. Supplements are also on the market. Most include capsaicin as a main ingredient. Capsaicin has been found in studies to induce browning of white fat to help fight obesity.

Can Exercise Activate Brown Fat?

Studies have not proven that exercise alone will significantly stimulate your brown fat. Exercising in cold temperatures is a trend that was followed by the media before the Covid pandemic. Some fitness studios offered workouts in a cool room. ABC’s Good Morning America reported on the health benefits of working out in cold temperatures in 2018.

Can Ice Baths, Cold Showers and Cryotherapy Activate Bat?

Ice baths and cold showers are healthy and therapeutic for many reasons. If your goal is to turn on your BAT, they are too cold for brown fat stimulation and cause shivering. You will also have higher water and energy bills. Special tubs like the cool plunge allow you to adjust the temperature and can probably be set to a non-shivering 58 degrees. But your cold tap water would also be cold enough in your bathtub for non-shivering thermogenesis. No need to spend a lot of money on a special ice tub or cold plunge unless you are looking for different health benefits from ice cold water that followers of the Wim Hof Method have found.

Wearable cooling waist trimmers are on the market. Some state they activate brown adipose tissue, but this is not true because they are ice cold. Only mild cold activates brown fat. They claim to do spot removal of fat using a cool sculpting process that freezes the fat. Then you are instructed to massage the area to break the frozen fat up so the body can flush it out. There are three major flaws with the idea of wearable cooling gels for sculpting your body:

1. Gels do not reach the temperatures and last for the time needed to freeze fat like the in spa cool sculpting treatments do.
2. The temperature needed is freezing and can cause frost bite damage to skin. Left on for a long time they can cause injury.
3. Cool sculpting in a spa or using an ice vest or waist trimmer is temporary – white fat will return.

Turn Down Your Thermostat and Turn On BAT?

Absolutely. Lowering your thermostat in the summer to around 58-60 degrees creates the same non-shivering environment that has been used in many studies of brown fat. While fine for a laboratory study, the cost to you of cooling your home that much is crazy and bad for climate change. When it is cool outside, you can set your thermostat lower and save money and the environment. (Your spouse and other family members might not want to go along.)

A better option is to always get outside and be active. Wear lighter clothing to allow your body to chill. Once you build up tolerance to mild cold, your new internal furnace will make you comfortable in shorts and a tee shirt in the high 50’s to 60’s.

Can Medications Activate Brown Fat?

Numerous medications and even stem cells are being explored as ways to activate brown fat. Like any medication, development and testing for safety will take many years. Off label use of some existing medications is also an area of study.

SUMMARY

While the discovery of brown fat in humans is recent, it is very clear that it is an area of research with major promise. Our health will be improved our knowledge of brown adipose tissue and fat metabolism increases. In the near term, wellness wearables, lifestyle changes that increase mild cold exposure, diet, and exercise are all natural ways to tap into the power of brown fat for better health and wellness.

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How Walking with Weighted Vest Improves Your Health

What are the benefits of wearing a weighted vest while walking? Walking is the most popular exercise activity, and a fundamental way to improve your health. For the vast majority of people looking to improve their health through exercise, walking is the best starting point. There is no cost, it is easy to get started, and a good way to build a healthy habit. Walking alone is only a starting point. Strength training will add many more benefits, such as improving balance, burning more calories, and building bone density. Walking with a weighted vest is the easiest way to add strength training to a fitness routine.

By adding a weight vest to your walk you add a weighted load your muscles need to carry. Your muscles engage and have to work harder to walk the same distance at the same speed for the same time. Your body responds to this added weight in a very positive way. There are risks using a weighted vest for some people. Consult your health care professional for advice before beginning any exercise routine.

Let’s take a look at some of the specific benefits.

Walking with a Weighted Vest Increases Workload

A natural result of wearing weighted clothing for exercise is your body works harder. The simple addition of weight to your body increases your gains for the same time spent walking or working out. With good walking habits and a plan, you will get better endurance, strength and heart health than you would without wearing a weight vest. Researchers also found that people just starting out did not really even notice that they were working harder. A treadmill walk with the addition of a good quality vest with weights did not seem any harder. That makes it easy to build a better fitness habit for health.

Build Bone Density Walking with a Weight Vest

Adding a weighted vest to your walk is a natural way to strength train. Wearing a weighted vest increases exercise intensity, and loads your spine and hips. This is proven to help slow or even halt bone density loss in many people. The amount of weight to use, when to add weight, how much to add and the duration and speed of walking are all variables that need additional studies using a weight vest for osteoporosis. Consult with your medical professional about your own needs and start with smaller weight. Be sure to use a vest with adjustable weights so you can progress slowly.

Higher Work Rate Means Better Calorie Burn

Weight loss goals are often a part of exercise motivation. There is a real benefit from adding a weight vest to your walk if you are looking to burn more calories – real but small. Studies show the additional calorie burn is best when wearing a vest that is up to 10% – 15% of your body weight. As always, diet and nutrition are the most important factors. Burn more calories working out with your weight vest, but avoid that single donut that reverses the benefit.

Walking with a Weight Vest Improves Balance

Walking exercise while wearing added weight from a vest provides significant gains in leg strength, lower body strength and improves stability. Lean leg mass is improved. All this combines for a lower risk of falls as shown in a study over a decade ago of women over 50.

What are the Risks of Using a Weight Vest?

The risks of using a weighted vest are only significant if you fail to review your health and exercise plan with a doctor. Take a conservative approach and build gradually. Do not buy a weight vest that is too heavy and does not adjust. Start with a lighter weight vest but beware of the costs of buying additional heavier vests instead of starting with an adjustable weight model.

Getting started -How to Choose a Walking Weight Vest

Number one, shop for a weight vest with adjustable weights. You want to be able to progressively load your body for strength training. Look for a vest with weights that are no heavier than 1/2 lb. You do not need to wear a lot of weight. Around 5 to 10 percent of your body weight is good for most people. Comfort and fit are a key factor. A vest with a zipper and comfortable fabric is ideal. Hyperwear Hyper Vest weighted vests are sold in sizes for the best fit and they have patented two-way stretch to hold weights to your body instead of just hanging from you shoulders. The Hyper Vest PRO was used in a study showing the benefits of using a weight vest on a treadmill. For the best women’s weighted vest, look at the Hyper Vest FIT – it is also a great fitness gift for women.

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Goals. We all have them. The first question to ask is “what are you training for?” A tactical weighted vest can be a style choice alone, but if your motivation is achieving fitness goals you want to pick the right weight vest for the job. A performance design is the best weighted vest for functional fitness training for movement. Tactical weight vests are all designed around holding bullet proof plates on your back and chest. With movement, they are bulky and tend to throw off your balance because they bounce and shift.  

If you are not only training, but are military or law enforcement, buy a plate carrier vest that has added features you need to get the job done.  Even then consider looking at tactical weighted vests geared towards fitness for your training. Consider models with an option to adjust the weight so you can progressively load. Some new adjustable weight plates for tactical vests use sand and others hold half pound weights. Let’s explore what to look at when choosing your best weight vest options.

Training for Movement: Tactical Weighted Vest Design

How you train and how you move is the foundation for choosing a weighted vest. Loaded movement training for the demands of sports like football is more demanding on a vest design than loaded squats, pull-ups, push ups and straight ahead running required when training for the CrossFit Games or MURPH WOD. The fit, center of gravity, shoulder and waist straps, and ease putting your vest on or taking it off are all major differences. 

Fit and Sizing

In the tactical weighted vest category, fit and size are simple and limited. Plate carriers do exactly what they say. They primarily exist to hold armor plates that can save your life. Your buying decision is easy. Most tactical weight vests are one size and they hold steel plates front and back. There are medium and large plate standards that drive design decisions on size. Fit is very adjustable with waist straps and shoulder straps that use easy hook and loop fabric for adjustment. Do not be fooled into thinking that tactical weighted vests are easily “adjustable” in their weight load. That requires the expensive purchase of additional pairs of plates. However, they are adjustable for fit. 

For the demands of sports performance training, a one-size-fits-all is not the right choice. A performance weight vest has small weights in multiple pockets allowing the load to be held tight to your body. Even better, some are available in sizes and have special fabrics to prevent bouncing weights. This type of weight vest can make the weight a part of your body. Holding the load close to to your center of gravity protects the integrity of your movement. Large flat metal plates have their own inertia that degrades your movement.

Weight Vest Shoulder Pads

Width, spacing, and padding are very important things to evaluate in a tactical vest. The load is mainly going to hang on your shoulders. Avoid plate weight vests that make shoulder pads optional – they are not. Look for thicker padding too.

The same applies if you are evaluating other weight vests. Some exceptional vests, like the top of the line Hyper Vest ELITE performance weighted vest, are based on a patented weight vest with fabric that stretches in only one direction – horizontally. The one way stretch allows it to hug your torso and keep most of the weight off your shoulders. With the stretch you can breath. But with one way stretch the weights will not bounce.

Weight Vest Zippers, Straps and HIIT Training

A great feature to evaluate in any weight vest is the ease of putting it on and removing it. For high intensity training with intervals, it is a plus to be able to do sets with and without the load. Plate carrier vests most often use hook and loop webbing straps that can take a little time to open. The top models designed for the military and police have a quick release feature so you can remove them very fast. Putting it back on requires reassembly and is slow. All are put on over your head. Most cheap training weighted vests also go on and off over your head. Look for a weighted vest with a YKK quality zipper if you want the best for sports training.

Progressive Loading and Strength Training Weighted Vests

Are Tactical Weighted Vests Adjustable?

Search the web for “tactical weight vests” and you will see many say they are adjustable. This bends the truth. The shoulder straps and waist straps are adjustable to allow for a better fit depending on your build. Most weight vests have adjustable weights so that you can change your resistance level. Progressive loading is fundamental when building strength.

Can you change out cast iron weight vest plates? Yes, but you will find your options are limited to large weight increments. Each set of plates is a new cost of around $80-90. And the process of changing plates is slow with many straps needed to secure plates. 

Other options are limited. There are sand filled plates. The weight is adjustable, but changing weight is slow, messy and imprecise. Hyperwear introduced an adjustable Flexible Weight plate. It holds half pound weights that can be changed quickly. The “plate” also bends for better fit and performance. The 9 lb Weight vest plates are available on Amazon or select weight vest plates from the Hyperwear selection of extra weight vest weights. 

The new advanced plate carrier weight vest from Hyperwear is a new option. Using 10lb rectangular Flexible Weight plates, the Hyper Vest TAC tactical weighted vests give you a genuine weight adjustable weight vest in 1/2 lb increments up to 40 lbs.

Plate Compartments and Weight Vest Weights

Investigate how plates are secured inside of any plate vest you think about buying for two reasons. There is nothing more annoying than an iron plate bouncing around front and back when you are moving. If the plate is not secure, you risk it falling onto your foot when you open the compartment to take it out. One innovative model of fitness tactical weighted vest has an opening on the side.

Look and Style: Tactical vs Performance Weight Vests

Tactical plate carrier vests are offered in military colors. Models that are focused on fitness training are available in black and other colors. Since they function as body protection, the style is usually trapezoidal to allow more freedom of movement of the arms and shoulders. Or they are rectangular to maximize areas of protection. Weighted vests for fitness are made in a wide variety of styles. 

Final Thoughts on Tactical Weighted Vests

We welcome your feedback and questions. Do you have experience using a tactical weight vest? We would love to hear from you. Thank you for taking the time to give this article a read, and keep training.

We leave with an important reminder.  NEVER USE A TRAINING IRON PLATE AS BODY ARMOR no matter what dumb demo video you find on Youtube.

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Look no farther than a heavy jump rope! A heavy jump rope was part of the 2018 CrossFit® Games. Many jump ropes claim to add an additional challenge, weighing up to three pounds. At Hyperwear, this idea is being pushed to the extreme with the launch of the world’s heaviest jump rope! Weighing it at a whopping 7.5lbs, the Hyper Rope Jump Rope is twice as heavy as it’s competitors. Why does that matter? It will cut your workout time significantly! You can now get just as much work in half the time.

WHAT IS A WEIGHTED JUMP ROPE vs NORMAL JUMP ROPE?

You may ask yourself, what is a weighted jump rope and how does it differ from a regular rope? Think of it this way. Compare to the benefits of using a speed jumping rope, which is much different. Although it is great for coordination, the physical demands placed on the body are about the same as if the rope was never there. Meanwhile, a heavy jump rope will increase the work load significantly. 

In addition, a weighted jump rope can be used in unconventional ways. Hyperwear’s Hyper Rope Jump rope can actually be used as a battle rope! Due to its impressive weight, the rope can be used for anything from single arm waves to push ups. Simply wrap the rope around the body, and Bam! A safe load for push ups and squats has been created. 

If you are looking for ideas on how to properly use a weighted jump rope, there are many great sources showing the types of jump ropes.

BENEFITS OF WEIGHTED JUMP ROPE WORKOUT

Many of you may wonder what are the real weighted jump rope benefits? You may have used a jump rope before, but want to see if buying a weighted rope is worth the upgrade. The following 7 benefits are major reasons as to why you should upgrade from a regular rope, to a weighted jump rope.

YOU’LL BURN TWICE THE CALORIES USING A WEIGHTED ROPE VS A REGULAR JUMP ROPE

In terms of efficiency, it is hard to beat jump roping when it comes to burning calories. It gets your heart rate through the roof, while also providing a great lower body workout. Adding in a weighted jump rope for weight loss will tax your system even harder, leading to a larger caloric expenditure.

A WEIGHTED JUMP ROPE TOUCHES ON EVERY ASPECT OF FITNESS

A jump rope workout touches on everything from conditioning, endurance, coordination, balance, speed, weight loss, and footwork, but when you add weight, you’ll increase the impact of your workout. In fact, you can even use your Hyperwear Hyper Rope Jump Rope as a battle rope, making it much more versatile than a standard jump rope.

WEIGHTED JUMP ROPES ARE READY TO TAKE ON-THE-GO

Weighted jump ropes are very portable and can be packed in a bag for a trip or to squeeze a quick workout in during lunch. For anyone who travels, weighted jump ropes can be the perfect tool due to their versatility. Not only can they provide a great cardio workout by simply jumping, they can also be used as overload for moves such as push ups and squats. No need to only include them as part of your garage gym setup.

SKIPPING ROPE WITH ADDED RESISTANCE KEEPS CARDIO TRAINING FUN

We all have heard those dreaded words before: Cardio. No matter how much you love working out, cardio can get boring after a while. A weighted jump rope will keep a cardio routine from becoming boring and stale, by adding a new challenge to your routine. This is one of the main reasons you see athletes such as boxers, runners and cyclists use jump ropes. It allows them to maintain their cardio conditioning, while providing similar demands for their sport. Add even more resistance while jumping rope with weighted vests. 

YOU WORK MORE MUSCLE GROUPS WORKING OUT WITH A HEAVY ROPE

Not only will you work your cardiovascular system and improve your jumping capabilities, you can also get a great upper body workout with a weighted rope! You will tax your arms, shoulders, back and core all while doing a simple exercise. By simply jumping with a weighted jump rope, you will build muscle throughout the entire body!

WEIGHTED OR NOT- SKIPPING ROPE GIVES A BETTER CALF WORKOUT

We have all heard the dreaded words at some point, “your calves are looking small.” And although many believe that there is nothing to improve them, low level plyos for an extended period of time have shown otherwise. Don’t believe me? Look at basketball players who have trained consistently from a young age. Almost all have monster calves. To get those low level plyometrics in, be sure to add in a few minutes of jump rope everyday.

USING A WEIGHTED JUMP ROPE IS AN INCREDIBLE WORKOUT FOR YOUR SHOULDERS TOO

One of the biggest differences between regular jump ropes and weighted jump ropes is how much strain is placed on the shoulder. When controlled properly, you can get great shoulder size and definition from a weighted rope. Experts have researched the effects of weighted rope jump training on strength, coordination and proprioception in female volleyball players and found big benefits. In fact, you want to actually use the shoulders more than the wrists when jumping one of these ropes. This will prevent injury long term in addition to helping you reach your aesthetic goals. 

A HEAVY ROPE IS A MUST-HAVE FOR YOUR FITNESS ROUTINE!

No matter what kind of workout you are looking it can be the perfect addition to your routine. It can be used for high intensity purposes, to slower muscle building exercises. A weighted jump rope is perfect for anyone on the move or looking to carry a versatile piece of equipment with them. You can also include weighted battle ropes in your fitness tool kit and learn how to do battle rope exercises. So get to the next level of training with weighted rope benefits! 

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