Size & Weight Guide

Two questions come up before every first HEFT vest: which weight to start with, and how to set the fit. This guide answers both. One thing to keep in mind as you read: each HEFT vest is a single fixed weight. The straps and buckle adjust to your body, while the weight you choose stays the same. You progress by choosing a heavier vest when you are ready, not by changing the load on the one you own.

Choosing your weight

Most people get this question wrong in the same direction: they start too heavy. Here is a simple way to land on a starting weight, plus a table that maps each HEFT weight to a sensible body-weight band. When in doubt, size down.

How to choose your starting weight

1. 1

   Start at 5 to 10 percent of your body weight

   New to weighted movement, or returning after a break? Begin near 5 percent. Already active and used to carrying load? You can sit closer to 10 percent.

2. 2

   Wear it on your normal walk

   Put it on for the walk you already take. Comfort across the full walk matters more than hitting an exact number on the first day.

3. 3

   Step up when it feels easy

   When a weight feels easy over several walks and leaves no lingering soreness, choose a heavier vest. Each vest is one fixed weight, so progressing means sizing up.

Weight by body weight

Use this to narrow down a starting point. These are general suggestions aimed at the 5 to 10 percent band. The bands overlap on purpose, so read them as guides rather than hard lines.

General suggestions only, not medical advice. A lighter person who walks daily may sit above their row, and a heavier person new to the vest should still start light. The right first weight is the one you can wear comfortably for your whole walk.

Match it to your goal

Your reason for wearing a vest nudges the starting point. For a daily walk, begin light and let the routine build, as covered on the weighted vest for walking page. Women choosing a first vest can find frame-specific notes on the weighted vest for women page. Older adults should lean to the lightest weight and shorter routes, as set out on the weighted vest for seniors page. If bone health is your focus, start conservative and progress slowly, as explained on the weighted vest for bone density page.

Sizing & fit

The HEFT vest fits a wide range of bodies from a single size, so this part is less about picking a number off a chart and more about setting the vest up correctly on your frame. The shell is one size, and the fit adjusts to you through the straps and buckle. Read this once before your first walk and it will make sense from there.

How the one-size fit works

• Goes on over your head, the same way you would pull on a tabard.
• Dual Velcro waist straps wrap around your midsection and cinch the vest snug to your waist.
• A front buckle clips over the top to lock everything in place.
• Open sides keep your arms free, stop the vest pinching, and help one size suit very different bodies.
• 2 cm of shoulder padding spreads the load over a broad area instead of pressing it into a narrow line.
• Fits men and women, narrow, broad, or somewhere in between, because it hangs from the shoulders and pulls in at the waist.

Fit table

Use this as a general guide. The straps cover the gaps between these bands, so a measurement near a boundary is not a problem.

These bands are a starting point, not a hard rule. Because the vest hangs from the shoulders and pulls in at the waist, most people inside and a little beyond these ranges get a secure fit.

How to measure before you order

• Chest: measure around the fullest part of your chest, keeping the tape level.
• Waist: measure around your natural waist, roughly level with your belly button, since this is where the straps cinch.
• Torso length: measure from the top of your shoulder down to your waistline, so you know how far the panel will reach.

Write the numbers down and check them against the fit table. If you sit near the edge of a range, the straps and buckle give you room to adjust either way.