Bodyrip Deluxe Weighted Weight Vest 15kg Review
Brand
Bodyrip are a UK based manufacturer of fitness equipment that offer a range of ‘quality, durable and affordable’ products including barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, and in the case of the product we’re reviewing, weighted vests.
About the vest
A weighted vest more or less explains itself; it’s a vest you can wear that essentially increases your body weight, and therefore increases the intensity of body weight exercises like press ups or squats, they can even be used do cardio or bag work to boost your conditioning. The Bodyrip weighted vests come in a range of weights, 10, 15, 20 and 30kg, and weighted by sandbags that can be removed to lower the weight. There is however no choice of colours, which I found slightly disappointing.
Visuals
The vests are all black, save for the blue Bodyrip logo on one of the support straps. The front and back of the vest are made up of the weighted sandbags, small rectangular panels, which are crossed at the front by double straps to hold the vest in place. Overall the vest looks like a suit of body armour, and I have to admit I felt like some sort of S.W.A.T officer when I first put it on!
Materials and Craftsmanship
Considering the cost of the vest it’s very well made. All the sandbags are carefully stitched round each side, lined on the inside with a thin layer of soft foam, and the outside with a smooth, easy to keep clean material. Two pairs of straps cross the front of the vest, alternating directions, with large Velcro areas to ensure you get a tight fit and the vest doesn’t shift during a workout. At the shoulders the padding is slightly thicker and there’s a large double stitched overlap to ensure the two halves of the vest are strongly held together.
Use
Wearing a weighted vest is meant to be tough, the whole idea is to make every movement harder, which this vest manages well! The straps across the chest/stomach are great for holding the vest in place, and essential to stop it from moving during training, but they can be a bit limiting for your breathing, you can’t take a deep breath in when you can’t expand your ribcage. The other point is that the foam padding could be thicker – after a while it tends to rub on the shoulders so I wouldn’t recommend long distance runs wearing it, but for shorter sessions such as rounds of bag work or a body weight circuit it’s ideal.
Some advice though – I’d recommend buying the heaviest option you can afford because you can remove the sandbags, lightening the vest to whatever weight you want, and then have plenty of space to increase the weight as you get stronger. Better to have extra space than to have to buy a heavier vest because you’ve got strong enough to handle the first one you brought.
The other piece of advice would be to build up slowly. Gaining weigh through eating is a gradual process, and whilst if you get too heavy you put strain on your joints they do have some time to adapt to the increased stress put on them. Suddenly gaining 15kg is going to put a lot of stress on your knees and back, and it’ll be easy to pick up and injury. Best to remove some weight, start light and build up slowly.
Cost
The 15kg vest I tested sells for around £40 on Amazon, which is a reasonable price when you compare it to some of the larger boxing/MMA/fitness brands vests (heavier versions are more expensive). Overall I’d say the adjustability of the weight load and the build quality make it well worth the price.
Looking to buy this?
Bodyrip Deluxe Weight Vest
We like
- Adjustable weight
- Well made
- Reasonably priced
We don’t like
- Can feel quite tight
- Could be better padded
- No choice of colours