I am 75 years old and have two torn rotator cuff muscles in my right arm that have never been repaired one from 1980's and the other from 2012, and naturally now that I cannot do "Hot Yoga" anymore, arthritis has set in. And to add insult to injury, I am permanently disabled from a "broken neck" sustained from an auto accident in 2016 at age 73. However, because my neck has two 7" rods infused in my scull holding my neck stable, each rod has 6 clamps and each clamp has two screws; and although I am not in pain from the broken neck, the hardware is VERY heavy and is causing me great discomfort, balance and mobility issues.

Therefore, in lieu of taking drugs and medication for discomfort from my neck and/or with other health issues including being in remission for VASCULITIS [inflammation] in my mid/large arteries, I take the "Forever Aloe nutritional regime". Because I cannot work-out any more I try to do Isometric exercises for my arm, legs and hips, I rely on alternative measures as best I can to sustain my well-being. e.g. Acupuncture, Reiki, magnetic products, insoles and other Nikken far-infrared products, massage (with GREAT caution). Compression in shoulders, (*) no rubbing). However, because my bones have become very weak and I walk stooped over from the weight of the hardware in my neck and have "NO" muscle strength to help me straighten-up to walk upright.

Therefore, I purchased the 6 lb. vest to see if it could help me with my balance to sit and walk more erect. The vest came yesterday and I began wearing it. I immediately felt the benefit of the gravity challenging my body to sit, stand and walk in a more erect position. However, this morning I put the 6 lb. weighted vest on backwards with the opening hanging open in the back and is helping my body to balance my weight, and seems that the additional weight on my shoulders is providing some much-needed decompression that appears to be alleviating my inability to use my right arm which is crippled from the two (2) torn un-repaired rotator cuff muscles.

Although, it is too soon to tell because this is only the second day, I am using the vest, and am still "experimenting" with the product; but last evening I placed the vest on my chest and shoulders for decompression of my shoulder muscles while I slept, and this morning I think I noticed that my shoulder seems to move a little easier. But the next few days, weeks and months will be the test. However, my recovery is a constant "work in progress".

Sincerely,

EPJ

P.S. So all of my health care providers have benefit of my and their efforts which may be beneficial in helping other patients that they are treating, I will be forwarding this review to my PCP; Physical Medicine doctor; orthopedic doctor; Acupuncturist; PT; Massage Therapist and Reiki Master

I've owned this for about 2 weeks and I wore it every day for 8+ hours. I originally got this because it didn't look as clumsy and large as others did, which was important to me because i was going to wear this throughout my work day and daily walk/runs.

The first day i got it I only wore it for about 4 hours and immediately noticed the weight was barely noticeable. Now. I'm a BIG man, at 6'1" 320-ish pounds. I was able to get the top strap set up but it wouldn't get around the center and largest part of my chest which is about 52" surprisingly though, it was stable. wasn't bouncing around on my shoulders, the top strap was enough FOR ME. I imagine it'll be different from person to person. At the end of the 4 hours, I felt the most sore across the center of my back.

The next few days (up to 8+ hours now) was trying to get comfortable with it. I started wearing it without the top strap and it would slip further down my shoulders causing strain. Eventually i fastened the top strap again and i didn't feel anything. The Weight was good resistance for me, running up and down stairs, playing basketball, general moving around at work. (I'm a supervisor at an After School program). The week ended well. Basically with the exception of sleeping and showering, i kept this thing on.

Week 2 is where i was starting to feel concerned. This is about the time i read some reviews saying the stitching started giving out and sand would start pouring out, so i meticulously checked that daily. Any time i took the vest off i would lay it flat on the floor. I would hand wash it too when it was smelly. The sand seems to have settled more towards the bottom of the vest, its noticeable, but i doesn't throw the weight off at all.

Now its the end of week 2 and im considering bumping up to a heavier vest. But that's mostly because 20 lbs. for a 320 lb. man is like what? 6% of my weight?

I've never written a review so i dont know if i can edit this for the future but i will try to keep this updated for the next couple of weeks and inform on anything wrong with stitching or tearing.

OH - that mesh pocket in the back, FOR ME is completely un-reachable. Not really an issue for me bc i dont put anything in there but it may be for someone else.

Got this for my husband because he really wanted to get into rocking and it's really comfortable. He's had no backaches or anything from it. He wears it every day walking the dogs. He's ready to move onto a little bit heavier one now.

tl;dr: Not bad but don't be fooled by the video

I've been using the 25 pound vest for around three weeks now. I've been using it on average 4 - 5 times a week during my lunch gym sessions when training muay thai. Duration around 1 - 1.5hours per session without removing the vest. This means the photos and the review is done after 15 or so sessions.

Pros:
- relatively comfortable compared to other types of weighted vests out there
- weight distribution is on your shoulders (can be good or bad) and it feels like an overall general shoulder workout throughout training.
- great for pull ups and push ups
- great for general conditioning with weights for lunges, squats, etc
- can wear during light sparring and heavy bag exercises
- our gym has a UV light plus heat sterilizer for equipment after use so the vest does not stink at all (not sure how it would fare if you did not clean it)
- does not restrict breathing during cardio

Cons:
- one of the seams had fallen apart as shown in the photo. This does not really affect the overall usage of the vest but I had expected more in terms of quality. It does however mean that you feel more of a lump on that side of the vest during training.
- can't use the back mesh to hold stuff when you go for a run as shown in the photo. Maybe your keys but I wouldn't dare to put my phone in the back as you can see it barely fits. Probably would need a velcro strap to hold it in or a zipper. (contrary to what they show in the video)
- after a while, you will need to turn it upside down and shake the vest to redistribute the weighted beads
- can't do a proper full range sit ups as the back part of the vest will interfere with your range of motion. (contrary to what they show in the video)
- can't do mountain climbers as the vest will come loose
- twisting motions and hooks will cause the vest to move around a bit

Would not recommend product for those with shoulder issues as the majority of the weight rests on your shoulders.

My doctor suggested I carry or wear weights when I walk to help build bone density. So I wear it when I walk. The vest is very soft and comfortable to wear and is adjustable to keep it from slipping while wearing.