After a workout, we want to see results straight away.
If you are training hard in the gym, you may be becoming frustrated if you aren’t seeing results over a short period of time. If you are looking for something to add to your workout to give you that little extra boost to help show results quickly, you may be interested in sweat vests.
Sweat vests are worn under your gym clothes and do exactly as they sound: they make you sweat.
By making you sweat, you release more water which can help you lose weight more effectively than training without a sweat vest. Sweat vests are popular with people looking to lose weight, but do they really work?
If you are looking to start using sweat vests in your workout but are unsure how effective they are, find out everything you need to know about sweat vests here so you can decide if you want to start incorporating them into your workout.
How Do Sweat Vests Work?
Sweat vests are made from rubber or plastic and they aim to increase your body temperature so you lose more weight during your workout. As the sweat vest increases your body temperature, this makes you sweat more, which many think helps you to lose more weight.
The point of a sweat vest is to increase your perspiration during your workout so you can lose more fat from your workout. But how effective are sweat vests in helping you lose more fat in your workout?
Do Sweat Vests Help Burn Fat?
No, sweat vests do not help burn fat. It is true that sweat vests can help you lose more weight during your workouts, but this weight is in water. As you will be sweating more when you are wearing the sweat vest, you will lose more water which will result in losing weight.
However, this weight loss doesn’t stay off your body. As soon as you rehydrate after a workout, your body will gain the water that is lost during the workout. People mistake the weight lost during a workout when wearing a sweat vest as fat loss, but it is water loss that is put back on during rehydration.
Many athletes wear sweat vests before a competition as the water loss helps them to have a lighter weigh-in before a competition. However, as discussed above, this weight loss is not permanent as it is water loss.
Why Do Sweat Vests Claim to Lose Weight?
Sweat vests claim to be able to lose weight, but obviously in a different way to fat loss. If people want to lose fat, they are often told that the trick is to sweat profusely.
However, as said above, fat loss does not happen from sweat vests. Sweat vests temporarily help you to lose water weight, which should not be confused with fat loss.
Are Sweat Vests Dangerous?
Sweat vests can be dangerous to wear consistently during workouts.
As the aim of wearing the vest is to increase sweat, you can become dehydrated from wearing the vest as you will have lost a lot of water from your body. If you are not rehydrating properly during or after workouts, this can lead your body to severely become dehydrated.
As the sweat vest increases your body temperature and keeps it high during a workout, there is the danger that you could potentially overheat.
As you will be experiencing increasingly high temperatures during your workout, your body isn’t being given a chance to cool down as the vest is preventing cooling.
How Can I Effectively Lose Weight?
The best way to effectively lose weight is eating a balanced diet and regularly exercising. By regularly working out, your body will begin to feel fitter and healthier so that you can begin to see results from your training.
Weight training and rest in between sessions will help to strengthen your muscles so that you can work on toning up your body.
Eating healthy is important in losing weight as you don’t want to be consuming high amounts of saturated fat as this can lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, and increases your chances of having a heart attack or stroke.
By eating a healthy, balanced diet, you will see a change in your weight as your body will start to become healthier and lose weight.
Signs Of Dehydration And Overheating
Dehydration
The main signs of dehydration are fatigue, dark-colored urine, headaches, dizziness, and low blood pressure.
You may also experience a loss of balance and it is advised that you seek medical attention if you think you may be dehydrated.
Overheating
Signs of overheating can include nausea, headaches, weakness, no sweating, or increased sweating. All of these symptoms can be signs of overheating and you are able to seek medical help if you believe that you are experiencing overheating.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, sweat vests can be more dangerous than helpful at helping you lose more weight during a standard workout.
Lots of people mistake water loss from wearing a sweat vest for fat loss, but sweat vests do not help you lose fat. The water that you lose from wearing a sweat vest is immediately put back on once you rehydrate during and after your workout.
Wearing a sweat vest for a prolonged period of time can increase your chances of experiencing dehydration or overheating.
As the sweat vest aims to increase sweat and keep your body temperature high, the cooling process of the body doesn’t work and you can become overheated. If you feel like you are experiencing dehydration or overheating, it is advised that you seek medical attention.
Overall, sweat vests do not help you to burn more fat during your workout, but they can help athletes lose water to help achieve a lighter weight for a weigh-in.
Sweat vests can be dangerous and can hinder weight loss, so it is much better to follow a healthy diet and regular exercise to help increase fat loss.
