Lester yourself for faster progress!

Hello to all!

Welcome to another blog post on the importance of weight training for greater progress. 

All sportsmen and women know that, after a certain amount of time spent weight training, our bodies get used to it, the exercises become easier and easier, and the workouts are no longer as effective for continuing to progress... That's when weight training becomes extremely effective and important!

Ballasting means deliberately weighing yourself down to make exercises more difficult. In this article, we'll give you 2 essential pieces of equipment for this, along with exercises and various tips to help you excel 🔥

Let's get started!

THE IMPORTANCE OF USING WEIGHTS IN BODYBUILDING

The first few months of weight training bring many changes: both from a physical point of view (muscle gain, toning, fat loss...) and in terms of performance, where progress is rapid. 

Unfortunately, as time goes by, it's difficult to make progress on certain exercises, particularly bodyweight exercises such as dips, pull-ups and push-ups. We feel like we're stagnating, and our muscular development is impacted.

Having a bodybuilding routine is all well and good, but changing it from time to time doesn't hurt. On the contrary, it's highly recommended! Putting more intensity into your sessions is an essential factor in continuing to build muscle and progress.

So now's the time to start a new cycle of progression by weighting yourself with the aim of shocking your muscles and your body. This will enable you to gain in a number of areas: 

Muscle

Strength

Explosivity

The weighted vest or weighted belt is the equipment used in bodybuilding to make bodyweight exercises even more effective!

There's no greater risk of injury with this equipment, but we do recommend that you stay focused during each exercise, especially when you're just starting out, as you'll need to get your muscles and joints used to the extra weight.

We advise you to increase your weight gradually. Increasing the weight too quickly from the start will lead to possible injury... so be patient :) 

When you reach between 8 and 10 reps for exercises such as pull-ups and dips (which benefit most from the use of ballast), add more weight and repeat the routine when you reach this number of reps. 

If you want to gain explosiveness and strength, you'll need to perform a number of repetitions generally between 3 and 5 of your maximum, as this is the best technique for gaining in these areas. 

Tip: make a note in your phone of the weight and the number of repetitions performed, so you'll always want to do a bit more the next time! 

BENEFITS OF USING WEIGHTS IN STREET WORKOUT

Weights are also an excellent option for Street Workout enthusiasts! 

In fact, it gives us better mobility on certain exercises, and by weighting down we acquire a firmer grip, ideal for the Handstand or the Flag. 

It's also possible to link up circuit training exercises that have become too easy with bodyweight, with a compact, fit weighted vest to prevent it from moving during your exercises. This will make it more difficult to do push-ups, burpees, skipping rope etc...  

You'll feel much more resistant and enduring when you switch back to bodyweight, and it'll be easier to do muscle-ups and dips. Ideal if you're competing in Street Workout competitions!   

Last but not least, you won't need to bring weights with you when you train outdoors, which can be quite restrictive... you'll just have to carry your weighted vest in your backpack. Practical, isn't it? 😃

WITH WHAT TO ADD WEIGHT ?

Weighted vest

A essential equipment You can take it everywhere with you! It can be used at the gym, outdoors, in Street parks, and of course in your Home Gym. 

We offer two weighted vests on our site: a10 kg weighted vest and a20 kg weighted vest !

They are adjustable via iron weights, easy to put on and take off. The weighted vests sit close to the body to offer great freedom of movement, and adapt to every body shape thanks to their Velcro fastening. This is the product for you! 🔥

Weighted belt

The weighted belt effectively and sustainably increases muscle mass and strength in all disciplines! It lets you weight yourself with substantial weights and helps you progress rapidly.  

Our weighted belt offers different strengths: 

• Weighted belt adjusts to any body shape
• Wide, padded back for maximum comfort
• Two carabiners for easy use
• Extremely sturdy, with a load-bearing capacity of up to 180 kg

It's also possible to combine the weighted vest with the weight belt, giving you less weight between your legs and a more natural position for your legs (e.g.: if you put on the 20 kg weighted vest, you remove 20 kg of weight from the weight belt, so it's more practical).

These products are just waiting for you! 

FOR WHICH EXERCISES IS IT IMPORTANT TO USE WEIGHTS?  

As already mentioned, weight is ideal for bodyweight exercises. Pull-ups and dips are the two main exercises that benefit most from overloading, as they allow you to work the entire upper body.

But that's not all! Having a well-developed upper body is all very well, but if the lower body is not in proportion, it will look very unattractive. With a fitted weighted vest, you can do lots of squats to work your quadriceps, or you can train your calves by standing on a block, placing the front of your feet on it and working your way up and down.  

Here is a selection of the best exercises to do with weights:

Supine pull: Back & Biceps 

Traction & Australian Traction: Back 

Vertical dips: Triceps 

Bent dips: Chest 

Dips with body straight but leaning forward : Shoulders

Pumps : Triceps & Pec

Squat & Pistol Squat: Quadriceps

Finally, you can work on your cardio with a weighted vest to perform the following exercises: Box Jump, Burpees, Running, Jump Rope...

 As you'll understand, body weight is sometimes not enough, especially when you're looking for hypertrophy. The only way to achieve this is to break with your routine and add weight, as this will force your body to work harder. 

BOOSTING MOTIVATION WITH BALLAST

 
Weighing yourself down will keep you motivated, simply because you' ll surpass yourself as you go along, setting yourself goals and reaching them. It's the best way to build a dream body and prove to yourself that you're capable of the best! 

Whether for crossfit, running, weight training or street workout, there's something for everyone! 

The weighted vest is the perfect piece of equipment if you want to improve your running too, helping you to push yourself even further.

I hope you enjoyed this article and found it motivating. 

In the meantime, work hard and take care of yourself! 

See you soon 😄

Eric Flag