Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, a functional medicine physician specializing in muscle-centric medicine, uses a weight vest as part of her fitness regimen to enhance strength, endurance, and metabolic health. Incorporating a weight vest allows for additional resistance during exercises like walking, hiking, or bodyweight movements, which helps increase muscle engagement, calorie burn, and cardiovascular conditioning. Her focus on muscle health and longevity ties into weight vest use, as it helps build lean muscle mass and improve functional strength, which are key factors in maintaining health as one ages. By adding weight during everyday movements or workouts, she can maximize the efficiency of her exercises without needing extra equipment. Her promotion of weight vests also aligns with her overall philosophy of improving muscle health to promote metabolic function, enhance body composition, and prevent age-related muscle loss. It's not clear which brand of weight vest she uses however, but we at weightvest.com commend her on her belief that weight vests have a role in total health and fitness. For most women we recommend our Women's V-Max 30 Compact weight vest.
Dr. Gabrielle Lyon's general recommendations and publicly available content: Lyon-inspired Weight Vest Routine: Focus: Muscle building, endurance, and metabolic health. Warm-Up (5-10 minutes) - Bodyweight Squats – 2 sets of 10 - Lunges – 2 sets of 8 per leg - Arm Circles – 1-2 minutes to warm up shoulders and arms - Walking or light jogging – 5 minutes with weight vest (lighter weight) Core Routine (with a weight vest):
- Weighted Walking Lunges - 3 sets of 12 reps per leg - Focus on control and depth to engage glutes, quads, and hamstrings.
- Push-Ups with Vest - 3 sets of 10-15 reps - Engage the chest, triceps, and core with the added resistance.
- Weighted Step-Ups - 3 sets of 10 reps per leg - Step onto a bench or sturdy platform, alternating legs.
- Weighted Squats - 3 sets of 12-15 reps - Keep the core tight, focusing on form with the extra load.
- Vest-Powered Plank Holds - 3 sets of 30-45 seconds - The added weight increases core engagement.
- Hiking or Walking with Weight Vest - 20-30 minutes for cardio conditioning with steady-paced walking or uphill hiking.
Cool Down: - Stretching or Yoga Poses (5-10 minutes) – focus on hamstrings, quads, shoulders, and hips. This routine aligns with Lyon’s philosophy of resistance training, muscle health, and longevity without relying on specific, copyrighted content from her. It can be adapted to different fitness levels by adjusting the weight of the vest or the number of sets and reps. Checkout her website for more - Dr. Lyon.