Product Description

Gaiam brings the absolue latest in programming and accessories for walking, weight-loss and "smart" training. The innovative new Walkvest is unlike anything on the market, and will help you burn more fat and calories than standard walking workouts.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #53201 in Sports & Outdoors
• Brand: Gaiam
• Released on: 2007-09-04

Features

• Walking workout kit with adjustable, breathable cotton vest and weights
• Helps burn fat and calories faster and more efficiently; great for indoor and outdoor use
• Includes Debbie Rocker's complete WalkVest 30-minute workout DVD and audio CD; comes with 8 half-pound weights totaling 4 pounds; safely holds from 2 to 16 pounds
• Small (30-36" chest; 4/8 dress size); Medium (34-40" chest; 8/10 dress size); Large (38-48" chest; 10/14 dress size)
• Flat weights make it more comfortable; distributes weights evenly around the torso

Amazon.com Product Description
Amp up your workout with the weighted resistance of the WalkVest workout kit. Invented by Debbie Rocker, former pro athlete and an originator of Spinning, the WalkVest increases the fat-burning, lean-muscle-building, and bone-strengthening effects of walking, running, and hiking. The vest is lightweight and breathable, with an adjustable cotton construction that safely holds from 2 to 16 pounds of added weight. As a result, you can burn fat and calories far faster and more efficiently than with standard walking workouts. The kit also includes Rocker's 30-minute workout DVD, a 20-minute audio CD, and eight 0.5-pound weights (4 pounds total). A favorite of top U.S. gyms, leading health professionals, celebrities, and pro athletes in the U.S. and beyond, the WalkVest comes in small, medium, and large sizes.

About Gaiam
Gaiam was created as a lifestyle company with the vision that, given a choice, people would choose a lifestyle that is healthy and life enhancing for themselves, their families and the Earth. The Gaiam lifestyle is a vote for individual health as well as the future sustainability of the Earth's resources. Gaiam strives to provide customers with alternatives to traditional products by offering natural, eco-friendly, or healthy versions that compare with the style, quality, and price of conventional products.

Gaiam's goal is to become the trusted source and unifying brand for Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) participants. They understand that the opportunity to affect people's lives with information and products is both a privilege and a responsibility. Gaiam believes in the concept of Conscious Commerce, the practice of making purchasing decisions based on personal values and beliefs. It takes into consideration all the aspects of our lives and the impact we have upon the planet. Research indicates this concept appeals to approximately 50 million people in the U.S. alone. Gaiam's strategy in delivering the distinctive quality for which they are known is to partner with experts in health/wellness, eco-living, and personal development to develop proprietary products that meet our customers' needs with meaningful solutions.

Customer Reviews

Good product, but some drawbacks
The idea is great: adding evenly distributed weight close to your body's core, to make it work harder without adding stress in any one place. An ergonomic advantage of this particular vest is that the thin weights lie flat against your body. It's lightweight, the cut is comfortable, and the look is almost stylish, so I don't feel too dorky wearing it for a walk in public. The shoulders are nice and wide -- also good for weight distribution -- so I haven't felt tugging or pressure there.

The disadvantages: because the weights are tallish, their tops hit my ribs in an uncomfortable place, so when I move there's friction and poking. (And I'm long-waisted, so I wonder how it fits on shorter waists.) I can slide the weights around some and move them to different pockets, but it's still a problem. The other major problem is that I have looked everywhere for additional weights (the starter kit is just that, including only four out of a possible sixteen pounds) with no success: nothing has turned up in local stores, or on Amazon, Google or the Gaiam site. The Walkvest site has been out-of-stock for weeks. So I'm stuck with four pounds, which is really frustrating. I'll be interested to see if it becomes more or less comfortable with additional weight.

One other note: I found the vest runs a bit large. I usually wear a medium or bigger, but my WalkVest medium is quite loose on me.

Advice: Before you buy, see if you can find additional weights. And since a good fit is critical, best to try on different sizes first.

Update 5/7/08: I just got an e-mail from Debbie Rocker saying the new weights won't be available for ordering from walkvest[dot]com until the middle of June.

Love it!
Vest is a lightweight cotton/canvas comfortable washable material.
Vest has refective safety strip accents.
Seems somewhat stylish although I can't explain why!!
Sides are mesh for breathability with comfortable arm holes.
Has lots of small long pockets with snaps for weights.
One large pocket on the upper back of the vest.
There are two clips on the front that are easy to adjust while walking for fit and comfort.
Sometimes I clip the clips to pull weights into body and sometimes I open them to adjust the feel of the weight- I can do this as I am walking easily.
Weights are small and sturdy are easy to arrange- they snap into pockets.
*You'll probably want more weights soon.
You'll work up a sweat without the strain of carrying weights because of the overall distribution of small weights.
I was worried about possible strain in my back but haven't noticed any difference.
Easy to use straight out of the box.
**It would be nice if it had a larger pocket for keys/phone.

Weights NOT Included
I just purchased this vest so I cannot make a judgement on how well it works, but I was very disappointed that I purchased this vest believing that I was getting a 20 lb. vest when in fact the only weights that were included were for a total of 4 lbs. The information included in the package said you can "purchase" weights when you're ready to add more. Great. I didn't realize I had to spend even more money to get what they said was included in the purchase price anyway. Very misleading.