NatNews

It’s not uncommon to see individuals on local trails or at the gym wearing weighted vests as they are going about their normal workout routines.

But unlike low-rise jeans and frosted tips, these vests aren’t a mere fashion fad many people hope will disappear.

Incorporating the use of a weighted vest during exercise can result in several benefits, including burning more calories, improved cardiovascular fitness, better posture, increased muscle strength and endurance, and a stronger overall core.

Dallas resident Keith Jensen—who is currently training for Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB), an approximately 175-kilometer (108ish miles) single-stage mountain trail race in Europe—said he uses a weighted vest usually once or twice each week, primarily during steep uphill hiking and incline treadmill workouts and strength sessions.

“Since I’m training for UTMB, my focus is building climbing strength and muscular endurance,” he said. “The vest helps increase the training load without adding unnecessary running mileage.”

Jensen added that for him, a weighted vest is a simple way to make the body work harder without necessarily moving faster or going farther.

“It helps build strength, endurance, and durability, especially in the legs,” he said. “For mountain racing, it also does a great job of preparing you for the fatigue you’ll feel deep into a long race.”

Dallas resident and certified wellness coach Marie Puebla said she initially began wearing a weighted vest because she wanted to challenge herself in a new way and improve her overall fitness without constantly increasing speed or adding repetitions.

“Since I enjoy running and functional training, I was interested in finding a tool that could help build strength and endurance at the same time,” she said. “I also liked that it could make simple movements, like walking or bodyweight exercises, more demanding and efficient.”

Puebla said she incorporates a weighted vest into her training one to three times per week, depending on what her specific goals are.

“I primarily wear a weighted vest during walks, certain strength circuits, and occasionally during bodyweight conditioning workouts,” she said. “I do not wear it during every workout because I want to avoid unnecessary stress on my joints and allow my body adequate recovery.”

Puebla noted that she opts for the use of the vest during the workouts she mentioned because it increases the level of intensity without requiring more complicated equipment.

“During walks, it helps improve cardiovascular endurance and calorie expenditure,” she said. “During bodyweight exercises, it adds resistance that can help develop muscular endurance and strength.”

Puebla also acknowledged the aforementioned benefits working out with a weighted vest can provide.

“It increases the overall demand placed on the body, which can improve muscular strength and endurance,” she said. “It may also enhance cardiovascular fitness because the heart and lungs have to work harder to support movement with additional load.”

Puebla added that another advantage of wearing a weighted vest is an increase in bone loading, which may contribute to better bone health over time.

“Weighted vests can also improve posture, balance, and functional strength because they mimic real-life situations in which we carry extra weight,” she said. “Additionally, they can make lower-impact activities, such as walking, more challenging without requiring high-impact exercises.”

While adding a weighted vest during exercise can provide positive returns, individuals with back or neck injuries, tendonitis, or arthritis in certain areas should be cautious in doing so or avoid weighted vests altogether to prevent additional pain and strain.

For those who are able to use weighted vests, though, Jensen said this extra piece of gear is absolutely helpful to be incorporated more often for the right workouts.

“Walking, hiking, and strength training with a weighted vest can be a great way to increase fitness without spending more time training,” he said. “For me, I use it strategically to prepare for the demands of UTMB, but I can absolutely see more beneficial usage for overall training.”

While there are certainly benefits to using a weighted vest, to avoid injury, it’s important to start slowly and not be overly ambitious too early. It’s generally recommended to begin with a vest weight of 5 percent to 10 percent of one’s body weight.

“I think more people could benefit from incorporating weighted vests into their workout routines, but it should be done gradually and appropriately,” Puebla said. “Weighted vests are not necessary for everyone, and individuals should have a solid foundation of movement and strength before adding extra resistance.”

One single rice seed can produce more than 3,000 grains of rice.

Sometimes all it takes are mutual friends, jello shots, and tattoos to bring two people together to form a bond that can grow into something strong and meaningful.

It didn’t take Dallas residents Braden Keefer and Kasem Abdullah too long after meeting to realize their shared passion for music and eventually form the band Déjà Bloom, a name signifying repeated and continual growth. Keefer (guitar and vocals), Abdullah (guitar), Mike O’Brien (bass), and Andrew Ehrlich (drums) make up the band, whose first single, “Redacted,” released in January of this year. In April, Déjà Bloom’s “Eeyore” then made its way to streaming platforms.

Abdullah said a unique aspect of the band is the way it fuses several genres.

“We blend Midwest emo, alternative indie, and pop-punk to capture pre-memories and complex intrapersonal emotions through sound,” he said. “Every single lyric was written with meaning and intention, and every musical arrangement backing those lyrics was deeply thought out.”

Abdullah said he enjoys several opportunities that being part of a band brings, as it is such a multifaceted experience, noting that the writing and creative process are the most rewarding for him, while playing shows is the most fun.

“The relationship between the members is also super special to me,” he said. “You are all working together to create a unique piece of art, and naturally, you build a close personal bond through that. I’m incredibly grateful for those connections.”

Like Abdullah, Keefer said he also enjoys the camaraderie he has developed with his bandmates, adding that creating music in this way is something he has always wanted to do.

“It’s also a great way for me to flex my creative muscle, which is a skill that I think is lost on many people in society today,” he said. “I would also be lying if I said I didn’t get an endorphin rush from performing in front of other people and giving them a fun show to enjoy, but of course I say that as the ‘front man.’”

As for the creating music component, Keefer said what he appreciates most is the journey he takes while doing so.

“It’s almost like solving a puzzle that you’ve had to put together yourself—you not only have to design the puzzle, but then you have to find ways to put the pieces together,” he said. “The unique thing about songwriting is that it’s a helpful way of getting out and processing experiences or feelings that you might have, and what’s even more unique than that is that the audience can hear it and interpret it in their own way.”

Similar to Keefer, Abdullah also sees the process of creating music as a deeply felt personal one, noting that it provides him a space to be unequivocally himself.

“It allows me to express emotions that I probably wouldn’t talk about with people on a regular day-to-day basis,” he said. “One of my favorite quotes is ‘art is how we decorate space; music is how we decorate time.’ Writing is my way of putting a little stamp on a moment of time in the universe. Each song is a timestamp of how I was feeling right then and a reflection of the memories I shared with specific people and situations. The ability to craft clever lyrics to describe a moment and then back them up with the sonics of a guitar and other instruments is an out-of-body experience for me.”

And like many musicians who also use their artistic expressions to connect with their listeners, Abdullah acknowledged that as human beings, people all go through similar experiences. For the songs Déjà Bloom has written, he hopes that those who hear them can listen and feel a little less alone in their own emotions and experiences.

“Music has the power to heal,” he said. “Whenever I face negative emotions—or even positive ones, for that matter—music has always gotten me through. I hope our music resonates with people on that same level and helps them navigate difficult times.”

Abdullah said he doesn’t necessarily sit down and write music with an audience’s reaction in mind, though. Rather, he writes it more for himself, acknowledging that it’s entirely therapeutic and enjoyable for him.

“I’ve always believed that everyone hears music through the lens of their own life, so my ultimate hope is that whatever someone takes from our songs helps them navigate whatever they’re going through at the moment,” he said. “But at the end of the day, it doesn’t always have to be that heavy. If it isn’t that deep for a listener and they just vibe with the sonics and the energy, then that’s awesome, too. I just want it to hit them exactly how they need it to.”

Keefer added that he also simply wants individuals to have an enjoyable time and feel good while listening to the band’s music, regardless of whether or not the “dark indie” genre is their general style.

“I think Déjà Bloom has something for everyone,” he said. “Even if we aren’t your favorite band, I think we can at least give you something that allows you to feel whatever it is you want to feel.”

Unsurprisingly, being in a group of different individuals with different perspectives and opinions can certainly create challenges at times. However, the members of Déjà Bloom make concerted efforts to ensure a collaborative process in which everyone has input.

“We always make sure to hear each other out, even if we aren’t crazy about the idea,” Keefer said. “We also almost always will try their idea and come to a consensus on if we all like it or not or, if we can’t, modify it to something that we all really like. We have four very strong personalities, but we also have a high level of respect for each other, so we always manage to come back to a compromise or an agreement to make the best possible song we can in the moment.”

Abdullah echoed the importance of maintaining that respect for one another and the willingness to try “absolutely anything.”

“An idea might make the song better, or it might just allow you to hear it in a way you didn’t originally envision but end up enjoying more,” he said. “That open-mindedness is critical.”

Abdullah noted a specific example regarding the recording of “Redacted” in the studio, during which he wanted to add a scream instead of a vocal harmony at the end. While Abdullah, Ehrlich, and O’Brien are fans of heavy metal music, Keefer is not, but the band still tried the idea to see how it sounded.

“It actually fit the track beautifully and made the final mix,” he said. “I’m incredibly glad to have band members who are that open-minded and who allow the creative process to take its own shape for each track. It takes teamwork to make anything work. This isn’t a solo project, and a little piece of all of us is in Déjà Bloom, so we want to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard.”

As Déjà Bloom continues to grow and create more music (be on the lookout for the new EP and songs like “Retrospect” and “Dopamine”), Abdullah expressed his gratitude to anyone who has ever supported the group and listened to its music. For him, being a part of this experience is truly meaningful and impactful. 

“I want to make music I am genuinely proud of,” he said. “I want to make that music with people I love and have a fun time performing those songs for our fans. Déjà Bloom isn’t some monetary endeavor for us to ‘hit it big.’ It’s about writing real music and having fun with the people who support us while we do it.”

Keefer, who noted that he has never made it this far as a musician, played in bands during high school and college but said it never got to the point of actually recording music professionally and putting it on Spotify or other streaming services for everybody to listen to at any time.

“Honestly, I want to keep doing this because I love to do it, and I think that opinion is shared with my bandmates,” he said. “Obviously, we would love to be big enough to where we could profit off of it and make it our jobs, but at the end of the day, we just want to share the same love and joy of music with others. I have always said that, ideally, we would be big enough to make the profit that allows us to live while also maintaining a level of anonymity that allows me to go to the grocery store and not worry about people recognizing me.”

You can listen to Déjà Bloom on Spotify and Apple Music and follow the band on Instagram to stay updated on new releases and upcoming shows

WEEKLY PHOTO OP

Thank you, Tacodeli, for helping us protect our peace

Monday, June 15: Dallas Wings vs. Las Vegas Aces at College Park Center
Tuesday, June 16: Free Rooftop Movie — The Breakfast Club at Sundown at Granada; Rangers vs. Twins at Globe Life Field
Wednesday, June 17: Summer Walker at the American Airlines Center; Global Watch Party — England vs. Croatia at Klyde Warren Park; Khalid at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
Thursday, June 18: A$AP Rocky at the American Airlines Center; Frisco RoughRiders vs. Arkansas Travelers at Riders Field; Candlelight — Coldplay vs. Imagine Dragons at First Presbyterian Church of Dallas
Friday, June 19: Juneteenth Fashion Show 2026 at Legacy Hall; The Boho Market at Klyde Warren Park; The Molly Ringwalds at House of Blues Dallas
Saturday, June 20: WRRC Saturday run from Taco Joint; Dallas Wings vs. Chicago Sky at College Park Center; Free Mat Pilates at Halperin Park; Queen Tribute — Queen Legacy at Legacy Hall
Sunday, June 21: Rangers vs. Padres at Globe Life Field