I ran 55 miles in the Omorpho weighted vest to train for a marathon — here's what happened

Weighted vests have been around for quite some time, but the Omorpho G-Vest is an exercise of elegance in simplicity. This flexibly functional fitness tool is designed to move with your body and hug your torso to increase the intensity of your training.

When the G-Vest came across my path, I was about to start training for the Breakneck Point Trail Marathon. I ran this trail marathon in 2022 and was curious to see if adding a weighted vest to my training routine would help prepare my legs for all those hills. 

For the most part, my main training tools for this race were fairly simple: a good pair of trail running shoes, my Coros Vertix 2 fitness watch, a solid set of dumbbells, the Omorpho G-Vest...and plenty of sleep.

Leading up to my race, I used the G-Vest while trail running, hiking, walking, and strength training; whenever I could find the excuse, really. But the important question is: Did the Omorpho G-Vest give me an edge for my second trail marathon?

Omorpho G-Vest review: price and availability

The men’s version of the Omorpho G-Vest comes in four different colors and costs $299 from the company website; the women’s version costs $279 and comes in seven different colors. This is fairly expensive, as vests like the CAP Barbell Adjustable Weighted Vest retail for $70, so this one is definitely on the premium side of things. 

Omorpho G-Vest review: design

Some weighted vests can be incredibly clunky, throwing off your general equilibrium as you move around, but the Omorpho G-Vest is fashionable compared to the flak jacket-like weighted vests of yesteryear.

Thanks to those adjustable shoulder straps and side-cinch pull cords, the vest zips tight to your upper body without throwing you off-kilter when you move. 

The L/XL model I tested has 9.9 pounds worth of stainless steel ball bearings, which made me feel like I was wearing a bulletproof-yet-bullet-filled vest whenever I wore it.

The front zipper locks securely in place, and there’s a ventilated strip up the back to keep you from overheating too badly with the extra weight, which is equally distributed throughout the vest.

The G-Vest also comes with access to a free Omorpho iPhone workout app (sorry, Android users). There are 10 new workouts to choose from each month and to access, just hold the back of your iPhone up to the Omorpho logo on the vest, and the app pops up automatically.

Omorpho G-Vest review: performance

To prepare for my race, I put most of my mileage in at Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, which has a surprising variation of overlapping dirt trails; I’ve carved out a pretty solid five-mile loop along the outer edge of the property.

During my last eight weeks of training, I really tried to put a few extra pounds of muscle on my legs to tackle those steeper hills, and that’s where the G-Vest started to come in handy.

Whenever I zipped up that weighted vest, whatever activity I did next instantly became a mini-workout, which also upped the ante of my strength training routine — especially when it came to planks, jump squats, deadlifts, and lunges.

In total, I used the weighted vest for 32 different workouts over roughly four months, clocking up over 55 miles, and the whole point of using such a tool is to gradually build up extra muscle over time. And my race time seemed to show that it made a difference.

Not only did I make it through the course unscathed, but I finished in 7 hours and 54 minutes — a full 30 minutes quicker than my last attempt! It's tricky how much to attribute to training in the G-Vest, but I did add 10 pounds in the six weeks leading up to the race, so it played a role.

Also, consider this: after loading up the water reservoir in my hydration backpack and packing the pockets with all my necessary nutrition (energy gels, electrolyte tablets), trekking poles, an extra layer, and a small first aid kit — the whole thing weighed almost exactly ten pounds.

So, every single time I wore the G-Vest for a workout, I was organically simulating the extra race day weight I’d be slapping on my back just to keep myself hydrated, uncramped, and properly nourished for the journey.    

Should you buy the Omorpho G-Vest?

As I found, weighted vests turn any hike into a ruck, and rucking is the perfect training activity for any trail race. The Omorpho G-Vest is flexible, easy to wash, and somehow even a bit stylish, too. Did it give me an edge in my marathon training? I’d say so! 

If your budget stretches to premium workout gear, the Omorpho G-Vest is an elegant, surprisingly comfortable workout tool that essentially any athlete of any level can appreciate; the flexible fit was an absolute pleasure to use, no matter what kind of workout I had planned.

I think avid hikers and trail runners will especially appreciate the G-Vest since it turns any walk into a ruck. The free app is a bonus for iPhone folks, but even without it, you’re bound to get your money’s worth with consistent use over time.