I ordered my XVest about 3 months ago. The experience was fantastic right from the start as it arrived on my doorstep on the SAME DAY I ORDERED IT. Confused about the package because I wasn’t expecting anything for 3-4 days, I saw my life flash before my eyes thinking I had just picked up some kind of WMD and it was “Adios Muchachos”. I was relieved to see markings on the package indicating its true nature; My XVest!
I ran into my apartment (already feeling the effects of the XVest before I had even donned it) and tore the package open. It revealed my 40lb capable vest and a small box containing 20lb of weight bars along with a video tape and instruction sheet.
I used the instructions to adjust it and placed about 12lbs of weights in it (probably shouldn’t do this but it was fun) to see how it fit. It fit perfectly and was obviously very well constructed and made to take some punishment. I vowed to do my “steady state” cardio on the incline treadmill at my local gym the following morning.
The alarm went off and I jumped out of bed. I donned my workout clothes and got ready and went to pick up my XVest. This is when I had a thought that hasn’t left me since. “I’m going to look like I’m wearing a bullet-proof vest!” I tried all sorts of different things including putting an extremely heavy and XXL Nike hooded sweatshirt over it. Then it looked like I was wearing a flak jacket and I resigned to the fact that this phobia was going to prevent me from gaining the benefits of this impressive strength endurance equipment.
3 months passed.
During this three months I had worn a sweatshirt backwards to the gym, a sweatshirt inside out so the logo was backwards, have worn shorts backwards (causing annoying bunching in between the legs due to my ice-hockey quads and some tightness in the groin area), and have worn t-shirts inside out and backwards. None of this phased me in the slightest.
Upon reflection of my gym clothing gaffes I have decided to cast my phobia aside and use my XVest for the first time tonight at an ice-hockey clinic. I figure the vest with an added 8 lbs will kill me since power skating with just the gear on kills me. I am expecting to get looks of amazement and fear in the locker room. Amazement that “some nutbar with rocks in his head is wearing a bullet-proof vest” and fear because “some psycho hyper-violent mofo is putting on a flak jacket and he’s going to relish in hitting as hard as possible all night.” I’ll of course answer any questions about this. The bullet-proof vest is because the “Mafia doesn’t care when or where” and the flak jacket because “you never know where someone is going to plant a WMD these days”.
I know once I start using this its going to be the best conditioning tool ever (aside from the most fun conditioning tool of course!). Its time to see what this thing does for me. I’ll post a followup given I haven’t been admitted to the nearest hospital tonight.
Cheers…