I would say that it’s fairly well-known by now that I love rucking. You’ve probably even heard of “rucking” lately. It has been buzzing around the health and fitness space for the last few years - but what exactly is it - and how do you start?
Here’s a quick start guide for starting a progressive rucking program, even if you’re just getting off the couch for the first time ever.
What is rucking?
Rucking is a military term that basically means “walking around with a weighted backpack”, or “walking with weight on your back.”. Some websites get super particular about it, but for us - rucking is walking around with weight somewhere on your body - either with a backpack or weight vest. That’s the essence of it. It’s a super simple concept that can change and adapt to suit your fitness needs.
Benefits of Rucking:
Rucking is awesome for so many reasons. And you may have your own personal reasons as well (like carrying kids home from the park, throwing a niece or nephew into a backpack to give their parent a break, or as a stress-relieving exercise you can do that will benefit your mental health as well). Here are a few reasons we love rucking:
Cardiovascular
rucking counts as cardio, and is great for building an aerobic base and increasing overall work capacity.
Strength
the extra weight you carry while rucking adds resistance and forces your core, legs, back and shoulders to work harder the whole time you’re rucking.
Bone Density
Because you’re increasing the weight you’re walking with, rucking can increase bone density much better than walking unweighted. This becomes increasingly important as we head north of our 30s, especially for women.
Low-Impact
Because it’s walking (but just adding weight), rucking is a great way to increase difficulty, yet still be gentle on your joints.
Energy Expenditure
REPEAT AFTER ME: We do not workout to burn calories. Great, now that that is out of the way, just know that rucking has been shown to burn up to 3x more calories than walking without weight - meaning you’re getting in a more effective, more efficient workout.
Social and Mental Health Aspects
while I haven’t seen any studies proving how rucking can make you feel good - in my own personal experience, rucking just makes you feel good. You feel strong, accomplished, and like a total badass during and after a good ruck. Take from that what you will!
rucking can be done solo or with any number of people - and they can be at different fitness levels (a good way to level the playing field with a group of diverse ruckers is by adjusting the weight each person is carrying). Make this your new “stitch n’ bitch”…but make it positive. :)
Gets you Outside
unless you live in a tent in the woods, you probably don’t spend enough time outside. Rucking gets you out and moving and can be done in ANY weather if you dress appropriately. Plus, a good coffee tastes even better after a badass rucking session.
Custom the Hell Out of It
rucking doesn’t have to look a certain way. There’s no dress code, no prerequisites, and you don’t need any special fitness skills to get out there and ruck.
you can definitely ruck in complete camoflage, with a military style weight vest, through the woods if you like.
AND you can dress in your best 80s neon spandex, leash up the poodle, and crank the Taylor Swift in your headphones while you do laps of your neighbourhood.
and everything in-between.
ANYWAY YOU WANNA RUCK - YOU ARE AWESOME.
Gear:
I’m sorry to all the gear-heads out there (it’s me, Hi!), but you don’t need a lot of specialist gear to start rucking. There are amazingly engineered rucking packs that perfectly fit rucking specific weight plates, and they are amazing. BUT, to start - you just need a good-fitting backpack with some padded shoulder straps, something to add some weight in it, and a good pair of walking/hiking shoes. THAT’S IT. (You can even, and I do often, throw on a weight vest and go for a walk - it’s super similar and will provide basically the same benefits.)
You want your pack to fit well - snug on your back and shoulders - and the ability to snug up and secure the weight up against your back as high and close as possible.
For your weight - you can use just about anything: a bag of rice, some books, a dumbbell wrapped in a towel, homemade “pills” using ducttape and sand (this one is very DIY and very military, but also very easy and super effective). (Keep reading for specific weight and distance recommendations).
You want supportive shoes with good grip for whatever conditions you’re rucking in. Hiking shoes or boots for backwoods terrain, running shoes with a bit of cushioning for sidewalks, pavements and pathways. If it’s icy or snowy out, grab some gaiters and some ice spikes and head on out there.
Get out!
You now possess everything you need to get started with rucking - so get out there!
Put on your shoes, load up your pack and fit it snug to your back and get out and start walking.
Beginner Rucking Program
I’m a huge advocate for starting off nice and easy. Slow and steady. Chill and…you get the idea. The less fit you are to start out, the less weight and distance you should start with. Even if you’re fairly fit, depending on what you normally do for your workouts, you might wanna start easy with rucking until your body gets used to the weight on your shoulders and your tendons, ligaments and joints have some time to adapt (keep in mind they take longer to adapt to increasing loads than your muscles do).
If you’re super new and just starting out - start by wearing the ruck for a short period of time: just a few pounds (5-10) for 10 minutes a day and just move around your house, or just walk around the block. It’s better to start low and go slow to avoid any overuse injuries - especially at the beginning.
Aim to ruck 1-2 times a week, going a little further each time, and making sure to take days off in between rucks. At this point, it doesn’t matter if you measure in minutes, miles, kilometres or lamp posts - just keep it consistent and keep pushing it just a little bit more each time. A good beginner goal is to complete a 2-mile ruck at a 17-20 minute-per-mile pace (anything under 40 minutes for 2 miles is a good starting goal).
Once you’re comfortable with that time and distance, you can start to increase your weight, distance or speed. You only want to increase one of these variables at a time, and only in small increments, so you can continue to progress while minimizing the risk of injury.
You can increase weight by 5 lbs, or the distance or time by 10% on the previous week. Slow and small increases will ensure you live to ruck another day.
You can also increase difficulty by rucking on more technical/steeper terrain, or even start to add in some bodyweight (and ruck weighted) movements, turning your ruck into a full on workout session. (Rucking Workouts)
Note: If you’re in Cochrane, AB, we run a fun women’s rucking club twice a month, and a 12-week women’s rucking and strength program to help you take your fitness up a notch and meet other amazing women in your community (next course begins APRIL 6th!). Join us here!!
Tips:
posture is important - make sure you walk with your head up tall with a neutral spine and hold your shoulders back. You don’t want to hunch over while rucking.
smaller steps are better than long bounding ones for reducing stress on your joints, especially knees.
Join the Siren Ruck Club!
Starting April 2024, meeting twice a month, rucking with awesome women in Cochrane, AB.
Follow us on Instagram for up-to-date info!
