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FREE 12-Week Ruck & Strength Training Program + SRC Meet-Ups

Woman Rucking/Hiking by an alpine lake with her two dogs.

So excited to tell you about our Siren Women’s Ruck Club, Meet-ups + FREE 12-week Training Plan!

Siren Women’s Ruck Club

First up we have our new Siren Women’s Ruck Club (SRC), based out of Cochrane, AB (BUT, you can be anywhere in the world and do your rucks, take part in the discussion in our private FB group, and be part of the club!)

The SRC is a community of strong, like-minded women* that get together to push ourselves to be better humans. Through Rucking and Strength Training, the challenges we overcome together help us face all the things that life throws at us.

There are two ways to be part of the Club:

  1. Join our private FB Group right here, where we keep you up to date on meet-ups, and where you can chat with other members about all things rucking. Have a burning rucking question? Want to partner up with someone for some accountability while you complete the 12-week program? This is the best place to do that.

  2. Sign up to our FREE members area on the Siren Ruck Club/RRPT website, where you can access training plans, warm-ups, recovery protocols and more!

Join both of these to make sure you don’t miss out and get access to all the training, meet-ups & news, and connect with other badass rucking women.

If you’re not in Cochrane, AB, it’s all good! Just follow Siren Ruck Club on Instagram and use #sirenruckclub & #badmotherruckers on your rucking Instagram posts to get connected with us and others in the club.

Meet-Ups

Next up, we have in person Meet-Ups!

The weather has finally broken into spring and we are excited to meet you all at one (or all!) of our in-person meet-ups in Cochrane, AB. Starting May 19th, we’ll be getting all of you #badmotherruckers together monthly for a fun ruck. These meet-ups will be more social than gruelling workout, just a chance to get together with other ruckers and get our ruck on! All-abilities welcome keeping in mind that we will be walking/on our feet with some small hills, for approx. 45 mins - 1 hour walking around with weight on our backs.

This is a great opportunity to meet other ruckers in our community!

All the details can be found in our private Facebook Group right here under Events.

FREE 12-Week Ruck Training Plan

Finally! All the workouts have been uploaded into the members area and you are ready to get your ruck on and get moving into the FREE 12-week ruck training program.

Great for those new to Rucking and also those with a good Rucking Base - take your fitness up a notch. A little bit of rucking, a little bit of strength, and a good measure of mobility mixed in there to keep you feeling good and injury free. Every single day, including rest, is programmed right in there, so you always know what you’re doing - no guesswork!

Find this FREE Ruck + Strength Training Program and all your warm-ups and mobility sessions in our FREE members area right here!

**By women, we refer to cis women, trans women, femme/feminine-identifying genderqueer, and non-binary folks.

Have any questions? Feel free to reach out to us through any of our socials, or email us directly.

>>Please check with your health care team before starting any exercise/movement program, and always listen to your body.<<

Rucking: Quick Start Guide

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!

10 Rucking Workouts to Add to Your Fitness Routine

Woman rucking with a backpack full of weight on the beach

Rucking is awesome. It’s simple, accessible for many, and you probably already have everything you need to get started and it’s one of the workouts that Peter Attia, longevity expert, swears by to stay strong and fit as we get older. The entire concept is literally walking with weight (on your back); if you have some shoes, a backpack and something you can put in there for the weight (cans, books, a weight plate/dumbbell wrapped in a towel or sweater to pad it out), you’re ready to roll. I usually just use my 14# weight vest myself - I like the distribution of weight and the way it stays snug to my body, and I don’t actually have a rucking specific bag. Use what you have, and if you love it, you can invest in a bag/weight plates later on.

FAQs

New to rucking or working out in general?

Start with 1-2 rucks a week with relatively light weight (10 pounds or so), and gradually add weight (5 lbs) as you get stronger. (It generally isn’t recommended to exceed 1/3 your body weight).

How far should you ruck?

Start with relatively easy (1-2 miles) rucks until you get used to walking with the weight. Then add distance/time gradually as you get stronger and consistently ruck.

I’ve been rucking a few weeks - now what?

You can start adding in some strength moves anywhere in your rucks. Get used to doing lunges, squats, pushups and burpees (with or without your ruck on).

If you’re feeling good after a few weeks of consistent rucks, start increasing weight or distance (but not at the same time), and then check out the 10 rucking workouts below to add some variety to your workout schedule and crank up the challenge.

Workout 1

2-Mile Ruck

Use this ruck as a quick benchmark to see where you’re at. Then as you get more fit, re-test this distance to compare your times and the amount of weight you used.

Workout 2

3.1 Mile Ruck (AKA 5k)

Same as the 2 mile…just further. :)

Workout 3

30-Minute Ruck

Change it up and ruck for time instead of distance. See how far you can ruck in 30 minutes and use it as a benchmark to re-test in the future.

Workout 4

45-Min Ruck

Same as the 30 min ruck, just longer. :)

Workout 5

Ruck 1 mile

50 walking lunges

Ruck 1 mile

50 squats

Ruck 1 mile

50 pushups

This full-body ruck/workout will keep you moving and get your HR up, and build some strength too. Feel free to take the ruck off for the moves, or keep it on to add some intensity/challenge.

Workout 6

Ruck 1 mile

20 pushups

20 squats

20 bent-over rows (using ruck)

20 Overhead Press (using ruck)

Repeat 2-3 times

Complete this workout 2 - 3 times depending on fitness level and available time. Feel free to leave ruck on or take off for pushups and squats.

Workout 7

Ruck 3 miles

EMOM 5

Complete 10 squats and 10 alternating walking lunges

Set a timer/tracker and start out on a 3 mile ruck. Every 5 minutes, stop and complete 10 squats and 10 alternating lunges. Carry on rucking, and repeat at 10 minutes, 15, etc. Continue for as long as it takes you to complete the 3 miles. Note your time and try to beat it in the future.

Workout 8

5 minute ruck to outdoor stairs

20 minutes up and down

5 minute ruck out

Pretty simple stair workout. Ruck 5 minutes out to a local set of stairs to warm up. Ruck up and down the stairs for 20. Then ruck 5 minutes back out. No stairs? Use a local hill.

Workout 9

5 Rounds:

10 Deadlifts (using ruck)

Max pullups (with or without ruck on)

Rest 60 seconds between rounds

Finish with a 2-mile ruck

Leave the timer/watch at home and focus on form with this workout.

Workout 10

Ruck 2 miles

50 Clean & Jerks (using ruck)

Ruck 2 miles

This is a fun one-enjoy!

Looking for a more structured program? Or 1-on-1 coaching? Click right here or feel free to reach out to me - I’d love to hear from you and work together on creating something amazing for you!