Go Ruck Yourself
I’m a dedicated runner. Not a fast one, or an accomplished one. But I get out there and do it. It’s become part of my DNA. I started running in earnest in 1996 when a friend invited me to run the Crazylegs Classic 8K. Since then, I’ve participated in hundreds of 5Ks and 10Ks. My basement walls surrounding my treadmill are covered with race bibs that serve as motivation.
Unfortunately, time has caught up with me and more and more I feel the wear and tear on my joints. The Hokas, the running insoles, the proper stretching and cool downs have all done a great job of minimizing the pounding and aided in daily recovery. But I’ve started to face facts. 30 years of running will take a toll. It’s inevitable. I still need the daily cardio, but at what cost?
Then recently I was reading a great book called The Comfort Crisis. In that book the author, Michael Easter, devoted a chapter to rucking. I’d heard of ruck sacks. And was vaguely aware of rucking as a military term. But I had no idea of what rucking was or how it was becoming a fitness craze. Regardless, I was intrigued. I had a feeling this was the exercise I had been looking for.
Rucking at its most basic is walking while carrying weight. Sounds simple. Possibly boring. But this has become my new thing! I’m obsessed with it. I have a backpack loaded with a 20# weight. I put it on and wear it when I walk the dog or hiking in the woods. Carrying this weight while walking has significant benefits. Here are five that the rucking community touts: Better posture; increased bone density; improved endurance; low-impact cardio; calorie burn (you’ll burn three times the calories by rucking versus walking alone).
Rucking also gets you outside, which in my opinion help with overall mental health and wellbeing. Take a walk, clear your head, focus on the task at hand, which happens to be one heck of a challenging and rewarding workout. Before getting started I did a lot of research. And what I saw repeatedly on-line was the suggestion of getting a dedicated rucking backpack. The reason being that these packs are specifically designed to keep the weight high up on your back. At first, I figured why not just throw some books or soup cans in a backpack and start rucking. The danger here is that weight that sits too low on your back or weights that shift round in the backpack can lead to lower back pain. Or overall discomfort while you’re rucking. Which most likely leads to giving up.
So, I decided to spend the money and purchase a backpack along with a 10# weight and a 20# weight. You can go to GoRuck or Wild Gym and they sell bundled packages at a cost savings. I got a backpack, a 20# weight and a waist belt from Wild Gym for about $300 and have been very happy with my purchase. I did purchase an additional 10# weight from Yes4All that fits perfectly in my Wild Gym pack. My son decided that rucking seemed cool so he went out and bought his own pack from GoRuck. He’s on the road for business and takes it with him to do workouts while on the road.The packs have handles on them that allow you do strength training exercises (squats, lunges, pushups, twists, thrusts) in addition to traditional rucking.
Turns out I’ve seen countless people out rucking over the past two years. I thought they were simply hiking with a backpack holding some water, snacks, sunscreen, and an LL Bean fleece pullover. Turns out they’ve been rucking and getting a hell of a workout… and my guess is loving every step of it. So go ruck yourself! It just might be right for you.
