Health + Fitness: Keep on Rucking

About this time last year, James and I were on our way home from a trip, and we were listening to one of my favorite podcasts—Peter Attia’s “The Drive.” Attia shares my fascination with the science behind living longer and healthier, so I can always count on him for a good listen when I’m looking to kill time on long driving days. In this particular episode, Attia was interviewing author Michael Easter about The Comfort Crisis—Easter’s book about how modern-day advancements have removed both discomfort and boredom from our lives. Easter blames society’s addiction to comfort for many of today’s physical and mental health issues.

Toward the end of the episode, Attia and Easter started chatting about a shared interest of theirs—rucking. They both use rucking as a way to stay fit. As they were discussing how it’s one of the most efficient and effective means of exercise out there, I sat up a little straighter and turned up the volume. Wait, what? Most efficient and effective? How am I just hearing about this?!

What is Rucking?

If you’re like I was the first day I heard about it, you’re probably asking, “What is rucking?” Rucking is so ridiculously simple, it’s genius. Pull out a backpack. Stuff it with things to give it some weight. Put it on, and then go take a walk. That’s it.

After we got home from that drive, I started researching this new-to-me fitness practice. Sure enough, there’s research out there backing up Attia’s rucking claims. And though Attia didn’t address this, it wasn’t lost on me how perfectly rucking jibes with the RV lifestyle. It’s logistically simple to do anywhere, and it’s a lovely excuse to get outdoors.

While it’s a recently growing fitness trend, rucking isn’t anything new. Just ask anyone you know who’s been in the military. Rucking has long been a staple in military training, as soldiers need to be able to carry heavy rucksacks filled with supplies and provisions for long distances.

The only difference between the military’s style of rucking and the fitness trend of rucking is what you’ve got loaded in your backpack. For my very first attempt at rucking, I stuck a 20-pound weight in a backpack and hit the treadmill in our basement. It wasn’t pretty. I turned the treadmill off at five minutes. What a reality check! Turns out rucking is surprisingly hard. It didn’t help that the weight was incredibly uncomfortable as it bounced around and dug into my back.

Mandatory Gear

I went back to researching how best to ease into rucking, and that’s when I discovered a rucking water weight. It’s basically a big water bladder that stuffs in a backpack and can hold just over 20 pounds of water. It also comfortably conforms to your back with no sharp edges to make you miserable. Perhaps the biggest bonus is that these are perfect for travel—so much better than schlepping heavy weights in the RV! I ordered two rucking water weights immediately—the second one for James, as my master plan was to get him equally obsessed with my newest obsession.

Rucking is one of the most natural and functional types of exercise you can do. Thousands of years ago, hunter-gatherers would walk the 10 or more miles back home, carrying their successful hunt on their backs. It’s one of the two big things humans, over any other animal, are uniquely capable of doing—the other being our ability to cover large distances on foot in extreme heat, according to Harvard researcher Daniel Lieberman. When you combine those two unique human traits together—carrying and covering large distances—you’ve got rucking.

After the water ruck weights arrived, I started out rucking with mine filled only to 10 pounds, and this time I avoided the treadmill and went outside. I had MUCH better success than my treadmill attempt! The first couple of weeks, I filled the water weight no more than 10 pounds to get my back and shoulders conditioned for it. A few times a week, I’d walk 10 minutes out and then 10 minutes back.

Here I am a year later, and as I write this, we’re camped at Rising Sun Campground in Glacier National Park. We now travel with our empty rucking water weights tucked in Number One’s gear garage and fill them up when we’re ready for a ruck workout.

I’ve built up to rucking with around 25 pounds for an hour, but the amount of weight I use highly varies—depending on the workout length, the hills, my motivation levels, etc. For today’s hike, which will be a couple of hours, I plan to fill the water weight to no more than 10 pounds. I’ll also be carrying my drinking water, food, and my hiking first-aid gear, so my pack will be loaded enough. I want the scenery to be today’s focus, not the exercise.

My Three Favorite Things About Rucking

You Get a Twofer with Rucking

This was my main draw to rucking. You aren’t just doing cardio. And you aren’t just strength training. You’re doing both at once! Rucking gets your heart rate and lungs working significantly harder than walking, making it a fantastic form of cardio. And unlike other cardio options, it’s also training your major muscle groups— both upper and lower body muscles. 

Rucking Burns More Calories Than Walking

According to the Compendium of Physical Activities, an average person burns around 125 calories in a 30-minute walk. But when you throw on a weighted backpack, you could burn up to 325 calories in 30 minutes. If you’re walking with the goal of burning calories, turning it into a ruck is an excellent low-impact way of torching even more calories.

Rucking Doesn’t Stress Your Joints

I’m a runner and am all too familiar with how hard running can be on the body. With its high-impact nature, running has a high injury rate compared to other cardio modalities. Rucking is a low-impact cardio exercise even though the intensity is amped up. There’s reduced stress on your joints and, therefore, a reduced chance of injury, so long as you’re not overloading your pack.