Rucking is walking with your weight in a backpack.. This term comes from the word “rucksack” and everyone knows what it is. The military officially calls this a “foot march.” Weight-bearing walking is the main activity for preparing for military entrance exams.
I was mean and scoffed at what seemed like a marketing ploy to create a fitness category to sell unnecessary gear. “Rucking” seemed like something I always did when pursuing “real” outdoor sports. I always felt like I was rolling around when I went climbing, hiking, or backpacking. Heck, I struggled with it long before this term even existed, struggling through all the textbooks in high school and college. (Remember the book?)
Rucking experts say that while hiking and backpacking are about the path and the destination, rucking is intentional marching solely for the purpose of physical training. I didn’t mean to argue about semantics.
However, I was assigned this article and was sent some rack-specific gear to test. And, to my complete surprise, I like it. Yes, it’s easy. That’s one of the beauties of this form of outdoor exercise. I also discovered many other benefits as I delved into racking over the course of several months.
For outdoor enthusiasts, there is no need to explain how to build a rack. However, we will explain it here in its simplest form. 1) Get a rucksack or backpack, 2) Put weights inside it, and 3) Walk. that’s it! However, in my neolacquer journey, I have found some tips that will help you start the program smoothly.
5 Rucking Tips for Beginners
Rucking seems easy enough, but these five tips will go a long way in increasing the enjoyment and consistency of this low-impact outdoor conditioning.
Start with modest loads, durations, and intensities
Once you get into the hole of the internet regarding rucking, it may seem that the “sport” requires high loads and super long distances. Many of the sites have a military feel, with well-dressed soldiers marching cheerfully around the clock in combat camouflage and boots, and it’s always raining and muddy. It seems that. Looking at these images, you might think that to accomplish the activity you would need to pack on 50 pounds or more and struggle extremely long distances in the worst conditions.
But wait a minute, Maverick. No amount of excitement or desire can overcome periods. Rucking is low impact, but still puts additional stress on the tissue. Therefore, it is best to adhere to gradual and consistent progress, which is one of the golden rules of training. Your Achilles tendon, hamstring tendons, knee and joint surfaces, and back muscles will thank you.
There is no fixed formula to determine starting weight or time/distance. If you’re just starting out with a sedentary type of exercise, 10 pounds may be enough and 15 minutes may be a good amount of time. Pay attention to how your body responds to the new activity during and after your session for clues about its response.
It’s better to start modestly, feel underemployed at first, and then work your way up than to suffer a soft tissue injury and the associated time off and setbacks.
The intensity of the rucking is determined by the terrain and pace. And again, start modestly so that the organization can adapt and become more resistant to the specific forces of the new activity. It’s best to start at a pace that allows you to have a conversation, but at a pace that allows your breathing to become rapid but not deep.
This strength derives most of its energy from fat-based aerobic metabolism. A solid foundation in this type of fitness provides the basis for building fitness for later, more intense work. You may end up running with a heavy load on your back.
Choose flat terrain first, then gradually add rolling, longer, steeper hills. Weight on your back significantly increases your energy demands when walking uphill. Downhill also requires eccentric contractions (lengthening the loaded muscle fibers rather than shortening them), which requires a lot of muscle force production and is a major cause of pain and tissue destruction. It becomes.
The impact force of the foot landing on the ground is also highly accentuated when traveling downhill. Therefore, be especially careful when proceeding to steeper terrain.
With consistency, your body will respond to progressive loads, durations, and intensity progressions, improving tissue tolerance. Your enhanced ability to deal with, recover from, and adapt to physical stress allows you to carry more weight over longer distances. Before you know it, you might be exhausted from battle, lying around in the rain for hours on end, smiling the whole time.
No, you don’t need a “bulky” backpack
Don’t let the proposed equipment prevent you from starting work. A backpack filled with something with mass serves the main function of providing a resistive load.
It is effective to place the load as high as possible and as close to your back as possible. This provides high posture and stability. Rack-specific packs maintain even weight against the back panel and provide ideal configuration. However, you can achieve similar results by choosing and packing wisely.
A bag filled with sand and covered with duct tape is a comfortable DIY option. Depending on the dimensions of the bag and the characteristics of the backpack, a pillow or foam pool noodle may occupy space at the bottom of the pack to keep the load elevated.
If you participate in other outdoor activities, carry a pack for that activity with your gear. When he started, he just packed a rock pack with climbing equipment, water, etc. and felt fine. The same goes for overnight backpacking setups.
If you continue to do rucking as part of your daily routine, it may be worth purchasing a rucking pack. I strongly believed that I had everything I needed because of my other outdoor activities. But after trying the rucking-specific pack and weight plate, I had to admit it was better.
Since my weight was right on my upper back, I was able to stand taller when walking. And the flat weight plates that fit into the appropriately sized pockets never budge. Finally, changing loads was quick and easy, and loads were measured accurately.
Use supportive shoes
The additional load of racking significantly increases the impact force and momentum of the footstrike. And, as mentioned above, hills further increase the load that the lower legs and feet have to absorb.
That’s right, ultra-light minimalist shoes can provide great comfort for your weight alone. However, since you will be carrying a rucksack and the roads may be rough, we recommend wearing more supportive shoes to protect you from injury and discomfort.
Trail running shoes or lightweight trail shoes make the most sense when you factor in the additional racking load. And fit is king. The additional force exerted by the rack can turn a slight discomfort into a much bigger problem.Racking has received so much attention that certain racking shoesHowever, there seems to be little difference between trail runners and light hikers.
As the rucking journey progresses, the intrinsic muscles of the foot and lower leg adapt, as do all associated supporting soft tissues. You may also be able to switch to shoes that are lighter and have a looser structure. However, to avoid the possibility of long-term injury, give your body a chance to adapt before going completely minimalist.
Foot injuries are one of the most difficult injuries to recover from because they require constant standing and are located in the lower part of the body. These make dealing with swelling more of a nuisance.
maintain correct posture
To protect your spine and maintain or gain good posture, you must “stand tall” when racking. Even when the back is loaded, the vertebrae must stack correctly. Your hips should then open as your legs pass under your pelvis.
A rucksack or a properly loaded backpack can greatly enhance and even force this correct posture. Loading as close to your back as possible and high on your back will help maintain correct alignment of your upper and cervical spine.
Avoid raising your shoulder girdle. Make sure your shoulders don’t go over your ears. Loading the shoulder straps almost involuntarily causes the traps and other associated muscles to contract.
However, if the pack is properly fitted and loaded, and the sternum strap is tensioned correctly, you will almost automatically have the correct posture when lifting the rack. If I’m wearing a backpack with a correctly loaded and well-fitting pack and my shoulder straps feel tight somewhere, I know it’s my fault.
Despite what I expected from my years of outdoor experience, I didn’t need a waist strap. The load was correctly placed on my back, and when I was in a high position, I never felt the need to carry some of the load with the hipbelt. It felt like my spine was stacked and the load was already distributed along the length of my torso, and everything was comfortable. I felt the hipbelt was unnecessary and could interfere with maintaining proper posture.
Work intersects with other daily activities
At first, I would work on specific rack collecting missions every day. But one day I found myself just walking. So I started doing all kinds of daily tasks to get bonus rack time.
I now wear a backpack while walking the dog, mowing the lawn, walking down the driveway to get my package or mail, and even when walking around the house. I looked like a paramilitary lunatic with my backpack on at my standing desk.
But guess what? I’m healthier and faster. It was clear that the time with additional loads was progressing “freely”. I haven’t worn the pack while grocery shopping yet, but I think I will soon.
I live in a rural area, but if you live in a city, there are even more opportunities to take advantage of this bonus rack time. Every day’s work can be used as training time, especially for mobile workers.
I consider healthy multitasking to include packing a racking plate or extra weight in my computer backpack and walking to and from the coffee shop or parking lot (avoiding the elevator). Rucking also functions as a community-building and social activity. There are a lot of terrible clubs, events, and meetups out there.
Final thoughts on racking for beginners
If you’re a grouch like me, you’ve probably thought about the word “rucking” like I have. But I was wrong.
Rucking is a legitimate exercise that combines cardio and resistance loading. A low-impact, upright position (if you’re likely to spend most of your day sitting, hips closed, hunched over your computer). And it gets you outside, in the clean air and sunshine, doing natural activities that leave you room to think, or not think.
So give it a try. The simple activity of rucking can lead to better health and happiness.
