Do you love the idea of running—getting outdoors, burning calories, building cardio fitness—but you wish you could do it without, you know, running? Try walking with a weighted pack instead, an activity that’s become known as "rucking." Some fitness watches even support tracking your pack weight alongside your mileage.
When you ruck as part of a fitness routine, you probably won’t carry hiking or military supplies—especially if you’re just going for a short ruck around your neighborhood. Instead, your pack will hold weights, or you might just use a weighted vest.
What are the benefits of rucking?
Why not just walk, without the weight? Once you’ve achieved a basic level of fitness, walking is a very low-intensity exercise. If you already walk, and you’re ready for more of a challenge, your next best options are walking faster, walking uphill, or walking with added weight. Rucking is that last one—but you can combine all of these factors when you ruck.
You’ll notice pretty quickly that a loose dumbbell in a backpack is uncomfortable. The quickest way to get started is to buy a bag of play sand (typically under $10 for 50 pounds) and use a portion of that, in a bag that’s taped shut, as your first rucking weight. It won’t have any hard edges to poke you, and you can add more sand to the pack as you get stronger.
What equipment should I get for rucking?
First, before we talk about packs or vests, make sure you’re wearing appropriate shoes. You may want sturdy boots, like hiking boots, instead of running shoes. The exact model and fit are up to you.
If you’ll mainly be rucking with light to medium weights for short distances, consider a weighted vest. (These are also great if you like to do weighted pushups or other exercises. Your CrossFit friends all have one for Murph.) There are fitness-focused weighted vests that have pockets for small pouches of weight. This one from CAP is available in a 20-pound version, but there are also options that go up to 80 pounds. You can add or remove weights as needed, so buy the heaviest vest you think you’ll actually use.
Another option for weighted vests is the type that loads with a thin rectangular(ish) plate, like this from Wolf Tactical. These are more expensive, but tend to be more customizable for heavy weights, and they bill themselves as being higher quality.
CAP Barbell (HHWV-CB020C) Adjustable Weighted Vest, 20-Pound,20 Pound, Black $39.97 at Walmart $44.99 Save $5.02 Shop Now Shop Now $39.97 at Walmart $44.99 Save $5.02When you’re carrying a real pack, you can fill it with snacks and water, plus your first aid kit and survival essentials. Just about every good pack is set up to take a hydration bladder, which lets you keep several liters of water on your back and sip from it through a flexible straw without having to stop and unzip your pack.
Military Tactical Backpack Army 3 Day Assault Pack Molle Bag Rucksack $29.99 at Amazon $39.99 Save $10.00 Shop Now Shop Now $29.99 at Amazon $39.99 Save $10.00As a beginner, 10 pounds may be plenty. See if you can keep up a strong pace with that weight, and if so, consider adding weight. Most people will use between 10 and 50 pounds for rucking, depending on body size and fitness.
As with anything else in exercise, you’ll want to start easy, make sure your body can handle what you’re asking of it, and increase gradually. Every couple of weeks, consider whether your rucking weight is still appropriate and adjust it if not. This may mean going heavier as you get stronger, but it could also mean lowering the weight if you had a hard time keeping up when carrying heavier loads.
How fast should I walk when I’m rucking?
How often and how far should I ruck?
You can approach this like any cardio exercise, starting with whatever amount you can comfortably do right now, and increasing as long as you feel good and have the time to do it.
Once you’re in the habit of it, you can ruck pretty much any amount you want. Rucking counts as vigorous cardio, meaning 75 minutes per week meets the bare minimum exercise guidelines, 150 minutes is a good amount for an active person, and more is great if you’re up for it. Consider rucking three to five times per week, for 30 minutes or more each time, with one of those sessions being a longer one, an hour or more. That last one is perhaps best done as a weekend hike with friends. Tell them you’ll bring the snacks—you have plenty of room in your pack.
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