2023-09-16 16:24:00
Editor’s note: Before starting any new exercise program, consult your doctor. Stop immediately if you feel pain.
(CNN) — If you like to walk for exercise, there’s an easy way to maximize your efforts: make your walk a routine. Rucking is walking with weight on your back and is an increasingly popular form of exercise.
“I see people rucking in my neighborhood all the time now,” said former U.S. Navy SEAL Stew Smith, a fitness instructor and trainer for the Special Operations Training Team at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
The term “rucking” comes from ruck marching, a basic skill used by armies around the world. One of the tests that the US Army applies to recruits seeking to obtain an infantry expert badge is a 19 km march, or march on foot, which they must complete in three hours carrying at least 15 kilos of equipment . But you can start with a lighter load and gradually add weight as you build strength.
One of the reasons rucking is gaining popularity may be due to the fact that it is an easy, low-impact full-body exercise that improves cardiovascular and muscle health. a small studio September 2019 showed that 10 weeks of weight-bearing walking and resistance training improved physical performance in men while significantly reducing their rate of perceived exertion.
Weighted step training improved lower extremity muscle power and functional capacity in older women, another January 2019 study found, indicating that the exercise could potentially prolong their independence by nearly 10 years.
Rossella De Berti/E+/Getty Images
What’s more, rucking burns calories. A person burns 30% to 45% more calories walking with weight than walking without a backpack, Smith said. An 81-kilogram soldier carrying 15 kilos while walking 15 minutes per kilometer for 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) burns 680 calories, according to the US Army. Since, in general, the more you weigh, the more calories you expend during In any activity, that 81-kilogram soldier burns calories at the rate of someone who weighs 97 kilos.
“It’s a simple mathematical equation,” said Mark Stephenson, senior director of the Sports Performance and Research Center at Mass General Brigham in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Another bonus: Since rucking is typically done outdoors, it’s also good for your mental health. “There are a lot of studies that show the mental health benefits of being in a natural environment are huge, so if rucking gives you a purpose for being outdoors, that’s a stimulus I would use,” Stephenson said.
How to ruck
While exercising is simple (walking with a backpack), there are several things you should keep in mind before grabbing your backpack and heading out. First, don’t be too ambitious. As with any new exercise, you’ll want to start slowly.
“Start with an empty backpack and walk a distance you’ve already covered,” Stephenson said. “When you start adding weight to your pack, try something low, like 10% of your body weight. Adding weight will put more pressure on your ankles, knees, hips and back, so do it gradually.”
Another option is to start with a weighted vest instead of a backpack. This distributes the weight between the front and rear. Once you get used to the vest, you can switch to a backpack. But you shouldn’t use any old packages.
Backpacks should have wide, padded shoulder straps. “Don’t put weight in a string bag,” Smith said. “Most straps are not made to support 10, 20 pounds or more, and thin straps will really crush your shoulders.”
It is also important that your backpack has a waist strap, which helps minimize its movement and more evenly distributes the weight, which should fit snugly on your back and not move away from your shoulders.
While it may be tempting to stuff canned food or weights in your backpack to reach your goal weight, that’s not the best idea, he added. Heavy items should be centered in the middle of your back, near your shoulder blades, not at the bottom of the backpack near your lower back. Sharp objects can also be uncomfortable.
Smith prefers to use a bag of sand, which you can buy at a hardware store. Ideally, the load should evenly fill your backpack. Sandbags specially made for exercise are also available. “The sand can be molded into the back, rather than the metal digging into the spine,” Smith said.
If you want to avoid the worry of selecting the right backpack and weights, purchase a backpack made specifically for rucking. These may come with weighted plates or sandbags, as well as pockets to keep them in the proper position. Some backpacks have handles on the outside if you want to pause during backpacking to do some exercises, such as squatting while holding the bag above your head.
Don’t forget your feet, Smith said. Select a pair of comfortable shoes paired with socks made of wool or other absorbent material, which will help prevent blisters.
Additional considerations
While most people can exercise if they can walk, it is not recommended for everyone. “If you have shoulder problems, tendonitis or stiffness, putting on a weighted backpack will only aggravate the situation,” Stephenson said. “If I walk 3 km and my knee hurts, it will hurt more if I put weight on it.”
Fitness experts recommend exercising only a few times a week, not daily. It can also be helpful to combine your rucks with lower body exercises. The students Smith trains at the US Naval Academy ruck twice a week, for example, and their workouts include running around a track and going up and down steps, interspersed with lunges and squats.
But you can also just walk around your neighborhood. “It’s not that complicated,” Stephenson said. “Just be smart about it. You’re looking for an activity that’s challenging but doesn’t overwhelm you. If it hurts, then it’s not good.”
Melanie Radzicki McManus is a freelance writer specializing in hiking, travel, and fitness.
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