Rucking: What I’ve Learned So Far
Rucking is a new form of workout that I’ve been getting into. Basically, the idea is that you fill a backpack of some kind with weight and then go for a long walk. How much weight, how long you walk, and how fast you go are up to you.
Rucking is the basis for fitness in the military, because troops often have to carry massively heavy loads over long periods of time and many miles. If rucking is a good way of training for them, then it’s good enough for me.
I’m still a newbie, but here are some of my takeaways after just a couple of months into this.
Rucking can be a great way to overcome your fear of dark woods.
My first ruck was at 6:00am on a cool morning when the sun was still somewhere over Western Europe, or at least that was how bright it was outside in St. Louis. I parked my car in a gravel lot in the middle of a forest reserve.
I glanced outside and realized, “Hm, I’m about to walk into the woods with a heavy bag, a tiny headlamp with no extra batteries, and limited visibility for the next hour or so. This feels like a great way to end up on Dateline.”
But then I remembered that I wasn’t the only one suffering. My wife was about to have to wake the kids up by herself on a nice, relaxing Saturday morning.
So, I jumped out and started walking into the darkness so she and I could suffer together.
You’ve got to realize, I am a guy that absolutely must cover his toes with a blanket at night because otherwise I know that a monster will get them while I’m sleeping. So walking into dark woods is not something I make a habit of doing.
Now, a few early morning rucks in, I am good. No more fear of the dark woods. This is both a personal and psychological accomplishment in my book.
To limit my liability with this post, I’d suggest you talk to your doctor or a trusted health professional before walking into dark woods by yourself.
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Start Light or Pay the Price
I bought a 25 pound plate that is the right size to fit into my rucksack. I am about 6’3” and 210 pound so I figured 25 pounds qualified as starting light versus say, 45 pounds.
Well, it turns out that actually starting light would have been something more like 10-15 lb. My shoulders were aching about 20 minutes into my two-hour ruck. A 25 pound weight is no joke to carry up and down hills through the woods. Did I mention the woods were dark, too?
Almost regardless of the weight you start with, I suspect your trapezius muscles will start to scream at you if you take the time to walk more than a half hour. But that’s part of the process. Just don’t kill yourself.
If you’re looking to get into this, start lighter than you think you need to.
If You Don’t Like Cardio, Try Rucking
I like doing cardio less than I like the dentist, politicians, and clowns… combined. Like, it’s not even close. The good thing about rucking is that you are really just taking a walk and feeling pretty awesome because you’ve got on a cool backpack with weights in it.
Now, to really get the cardio benefit of rucking, I’d suggest some hills or steps or something – walking on a flat path for two hours will be good for you and you’ll get a workout in, but it probably won’t require your respiratory system to work extensively.
Right now, I am alternating my Saturday mornings between a two-hour ruck and a 10(ish)-mile run. I much more look forward to the ruck, even though it takes longer and is a bit less convenient (I have to get in my car and drive a mile to the dark woods). When it is a running day, I cry in the fetal position for a few minutes before heading out the door. Running just isn’t my thing. Rucking wins.
Being in the Woods is Good for You
…At least according to the Japanese. There is this practice in Japan called “forest bathing” that basically amounts to spending time in nature, something you probably don’t do often enough. Me either.
The alleged benefits are things like happiness, internal peace, and harmony, eternal tranquility etc.
Rucking is exactly not forest bathing because it is hard work and forest bathing should probably look like something closer to meditation among the trees. But I’d contend that part of the benefit of rucking, assuming you find a trail in the woods, mountains, or whatever kind of biome is near you, is just disconnecting in nature for a couple of hours and enjoying the stroll, even if you get in a good sweat while you’re at it.
Rucking Isn’t for Everyone
I only know about 20 people in this world very well, and I would bet that 18 of them are not meant to be ruckers. If long walks, dark woods, heavy backpacks, and feeling like a Marine marching through Vietnam aren’t for you, then rucking probably isn’t either.
But I suspect that some of you out there would really get a kick out of this workout. If you think that it might be for you, you’re going to need some gear…
Essential Gear
Rucksack
Ok, a rucksack is a must. This is what you put your weight in and carry. If not, you are just taking a regular walk .
I use the GORUCK Bullet Ruck, but actually found an older, 10L model on eBay. Either way, I think this is a good place to start. There are lots of other options out there as well, I just like the GORUCK brand and quality of their products.
You can use a backpack and just put weight in it, but the benefit to a purpose-built rucksack is that weights are designed to slide in easily and not shift against your back every step for hours on end. Do not underestimate the importance of this.
You could also use a weight vest, but I think having a pack built for weights and a hydration bladder is more convenient.
Weight Plate
Again, I’d start light with maybe 10 pounds or so. I bought a 25 pound plate for pretty cheap that I’ve continued to use just because I don’t feel like downgrading now that I know I can technically do 25 pounds, even if I’m in misery.
Make sure the plate is designed to fit your rucksack, too. Some are different sizes for different types/brands of bags.
Hydration Bladder
The benefits of rucking require more than a quick stroll, so you’re usually going at least an hour or more. You’ll want some water, believe me. I use a hydration bladder, also from GORUCK, that clips into my rucksack and fits perfectly. You’ll have to play with how much water you need depending on your ruck duration, but I fill my 3L bladder up completely just to be safe.
Headlamp
If you plan on rucking in the dark… GET A HEADLAMP. You will get hurt or lost if you don’t. Or you’ll just turn around because you’ll realize a hike in dark woods with no light is futile.
I got one on Amazon from Black Diamond Equipment that does the trick.
If you are willing to invest a bit in this, this one was recommended to me by my buddy that does ultra running. He used it on a recent ruck with me and all of the animals in the woods immediately woke up and started their morning coffee because they thought it was daylight.
Bug Repellant
Twice that I’ve gone on the trail, I’ve forgotten bug repellant and ended up with ticks on my legs. Once, I think I unintentionally adopted a whole colony of them. God bless my lovely wife for picking off 80+ ticks off my legs one by one.
I now use Sawyer Insect Repellant and that seems to work well.
Hiking/Workout Clothes
You’ll probably want a shirt, at the very least to avoid chafing. Again, lot’s of options, but I like my Reign Tech Short Sleeve from Rhone.
You’ll also want some shorts or pants, both for practical and legal reasons. I use Ten Thousand’s shorts, primarily the Interval Short. I like the built-in liner so I don’t have to wear anything else under it. I got the 7” inseam, which admittedly looks better on people with super muscular legs than it does on me. But hey, it leaves some room for me to move.
You’ll also want to strongly consider socks and shoes when walking through the woods with weight on your back. Probably the single oddest thing about me, or at least in the top 20, is that I wear toe socks to run and to ruck. They help with blister prevention.
My shoes are Saucony Men’s Peregrine trail shoes, which are super sexy. Kidding. But they work.
I also wear a backwards hat. I tell myself that this is for sweat prevention purposes, but it is actually because I naively think it makes me look cool. And when I think I look cool, I work harder. Mine is just a simple black Nike running hat.
Fitness Tracker
I just use the Fitbit app on my iPhone to keep track of distance and time while I’m rucking.
I don’t use a fitness band of any kind because I have a compulsive personality and would probably not sleep until I took all my steps, climbed all my stairs, drank all my water, etc. for the day. I also have a wife and two children, and if push came to shove, I worry that diving into my fitness data might jump dangerously close to a top priority of mine if available.
I’m told by a couple of close friends that are major fitness dudes that the Whoop is top notch, for whatever that is worth.
Headphones*
*Headphones are not a good idea for trail running-like activities because you can’t hear people running up to pass you and it is a bit dangerous.
However, for rucking at 6:00am when there are zero other homo sapiens in the woods, I pop in my Apple AirPod Pros and listen to a podcast. If someone tries kidnapping me, it probably doesn’t matter if I hear them sneaking up or not. I have a weighted backpack on, remember? I’m also slow, so my odds of escaping a truly dangerous situation hover somewhere at or around 0%.
Rucking has been a fun thing for me to get into. It is a bit like burpees or kettlebell swings in that you are getting in some good cardio while simultaneously engaging a large range of muscles.
The added benefit, though, is that it is a unique opportunity to get out into nature and be in the silence of the woods. If you are like me, you also experience a level of solitude doing it alone that we rarely experience in the noisy world in which we now live.
If you feel so inclined, give it a try. And please, don’t get hurt and let me know how it goes.
Have you ever been rucking? Am I missing any big takeaways or forgetting about any necessary gear? Send me your thoughts at michael@theothermichaeljordan.com. I hope to hear from you.
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