Rucking for beginners

It was more by chance that I came across the term rucking while reading the bestseller “Longevity” by Peter Attia. The author himself regularly goes for walks with a weight backpack to stay fit. And since I actually spend every vacation long-distance hiking, I took a closer look at the term rucking.

My tips for rucking

• Start with little weight, short distances and easy terrain

• Make sure you have the right backpack with a hip belt

• Start with 1 session per week – Rucking can be ideally integrated into your everyday life

• Rucking is a good preparation for multi-day hikes or if you are traveling with a heavy backpack

• Suitable for everyone, check in advance how much weight you can train with.

The term Rucking comes from the military. Soldiers are supposed to be made physically and mentally fit for their missions by long marches with large and heavy backpacks. For some time now, the term has been circulating in the Western world as a new trend method for losing weight and getting fit.

In my opinion, however, “Rucking” goes back much further in human history. When people lived as nomads or hunters and gatherers, the prey often had to be transported many kilometers. And even small children were and are often carried on the back from A to B. The human body and our upright gait are therefore actually perfectly suited for Rucking.

So you have probably done some rucking without calling it that. For example, on a multi-day hike, when you carry your laptop and books in your backpack in everyday life or carry your child in a Kraxe or sling.

Rucking as a training method makes sense if you have planned a longer hike and want to be on the move with a large backpack. But rucking can also be used to increase your general endurance.

Unfortunately, there are hardly any studies that deal with the topic of rucking and the female body. Existing studies refer to soldiers or to men around the age of 20 and are therefore only partially meaningful for women who like to hike with a heavy backpack. However, the existing studies show that rucking has a positive effect on endurance performance, among other things.

I can only confirm this from my own experience. For years I trained according to standard training plans for a half marathon time under 2 hours and never made it. In 2020, I then ran the Schliersee Run without any specific preparation in 1:51 and crossed the finish line hardly believing it myself. In the weeks before that, I crossed the Alps and went on a hut-to-hut hiking trip in the Alps that lasted several days with about 10-12 kg on my back. In addition to the rucking, the altitude certainly also played a role in the increase in performance.

Other studies show how important strength training is for women to counteract age-related muscle and bone loss. Rucking can be used as a form of training for this.

Since I have been rucking for years without calling it rucking, here are some answers on the subject:

That depends on your current level of training and how often you already go hiking with a backpack. Generally, start with shorter distances of about 2-5 km. You can gradually increase the distance. Also, start with routes that are as flat and easy as possible. You can gradually incorporate more elevation and technically more demanding terrain.

 

It’s best to start with 5-10 kg or about 10% of your body weight. Gradually, you can increase this to about 30% of your body weight. Be careful not to change too many variables at once. In addition to the weight, these include the duration of the workout and the terrain you are on.

Instead of buying extra weights, you can also use existing objects:

• Books – especially old encyclopedias or dictionaries are happy to be used again
• Water bottles
• Hydration bladders or flasks (bottles optimized for trail running)
• Groceries that you carry home in your backpack and on foot.

Heavy items should be carried as close to your back as possible.

If you are preparing for a specific (multi-day) hike, pack your backpack in advance and weigh it. You can use this target weight as a guide and build your training around it.

You can ideally integrate rucking into your training as an endurance session. Try not to walk too fast. If you have a heart rate monitor, try to stay in zone 2. Especially at the beginning, this means slowing down. In addition to endurance, Rucking also trains your strength endurance and, depending on the weight of the backpack, you also build muscle.

Rucking is also easy to integrate into your daily routine:

• Carry your shopping home on foot with a backpack
• Take a walk with a toddler in a Kraxe or sling
• Take the public transport to work with your laptop in your backpack and get off/on a few stations earlier/later
• In the gym on the treadmill with a backpack
• Take a backpack with you when you go for a walk
• When hiking, pack a little more in your backpack
• Take a backpack with you when traveling or on business trips and work out anywhere

In my opinion, the most important point for using rucking safely and avoiding injuries is to have the right backpack. Unfortunately, while researching this blog post, I saw far too many pictures of people wearing completely unsuitable backpacks or not wearing them correctly. So, here is my recommendation:

• Use a (hiking) backpack with a padded hip belt and padded shoulder straps. Most of the weight of the backpack should be on your hips, not on your shoulders.
• Adjust the hip belt correctly before you fill it with weights: put on the backpack and adjust the hip belt first. This should sit on your hip bone. Pull it tight so that everything still feels comfortable. Next, adjust the shoulder straps. You should have about a finger’s width of space between your shoulder and the strap at the top.
• Depending on the backpack model, you can now adjust how close or far away from your back the backpack sits. Try out the different positions and find the one that suits you.
• You can get advice from specialist retailers on how to adjust your backpack correctly.

In my opinion (and for sustainability reasons), you don’t need a special backpack for Rucking if you already have a good hiking backpack.

Since you can design Rucking very flexibly, it is basically suitable for everyone. In some cases, you should consult your doctor in advance to find out whether Rucking is suitable for you:

• If you have artificial joints (especially knees and hips), it is best to check with your doctor to see how much weight you can train with and when you can optimally start after the operation.
• For pelvic floor complaints and after pregnancy and/or childbirth – especially when walking downhill, you put a lot of strain on your pelvic floor with additional weights.
• Knee, back and shoulder problems
• Existing osteoporosis

If you want to start rucking after a long break from sports or if sports are completely new to you, I recommend the following: prepare your body for rucking step by step. Start with regular endurance sessions (2-3 times a week) without extra weight and do strength and stability training 2-3 times a week. After a few weeks, you can start with light weights and slowly increase them.

Yes and no. Rucking as a training method has the advantage that you can gradually increase your performance. On a hike, you don’t always have the option of traveling with only a small amount of luggage or weight. Certain items such as a first aid kit, drinks, food, and clothing must be in your backpack on every hike. And the further away from civilization you are, the heavier your backpack will probably be.

In my opinion, rucking is the ideal preparation for longer and more demanding hikes. And not only physically, but also mentally, rucking is a good way to prepare for how to deal with difficult phases when you just want to push your heavy backpack down the mountain.

•  use poles, especially with heavy weight and technical terrain.
• Rucking also trains your mental abilities to get through strenuous sessions.
• Adjust your pace, especially at the beginning – it’s better to go slower than to overexert yourself.