If you're outdoorsy, there's nothing better than setting out on a day hike. As a bonus, it comes with a slew of health benefits. Unlike walking on flat surfaces like you would on your local walking trail, hiking uneven terrain requires more energy and therefore burns more calories. Moreover, challenging ascents and descents will help develop your calves, hamstrings, quads, and glutes.
But if you want to make your weekend hikes that much more challenging, allow us to introduce rucking -- a fitness program popularized by the military that torches fat, improves strength, and challenges even the most seasoned gym-goer.
What Is Rucking?
Simply put, rucking is walking with weight on your back. This simple yet intense type of training originated in the military and forced soldiers to march long distances with weighted backpacks to test their strength and endurance.
While still used in the military, fitness enthusiasts caught wind of the activity's benefits and made it mainstream. According to research, walking with weights can not only improve an athlete's physical performance and perceived rate of exertion (RPE) but can also burn more calories than regular walking.
"Like any movement, you get stronger from adding resistance," says Jason McCarthy, Co-founder and CEO of GORUCK, an American sporting equipment company founded in 2008 that specializes in making rucksacks, boots, and apparel. "So, let's take walking. The mountain is some resistance, and so is some weight on your back. To train to summit higher and hike better, you can add weight to your daily walks wherever you live, and that's called rucking."
How to Get Started
While tons of health benefits come along with rucking the best part is how low-impact it is -- just about anyone can do it. Our advice to first-timers? Start low and work your way up.
"The risks are very low, just don't start out with too much weight," McCarthy says. "Depending on your fitness level, 20 or 30 pounds is a good weight to start rucking with. Then, just walk. If you want to use smaller day hikes to train for a longer summit, great -- just add weight. As you scale up the weight over time, do so gradually -- 10-pound increments is a good rule of thumb."
The Rucking Workout Plan
This eight-week plan will gradually and safely ramp your fitness up to get you to long-distance rucks using real weight. For week 1, start by walking one mile with 20 pounds on your back. Each week you should add one mile and five pounds so that by week 8, you're up to an eight-mile ruck with a 55-pound pack.
For your three weekly strength-training workouts, do these exercises as a circuit on nonconsecutive days. Perform three rounds, doing 15 reps of each move.
When you head out on your weekly ruck, follow these rules:
1. Use a Sturdy Pack
Use a good backpack with thick shoulder straps, padded hip straps, a sternum strap, and space for a Camelbak bladder. Something like the Maxpedition Falcon-III works well with light loads. Once you work your way up to 50 pounds or more, go for a pack with an internal frame. If you want the bombproof option, look to the Mystery Ranch Overload, which has an adjustable frame and padded waist belt that transfers the load to your hips.
2. Keep the Weight Stable and Close
Cinch the pack so your hips carry the brunt of the weight (think 80 percent), while your shoulders and chest stabilize as you march. This is the most secure way to carry. Adjust your shoulder straps and sternum straps to anchor the load close to the small of your back. This will reduce swinging and chafing.
3. Install a Hydration Bladder
If you want a pack built around hydration, look to CamelBak Motherlode, which is made from heavy-duty Cordura nylon and houses a 100-ounce hydration bladder with a convenient drinking tube. Fill it with plain water and a scoop of electrolyte powder to reduce cramping on your longer treks.
4. Don't Run
At top speed, about four miles an hour, your stride should resemble a race walk with short, fast steps. This technique will preserve your joints. "Walk slowly, or as fast as you can, to increase the level of difficulty, but don't run," says McCarthy.
5. Get Shoe Support
The longer and heavier the ruck, the greater need for foot and ankle support, says McCarthy. A good rule of thumb is trail running shoes, like Salomon's XA PRO 3D V9 GORE-TEX, for loads under 35 pounds. Anything heaver than 35 pounds deserves a beefy boot like Rocky Outback Gore-Tex Waterproof Hiker Boot.
6. Wear Wool Socks
Preferably something like SmartWool's Mountaineer Tall Crew Socks. Add Injinji's next-to-skin, moisture-wicking Liner Sock to help prevent blisters or chaffing from grit between your toes.
7. Upgrade Your Underwear
The natural antimicrobial properties of merino wool, found in Triple Aught Design's Commando Boxer Brief, wicks away sweat to reduce hot spots and, in turn, the dreaded thigh rub.
8. Bring a Friend
It's a lot more fun to ruck with someone else. If you're at different ability levels, weight is the great equalizer. Heavier for you, lighter for them, or vice versa, and you can get comparable workouts, says McCarthy.