Rucking, a form of exercise involving walking or hiking while carrying a weighted backpack, can be an effective full-body workout. Some people elect to just head out the door and see where their ruck takes them but others want a little more structure to their training session.
Here are some examples of rucking workouts that vary in intensity and focus:
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Basic Ruck Walk:
- Objective: Build endurance.
- Workout: Load a backpack with a weight that is 10-20% of your body weight. Start with a 30-minute walk on flat terrain. Gradually increase the duration and weight as your fitness improves.
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Hill Rucking:
- Objective: Increase leg strength and cardiovascular endurance.
- Workout: Find a hilly route or use a treadmill with an incline. Ruck for a set time (e.g., 45 minutes) with a slightly heavier weight than used in flat terrain rucking. Add a Hyper Vest weighted vest for added intensity.
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Speed Rucking:
- Objective: Improve cardiovascular fitness and speed.
- Workout: Incorporate intervals into your rucking workout. For instance, alternate between 3 minutes of fast-paced walking and 2 minutes of slower, recovery pace. Continue this pattern for 30-60 minutes. Select a shorter loop so you can time repeated loops.
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Ruck and Run:
- Objective: Build endurance and transition between activities.
- Workout: After a 10-minute warm-up ruck, alternate between 5 minutes of rucking and 5 minutes of running. Continue for 45 minutes to an hour.
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Ruck with Exercises:
- Objective: Full body workout.
- Workout: Plan a route where you can stop at intervals to perform bodyweight exercises. For example, every 10 minutes, stop and do a circuit of push-ups, squats, and lunges, each for about 1 minute.
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Ruck March Test:
- Objective: Test endurance and strength under time constraints.
- Workout: Set a challenging distance, such as 12 miles, and aim to complete it with a heavier ruck sack (around 35 pounds) within a set time limit, such as 3 hours.
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Tabata Rucking:
- Objective: High-intensity interval training (HIIT) to boost metabolism.
- Workout: After a warm-up, perform 20 seconds of very fast rucking followed by 10 seconds of rest. Repeat this pattern for 4 minutes. Rest for 1 minute and repeat the cycle three to five times.
These workouts can be adjusted based on your fitness level and the specific goals you have for your training. Always ensure your backpack is properly fitted and the weight is appropriately distributed to avoid injury.
