Do you even Ruck, bro?

KnightTemplar

KnightTemplar

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Winter is coming.

While Scotland isn't exactly Canada - some years we get no significant snow at all - we usually get a few months of icy conditions. Which makes my preferred methods of conditioning, such as Hill Sprints, somewhat risky. Hitting a patch of ice while one is sprinting full out is no fun at all. So I've been looking around for a conditioning routine that is both easy on the knees and safe to use in weather that makes you keep one eye open for White Walkers.

Rucking, which simply means going for a walk carrying a pack weighing around 35 pounds or so, seems to fit the bill. It's low impact, so knee friendly. And moving at a slower pace means I'm less likely to slip. Especially since I'll be wearing boots instead of running shoes.

Anyone here tried this form of conditioning?
 
KnightTemplar said:
Winter is coming.

While Scotland isn't exactly Canada - some years we get no significant snow at all - we usually get a few months of icy conditions. Which makes my preferred methods of conditioning, such as Hill Sprints, somewhat risky. Hitting a patch of ice while one is sprinting full out is no fun at all. So I've been looking around for a conditioning routine that is both easy on the knees and safe to use in weather that makes you keep one eye open for White Walkers.

Rucking, which simply means going for a walk carrying a pack weighing around 35 pounds or so, seems to fit the bill. It's low impact, so knee friendly. And moving at a slower pace means I'm less likely to slip. Especially since I'll be wearing boots instead of running shoes.

Anyone here tried this form of conditioning?
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I thought this was going to be a rugby topic :(
 
i think some dudes on the irongarmx forum were big into this.
 
Fuck rucking. I did so much of that miserable shit at 3 am for 10 to 12 miles at a time in the army. It fucks up your back as well.

Also don't know why people think rucking is good for the knees. All you're doing is putting them under added stress of more weight. Then again, our rucks were at least 45 - 50 lbs. Some had much heavier
 
ctrlaltdelete said:
Fuck rucking. I did so much of that miserable shit at 3 am for 10 to 12 miles at a time in the army. It fucks up your back as well.

Also don't know why people think rucking is good for the knees. All you're doing is putting them under added stress of more weight. Then again, our rucks were at least 45 - 50 lbs. Some had much heavier
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Yeah, the websites I looked at all said you should keep the weight to around 35 lbs. Anything significantly heavier was going to start breaking your body down.

I've also heard of people suffering from shoulder injuries after wearing a heavy pack for too long. I believe the term used was, "Backpack Palsy".

If the worst comes to the worst and we get a bad winter, I can always do Incline Treadmill Sprints. I hate using machines, but any port in a storm.
 
From https://themillgym.com/ruck-club/#
A couple of ex sas guys who now run a gym:


Pack-weights depend on your level of ruck experience but it is always best to start light and build-up over a few months. The optimal weights for both sessions is 17.5kg (Male) and 15kg (Female). This is 'dry-weight' and does not include your water bottle. If you are just starting out, then we recommend starting with a weight as little as 5kg and building this up by 2.5kg over 8 consecutive sessions.

PROGRAM
The Monday morning sessions are designed for speed-rucking. This means we carry a relatively light weight in our packs and aim for length and rate of stride. The aim is to achieve 7 to 8km in the allocated hour of training. Pack-weights can start from as little as 5kg but will ideally build up to the prescribed weights over time.

The Saturday sessions (when they are up and running) are designed for developing endurance with gradually increasing weight. The duration of training is 2-hours so our 'Ruckers' will be required to set and maintain a sustainable pace and weight for the duration of the period. The ruck pace will be between 5 and 7 km/hour.
 
Carrying weight on your back for extended periods of the time is less then ideal on your back and can lead to imbalances.

I prefer running outside as well, but try a stationary bike. If you want to simulate the cold conditions you can put it in your driveway.
 
corpse said:
steve justa was a fan of carriyng a 100 lbs weight vest all day long.
and then there is the inman mile: http://usawa.com/inman-mile/
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That's fucking insane. No wonder an ex-US Marine who thought it up!:eek:

Yeah, a good Weight Vest was something I was considering as well. The weight is far more evenly distributed across the body than it would be while wearing a rucksack.
 
Just hike mountains instead and call it hiking lol, I'm sure Scotland's got some great places to climb. You get all of the exercise benefits, plus actually you're enjoying in beautiful scenery instead of, like, just randomly walking down a road somewhere with a heavy pack. Winter hiking is definitely a thing too, I just came back from an all day one. You just need a lot more gear and extra planning.

But, as everyone else already said, anything with a heavy pack is definitely bad for your knees- especially downhill. I think it's much worse than running unencumbered
 
I have a 40lbs weighted vest, may give this a go. Wouldn’t mind throwing it on while walking the dogs or something.
 
I've done it. IMO, the uneven load is better than a weighted vest as it forces your body to balance itself. I think sand bag carrying gives you a bit more variety as you can move the bag around to different positions.

And I'm in Canada. It's not always a frozen tundra here, my haggis eating friend.
 
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