Rucking

In one of my last posts I talked about reading the book Comfort Crisis, by Micheal Easter. In the book he talks about Rucking and the benefits of Rucking.

First let me explain what Rucking is. Rucking is putting on a backpack (Rucksack) and going for a walk or hike. Pretty simple if you ask me and the benefits are huge. Step one is to get a good back pack that fits you well, as you gain caring more weight you may want a back pack with hip belt, that is what I have, it distributes some of the weight to your hips. Next you add weight, suggested start could be 10% of your body weight or 20# and slowly build up. I have read that 30-35# is the optimal weight but I have also read 50#. I am at 35# right now. The final step is go walk, take your kids for a walk, go with your spouse, take a hike in the mountains, whatever gets you outside just do it.

I started this a few weeks ago, even though we are still very cold in Utah, but still great. This is not something you need to do everyday, a few times a week is a great addition to any exercise plan. I can say it works your core much more than just walking. Here are a few Benefits that are listed on GoRuck.com

1. Simple and anyone can do it.

2. Gets you outside.

3. Active resistance training.

4. Burns 3x more calories than walking.

5. Improves posture.

6. Good for mental health.

Rucking will burn more calories and also build muscle. Unlike running that can reduce muscle mass. Other things I have learned has to do with overall balance, carrying weight helps improve balance. As we age we can struggle with keeping our balance and rucking may be able to help with that.

One of the best places to learn more about Rucking is GoRuck.com here is their introduction.

"We’re 100% independent so we’re free to pursue the harder path, to take between 2-4 years to develop every new product, to test them relentlessly, and to proudly claim with smiles on our faces that we build the best gear on planet earth for the toughest users anywhere.

We learned the way of the ruck in Special Forces and we’ve brought our passion to all people looking to lead healthier, more active lives. We’ve inspired millions of ruckers of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds and beliefs, put on over 10,000 live events since 2010, and our community has over 500 independently run GORUCK Clubs all over the world — probably including somewhere close to you.

Our starting point at GORUCK was a napkin sketch of a rucksack — if you’re here to get on the path, you’re in the right place."

I learned about Rucking from reading the book Comfort Crisis and Michael has teams up with Huckleberry to bring mare awareness to Rucking. He has an article called, The 2% Challenge, it is great. Michael really has me thinking about pushing myself to be better, healthier and not falling into our comfort crisis. I encourage you to give it a read, also get his book, even better get his book on Audio and go Rucking! I think you may be surprised at what kind of workout you will have and hopefully as we hit summer I am ready for some good hikes in the mountains.

I do not make any money promoting GoRuck or Micheal Easter, just great info.