Anyone here rucking? Especially those of you 40+?

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I’ve been wanting to get back into regular running, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve also started considering impact, recovery, and finding something sustainable. That’s what got interested in rucking.

I’m still in the learning phase, reading about various approaches, starting weights, distances, paces, and gear options.

One thing I’ve discovered is the difference between traditional rucking with a loaded backpack and simply walking with a weighted vest. Both increase resistance, but the weight is carried and distributed differently.

I’m leaning towards getting an actual rucking vest, but haven’t made a decision yet. Then, of course, my tech side wondered how people track all this. For those of you who ruck regularly, especially those in the 40+ crowd:

- What backpack or weighted vest are you using?

- How much weight and distance did you start with?

- How often do you ruck?

- Do you track your pace, heart rate, distance, elevation, and carried weight?

- Are you using a Garmin, Apple Watch, Strava, a dedicated rucking app, or something else?

- And if you transitioned from running, how did rucking compare to it?

I’m particularly interested in what has worked for you long-term, rather than just how much weight or how fast you can go. I’m just getting started, so I’d love to learn from those who have been doing this for a while.

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I @RafaelHernandez

I used to ruck for twenty-five minutes when I carried groceries from the local supermarket. if that counts.

Carrying extra weight will place strain on your knees, back, shoulders, and neck.

Maybe consider walking in a pool of water. Both rucking and pool walking will burn about the same number of calories. With pool walking, there is minimal strain on joints. You can condition your body this way, if you have access to a swimming pool deep enough. Then transition to rucking when you have build up enough strength.

Happy coding

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I didn’t think of that. It would be great to try that in a pool. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to a pool other wise it would be a great option to have.

Carried groceries from your local supermarket to your house counts. That mirrors more what a “farmer’s walk or farmer’s carry” is, a full body strength and conditioning exercise. Farmer’s walk are exceptionally good for core stability.

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I know it’s not exactly what you were after, but if you enjoy running I would just keep running. It’s got a bad rap because it seems like something that would be awful for your joints, but the evidence doesn’t seem to be there. Here’s a Harvard Health blog with a nice discussion and references.

As for rucking, my lazy Googling didn’t turn up much research (what there was was focused on short term impact), but it’s basically walking while being heavier so it’s hard to imagine it being bad.

So, what do? If you want to ruck, go for it, but if you prefer running, run!

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Thanks for the link. I’ll take a look at it.

To be honest, I might be overthinking it. I’m not a runner; my runs are usually 2 to 3 miles at most. A couple of friends started doing rucking a while ago, and I got interested in its benefits. They’re a bit far for me to join on a daily basis, but I’ve been looking into it. What caught my attention is the low impact on my joints and the fact that you can quickly reach your fat-burning heart rate zone.

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Forget about optimising burn rate as a beginner.

Once you have re/conditioned yourself, then add weights. I’d suggest walking without weights to build up a routine. The on again / off again, carry a litre of water in a backpack. You can drink it when you get thirty. Whether the fluid is in the bottle or in your stomach, you are still carrying the weight. When you are fitter add a quarter or half a litre, and trek the same distance. After a few weeks, add a little more weight. Then repeat each fortnight.

After a few months of continuous training go for 5% to 10% of your body weight.

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Teller has it pretty much covered, but there’s a couple of things I worth thinking about. Firstly, that bodies are pretty adaptable. Within reason, anything you want to do that can be challenging and that can be varied in intensity (go faster, do it for longer or with more weight) is great.

Secondly, it sounds like you’re looking to do it for general health, so I’d have a read of national (pick your favourite nation) exercise guidelines to get an idea of how much is worth doing and how much is too much. But, honestly, if you start gradually and pay attention to your body, you should be fine!

I’d be quite interested in how it goes. Personally, I detest running, but I do need to do a bit more cardio. Maybe rucking is the answer!

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Well, today, my wish of reaching a high heart rate quickly and with minimal effort came true. I had my second jujitsu mat grappling session today. We had two rounds of 3 minutes each. In my second round, I tapped out after 2 minutes :face_exhaling: .

I quickly became exhausted, experienced a light headache, and it took me some time to recover. I learned my lesson to go easy, and as my condition improves, I’ll be better at these in future rounds.

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