ruck – Gymshock

Rucking, known also as loaded/pack marching is basically carrying a heavy duty backpack (loaded with gear and supplies) over distance while wearing boots. In many countries, the ability to complete loaded marches is a core military skill, especially for infantry and special forces. Rucking is particularly important in Britain, where all soldiers must complete annual loaded march tests. Why should you start Rucking? It burns a huge amount of calories. For comparison, walking for 30 minutes burns around 130 calories, while rucking with backpack for 30 minutes burns around 350 calories. Rucking is safer than running. For comparsion, running injury rates are anywhere from 20% to 80%, while rucking injury rates are much lower. Rucking actually makes you more injury resilent. It builds you a more solid foundation of fitness. It also increases your work capacity, which will improve your performance in any physical activity. Tips Break into your boots. Simply walk in them for a while before you go on a ruck. New boots will hurt your feet. Distribute your load. Put most of the weight in the middle of the pack. An easy way to add weight is adding water jugs Place Insoles into your boots. Good arch supporting and heel cushioning inserts are thick and may require you to purchase boots that are one size larger. Wear two pairs of socks. Wear a tight fitting polyester pair of socks that cling to your feet underneath the thicker pair of regulation socks. This will enable your foot to have a protective layer on it and prevent blisters Do not run with weight. Walking at a fast pace is okay, but running with weight may cause many leg injuries. When walking, stride with short, fast steps and straighten the knee each step to relax the leg muscles briefly.