A lot of miles (literally) went into this newsletter. Aside from lots of rucking, I took a few weeks off and hiked the John Muir Trail…also with a 30-45 lbs pack on. During all this walking, I had an epiphany: the more I walk, with my senses wide open and available to input, the calmer my mind gets and the stronger my body feels. Maybe there’s something to all this walking with weighted packs ;-).

Hope you have a good read…followed by a great ruck!

Motivation

Hiking the JMT: Expert-level Ruck or Just an AMAZING Backpacking Trip?

Last week I accomplished a lifelong dream of hiking the John Muir Trail (JMT), from Horseshoe Meadows (via the Cottonwood Pass trail) to Happy Aisle, Yosemite. Via this 250-mile hike — accounting for the actual JMT plus three extra resupply hikes — I learned a crazy amount about myself, about backpacking, and about the importance of…rucking. Read more about the journey here…

Fitness & Health

Rucking for Weight Loss

There’s a lot of information out there about using various forms of exercise to help you lose weight. As it turns out, rucking happens to be one of the best – and possibly easiest – forms of exercise you can do to burn more calories…fast!

In this video, popular fitness pro, Paul Revelia, from Pro Physique, explains how different exercises, including rucking (and rucking uphill) compare when trying to burn more calories in order to lose weight.

Extra: If you’re interested in how to calculate calories burned while rucking, there’s also a great article, published several years ago in Outside magazine, about how to use the “Pandolf equation” to accomplish this very thing.

Everyday Ruck

Rucking vs. Walking: How Do These Differ (Physiologically)?

As someone who owns (or is the guardian to) a dog and lives in a city, one of my twice-daily responsibilities is to walk my dog. As I’ve mentioned previously, walking my dog is not only a great chance for me to get some fresh air and clear my mind, but for the last several years I have also used our walks together to get more vigorous exercise in, via rucking.

Now, I should be clear, even when I simply walk with my dog without wearing a rucksack, I’m often trying to get a little exercise. That being said, when I first started rucking I wanted to know how these differ as exercises, especially physiologically.

As you probably know, at first glance walking and rucking seem pretty similar—they both involve putting one foot in front of the other—but the physiological demands of each are quite different. Walking is a low-impact, aerobic exercise primarily focused on cardiovascular health. It’s gentle on the joints, promotes steady-state cardiovascular endurance, and burns calories efficiently over time. The muscles most engaged during walking include the calves, hamstrings, quadriceps, and glutes, with minimal upper body involvement.

Rucking, on the other hand, adds significant resistance by requiring you to carry weight in a backpack (or rucksack…or even a weighted vest). This extra weight increases the intensity of the workout, making rucking a combination of aerobic and resistance exercise. The added load forces the body to engage more muscles, particularly in the upper body and core. Your shoulders, back, and arms work harder to stabilize the weight, while your core muscles are constantly activated to maintain balance. The legs, especially the glutes and quads, also take on more strain compared to walking.

Likewise, rucking is great for bone density because the added weight provides resistance that stimulates bone growth. The impact of walking with a weighted rucksack helps strengthen bones, reducing the risk of osteoporosis and fractures. It’s a simple, effective way to boost bone health while staying active.

As a result, rucking not only improves cardiovascular endurance but also builds strength and muscle endurance across the entire body, as well as aids in bone growth and bone density. This makes rucking a more efficient workout for those looking to enhance both aerobic capacity and muscular strength simultaneously, while also improving healthspan and longevity.

Gear & Equipment

DIY Ruck Weights: Creative Ideas for Adding Weight to Your Pack

After I graduated from college way back when I was living in a tiny rented studio and was dirt poor. Of course, this didn’t stop me from trying to stay in shape.

With no money to pay for a gym membership, I got inventive. Along with the obligatory pushups and other body-weight exercises, I repurposed 2.5-gallon water jugs as dumbbells, which enabled me to add weight to my squats and also perform exercises for my back and biceps that weren’t being hit via the other body-weight exercises.

If you’re wondering how to add weight to your backpack, here are ten ideas that I have used in the past…