Start Rucking

When I went to college the first time, I stayed lean without trying. This was despite the fact that I was eating everything under the sun.

Then I graduated, moved back home, sat around playing DotA 1 and magically I got bigger.

Then I went to college again. I was huffing and puffing the first times I was walking around the campus, but then I got used to it again. Then I went paleo/low carb and got to the lightest weight I had been as an adult. (If you want a weight loss program, then heavy Olympic lifting and walking are enough.)

I should have known that all that walking, in the Florida sun no less, was helping me stay lean and healthy.

Then I discovered 75 Hard. In my attempts and failures, I realized that an easy format for my outdoor workouts was to just walk, with weight. It was clunky. I just used a backpack I had lying around and my metal 10lbs plates. Things were going great, until the backpack started to tear apart.

So of course I wanted to get a better backpack and legit ruck weights. Time to level up!

The problem was that what I knew about "rucking equipment" was getting an official GoRuck backpack and their weights. That meant forking over a ton of cash before I was "allowed" to just go walk outside. Ha.

Maybe you're in that same boat, with rucking or any other piece of equipment.

We just need to tear down the barrier so people can just get started.

It just takes a little Amazon searching.

Walking Through History

This isn't about to be a huge ad, but I want to talk about walking a lot.

Walking maintains the gait pattern we worked hard to get after all the crawling we did as babies.

After we learned how to move on the ground, then crawl, then stand, walking was meant to be done, and done a lot. I believe ancient man walked an average of 20k steps per day. Not bad, ancient man. That should also put the 10k steps per day into perspective for you. It's half of what we used to do.

What we also had to do was carry stuff for distance. I'm not just talking about farmers carries, where you pick something moderately heavy up, walk about 10 meters and put it down. It had to be on us so that we could travel longer. Think about hunting. You're not going to carry it in your arms the entire way. You probably had to have it on you, and on your back. Or think about taking the tribe to another location. What would you do with your kids? Put them on your back and walk (the ultimate piggy back carry).

Just having a little weight on your back activates the front of your body. It's like being pulled back slightly, but your front has to hold you up so you don't fall backwards. This further boosts the power of your walk.

So time to get some equipment, right?

Don't Break Your Bank

So again, you don't have to go to the official GoRuck site and start there. (If you want to, go for it.)

Just check out Amazon.

I've done this with other gym equipment, clothes and shoes. You might have done the same. Use Amazon. Search what you want. Look at the reviews, because in the fitness world, we all know the top dogs out there: Rogue, NoBull, Adidas, etc. However, sometimes there are other brands out there that are 90% as good, just without the same fancy name.

Case in point for myself, I have a couple of pairs of wide toe box, minimalist shoes from Whitin. I started with a couple pairs from Xero, but I wore them into the ground. The Whitin pairs were about 50% the price of Xero and have lasted me longer. They also feel better. They might not be as fancy looking, but I'm here to use shoes, not get judged on how good they look.

Why all this chatter about price and stuff?

Because I believe people shouldn't have this huge mental and monetary barrier to starting something before they start something.

I get annoyed with gym or tech review YouTube videos because I've been a victim myself. A few hours later, you feel like you need to shell out $3k before you even start, or you feel like your lower-cost options are inferior.

No.

It's better to get something reasonable, see if it works, and honestly, fail with it than spend 2-3 months thinking about the "optimal" equipment to get.

No one else cares.

Plus, your body can't tell the difference.

Go ahead and get a kettlebell from Target.

Get a set of weights from Wal-Mart.

Start small.

Build the habit.

Then you can upgrade once you've leveled up.

Let's Get Rucking

OK so back to rucking.

I like it so much because it takes some of those 10k steps per day you're trying to get and amplifies them. Let's see how to start in the easiest way possible.

Step 1: Start Walking

• You should be walking already.

• If you haven't build the habit, do all the things that get you there.

• If your steps are low, try to double them.

• Then upgrade to 7-10k per day.

• Then upgrade to 10k per day minimum.

Step 2: Get a Backpack

• You might already have one lying around the house. (Just don't take one from your kid and get it sweaty.)

• Get some weights, or some heavy books, throw them in and walk.

• 20 minutes is enough. You can go up to 60 if you feel like it.

• You should plan on doing this for most of your days if possible.

Step 3: Ruck Time

• Go on Amazon and start shopping.

• You just need a backpack and a weight. Anywhere from 10-30lbs is enough.

• You can get the stuff to come in within the next few days. No excuses.

• I was able to get a combo backpack and weight for just under 70 bucks. I thought about telling you the brand, but that would remove your own mental exercise.

Step 4: Upgrade As Desired

• After a while, you might want something extra. Go for it.

Now Go Outside

Get a backpack.

Put weight in it.

Go walk for 20-60 minutes.

That's it.

There's not a lot of flash involved with rucking, and it's not as exciting and it takes too long to fit inside a hype Instagram reel.

But it's what humans are designed to do.

If you have a working set of legs and you're only hitting 3k steps per day, you're really doing a disservice to your body.

You need outdoor time, sunlight and movement. Just think about how good you feel when you get back from a walk. OR just think about how stiff you feel after a long drive. That's all the evidence you need.

I figure if you're going to be out and about trying to hit 10k steps, this is an easy way to amplify things.

Now go try it out.

Thanks for reading!

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