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Step by Step, Weighted and Empowered: Let’s Talk about Rucking.

Abby Dougherty
5 min readOct 20, 2023

Rucking is the act of walking or marching with a loaded backpack, commonly known as a “rucksack” in military terminology. It’s an exercise that originated in the military, but in recent years, it has gained popularity among civilians as both a fitness activity and a form of social exercise. Rucking is considered a holistic approach to health for several reasons:

Physical Health:

  1. Full-body Workout: Unlike regular walking or running, rucking involves carrying weight. This added weight ensures that not only are the lower body muscles like quads, hamstrings, and calves getting a workout, but the upper body muscles (especially the shoulders, back, and core) are engaged to support and stabilize the load.
  2. Low Impact: Compared to running, rucking is easier on the joints, making it suitable for people of all ages and fitness levels, especially those who might find high-impact exercises challenging.
  3. Burns Calories: The added weight increases caloric burn compared to regular walking. It’s a great way to combine cardio with strength training.
  4. Flexibility in Intensity: You can adjust the weight in your rucksack based on your fitness level and desired intensity. As you get stronger, you can add more weight or increase the distance.

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Abby Dougherty
Abby Dougherty

Written by Abby Dougherty

Abby Dougherty, PhD, loves to learn, and produce scholarship on relational-cultural theory, virtual reality, AI, and using mindfulness in counselor education.

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