What the Ruck?

How to tire yourself out with just a backpack and some weights

Fran heading out for a ruck with her pack cinched tight

My favorite way to sleep well is to tire myself out with exercise. It has to be hard, though. Just going for a walk won’t do it. So instead I walk an hour with 25 pounds of weights in a backpack — referred to as “rucking.” Friends put me on to this habit during the pandemic, and I have continued four or five times a week on my own.

Rucking: Walking with a weighted backpack or rucksack

I love rucking because: 

• It gets me outside for an hour without any driving.

• It raises my heart rate without hurting my joints.

• It fatigues my muscles (but not painfully).

• It exposes me to daylight and fresh air (part of what makes me tired).

• It gives me a chance to listen to music and look at yards and gardens.

• It’s free.

How to ruck? Put a dumbbell or two in your day pack, or a brick or two, or bottles of water, or a bag of potting soil — whatever’s lying around. Cinch the shoulder straps part way. Fasten and cinch the hip strap and chest strap if you have them — that should take most of the stress off your shoulders. Go out and walk for 30 to 60 minutes, and see how you feel. 

I love the all-over fatigue I get from rucking. I can now walk for more than an hour (and enjoy it) carrying 20 or 25 pounds. I know I’ll be sleepy when it’s time to go to sleep, and if I wake up during the night, I’m relaxed enough that I don’t stay awake for long. And, because the range of motion of walking is not very great (unlike deep squats or lunges, say), I don’t get very sore.

[Can we get a RUCK YEAH?? — Ed.]