To start rucking, you have to follow the following four steps;
- You should start by getting your ruck
- The second thing is to load your ruck with your intended weight
- You should then pack water and snacks to keep you going during the rucking exercise.
- Finally, it’s to start rucking when everything is in order.
The following are the tips that you should know before you start rucking;
1. Getting the Right Backpack
You should choose the right backpack that provides comfort and is durable. A good backpack should have the following characteristics;
- It should be durable so that it can carry heavy weight.
- It should provide comfort on the shoulders and the back when carrying it. To ensure that the backpack is comfortable, it should have ample pads on the shoulders and the back.
- The backpack should be able to carry its function effectively and not only for one day but for use in daily life. It should have enough pockets to put other essential things like the laptop and water.
2. Putting Weight on Your Ruck
You should make sure the weights you put on the backpack sit on light material like a blanket or a yoga blog.
This ensures that the weights are high enough while on your back and bend at your waist to prevent back pain.
You should put the weights very close to each other to ensure they don’t move at all while carrying them to prevent discomfort and back pain.
3. Wearing Woolen Socks
You should make sure that your feet are comfortable while rucking. Your feet’ comfort can ruin or make your rucking experience since rucking involves walking.
Naturally, when woolen material is worn on the body, it draws sweat and moisture away from the skin and keeps your feet dry. Dry feet play a big part in keeping your feet comfortable.
4. Using Good and Supportive Footwear
When carrying heavyweight, you should have boots that cover your ankles because the more weight you carry, the higher the risk of twisting or rolling your ankles. The twisting or rolling of ankles is reduced by wearing boots that support your ankle.
5. You Should Start with a Light Backpack
While getting started with rucking, you should start with a lightweight and continue adding weight as you progress.
Starting with a heavyweight can cause great damage to your knees, joints, and tendons by making them develop slower than muscles because of lower blood flow.
The recommended weight to start with is 10% of your body weight for only two miles. After making it with this weight and you feel that your body is okay, you can progress by adding more weight in the right way.
6. You Should Never Increase Weight and Mileage at the Same Time
You should start by adding a certain weight while covering the same distance. It is not right for you to add weight and the distance you cover simultaneously. By doing this, you may cause damage to your knees.
7. Maintain and Strengthen Good Posture
The right way to maintain the best posture is by keeping your head up and your spine naturally stacked.
To keep your spine supported, you should keep your core engaged to prevent injuries encourage a good posture every time, and strengthen your spinal erector muscle to promote good health.
To avoid bad posture, make sure your back is straight and your shoulders lean towards the back, keep your backpack closer to your back and if possible, you should reduce weight.
8. Take Short Strides
Rucking means walking but not taking long strides. Remember you have weight on your back; therefore, you should never run or take long strides while rucking since this may exert a lot of force on your knees which might end up destroying them.
9. Doing Other Workouts Before Rucking
When lifting or carrying weights, you are always using the legs. Therefore, before rucking, you should do some other workouts that help to strengthen your legs. Some workouts for the legs include squats, lunges, leg curls, leg press machines, and deadlifts. Working out the legs is a good preparation before rucking.
Conclusion
The key tips for rucking 12 miles are;
- Getting the right backpack – A good backpack is durable and provides comfort to the back.
- Putting weight on your ruck – You should put reasonable weight on your ruck in the right way.
- Wearing woolen socks – Prevents moisture and keeps your feet comfortable.
- Using suitable supportive footwear – You should wear supportive boots to prevent twisting of your feet.
- Starting with a light backpack – Starting with a heavy backpack can cause damage to your knees, joints and tendons.
- Don’t increase weight and mileage at the same time – You should increase weight then mileage later to prevent damage to your knees.
- Maintain good posture –This prevents injuries and back pain.
- Taking short strides – When taking long strides or walking fast, a lot of force is exerted on your knees due to the weight on your back and you might end up causing damage to your knees.
- Doing other workouts – This prepares you physically for rucking.
