Aug. 17, 2025
How Much Weight Should You Ruck With? The Beginner’s Guide to Weight, Distance, Pace, & Scaling

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If you’re just getting into rucking, one of the biggest questions you’ll face is: “How much weight should I ruck with?” In this episode of The Rucker’s Edge, we answer that question and discuss when and how to scale-up.
You’ll learn:
- How to determine your starting weight
- Why 10% of your body weight (or 20 lbs) is a solid starting point for most — and when to adjust lower or higher
- The safest way to scale up without risking injury
- My personal “scaled too fast” story and what it cost me in recovery time
- The “boring is beautiful” philosophy — and how consistency beats flash every time
- We’ll also go through my Before You Scale Up Checklist so you know exactly when your body is ready for more weight, more distance, or more speed — and when it’s smarter to hold steady.
Links & Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
- GORUCK Training Plans
- Pathfinder Ruck Training
- BMI Calculator
- Found this tool interesting: RuckingStart
Notes:
- Music: “Play This Game” by Black Rhomb
- I’m not a doctor, and this podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Please consult with your physician before starting any new exercise or physical activity.
WEBVTT
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Starting with the right weight is critical because
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it's step one of your rucking plan. I'm going
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to guide you to making this decision for yourself
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by feeding you questions and making you reflect
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on where you are in terms of your current physical
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fitness. This will get you thinking about what
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you want to achieve out of rucking, how you want
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to get there, and then you can make a decision
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based off of some of your answers to those questions
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as well as general guidelines that I'll provide.
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Welcome to the Rucker's Edge podcast, a show
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all about rucking that is designed to help you
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develop a rucking routine, lose weight, and ultimately
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gain your strength and energy back. Whether you're
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an office worker with lower back pain, a fitness
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first -timer, or a new parent trying to get back
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to your pre -kids weight, this is the show for
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you. I'm your host, Spencer. Thanks for tuning
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in. Today, we're answering one of the most common
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questions new ruckers ask. How much weight should
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I start with? In this episode, I'll walk you
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through how to make the decision based on where
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you are right now in terms of your fitness level,
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your injury history, and the goals that you have.
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You'll also learn about the three core variables
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in rucking, weight, distance, and pace, how to
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safely increase intensity, and why going too
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heavy too soon can set you back. I'll also share
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a personal story about the time I scaled up too
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quickly and paid the price so you don't have
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to make the same mistake. I know we've touched
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on this before. But let's start out by touching
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base on the three variables you can change when
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you ruck. They are weight, distance, and pace.
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Arguably, there could be a fourth one to increase
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the intensity of your workout, and that would
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be elevation changes. But elevation changes are
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more of an advanced topic. So starting out, it's
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wise to stick to relatively flat trails until
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your body is ready to start handling more of
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a challenge. like stadium steps or hill repeats.
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When deciding how to start rucking, these three
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variables all have to be considered. Tweak them
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as you develop your rucking plan and continue
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to make gains. Deciding what weight to use brought
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us here today, but first let's consider the other
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two variables, and then we'll attack what weight
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to use. Let's talk about distance and pace. How
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do we set these? Well, for distance, you need
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to determine how far do you want to go, how much
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time do you have to ruck, and how far are you
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comfortable going? The general recommendation
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is to start with two miles. All right, let's
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talk about pace. How fast are you going to go?
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Let's start out at a brisk pace. You may not
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know exactly how fast you're going to go, but
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go take a walk without any weight for your intended
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distance and go at a brisk pace. That's going
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to be your baseline. When you start adding weight,
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you're naturally going to be walking slower,
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but as you get stronger, you're going to increase
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your pace, and your baseline pace is a good goal
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to shoot for. The general recommendation is 20
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minutes per mile. All right, now let's talk about
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weight. How much weight should you ruck with?
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The answer is it depends. The general guideline
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is 10 % of your body weight or 10 to 20 pounds.
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But it's very situational and unique to each
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rucker. There are situations where you should
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start with less than that. You should start with
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no weight. Here are some examples of that. If
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you're just getting back into training, you're
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nursing an injury, recovering from a surgery,
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going through physical therapy, your body mass
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index or your BMI exceeds the overweight category,
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you're suffering from chronic pain, recovering
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from a major illness, you're an older adult,
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or you're a postpartum mother. If you fall in
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one of those situations, maybe consider establishing
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a good walking routine for a few weeks and then
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progressing to weighted walks. Now, conversely,
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there are situations where you could start with
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more than the recommended starting weight of
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10 pounds to 20 pounds or 10 % of your body weight.
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Situations where this might be the case include
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maybe you've been strength training very regularly.
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We're talking three to four times a week for
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more than one to two years straight, and you're
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in great physical condition already. Starting
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with the right weight is critical because it's
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step one of your wrecking plan. Because everyone
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is different and on different fitness journeys,
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where you start may not be the same place where
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I started or where your workout buddy started.
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I'm going to guide you to making this decision
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for yourself. by feeding you questions and making
00:04:43.819 --> 00:04:46.379
you reflect on where you are in terms of your
00:04:46.379 --> 00:04:48.899
current physical fitness. This will get you thinking
00:04:48.899 --> 00:04:50.879
about what you want to achieve out of rucking,
00:04:51.100 --> 00:04:53.819
how you want to get there, and then you can make
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a decision based off of some of your answers
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to those questions as well as general guidelines
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that I'll provide. The first thing to assess
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is your fitness level. Have you been riding the
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couch, basically living a sedentary lifestyle,
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years of inactivity? Are you slightly more active?
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Do you do other exercises casually here and there
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and have a relatively active lifestyle? Maybe
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you formally trained and you just need to get
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back into a rhythm. Or maybe you've been consistently
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working out for a significant length of time
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and you're already in decent shape. Do you have
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any historic or existing injuries or chronic
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pain? If this is the case, I strongly suggest
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talking to your doctor. Good time to remind everybody,
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I'm not a doctor. The contents of this podcast
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is for informational and educational purposes
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only. But if you fall into this case, talk to
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your doctor to establish where you should start
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your rucking journey. For new ruckers that fit
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into the unfit or sedentary lifestyle currently,
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maybe start out walking and progressing slower.
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If you're slightly more active and have been
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working out here and there, a great place to
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start is 10 pounds. If you lift weights already
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and run or some other exercise on a very regular
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basis, you can start off a little heavier and
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do 10 % of your body weight. Okay, let's talk
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rucking plans. I've had a few listeners reach
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out to me asking for some guidance about what
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rucking plan I follow or what rucking plan I
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suggest to them. And in each case, it's always
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different. But let's walk you through developing
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your own rucking plan and what options there
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are out there. for you to either use or adjust
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and tailor it for your own goals. Okay, so we
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already did our baseline walk. We've established
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our distance, we've established our pace, and
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we've decided on what weight we're going to start
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with. But in terms of developing a rucking plan,
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the first thing you need to consider is what
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is your goal? Are you rucking for endurance,
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weight loss, strength? You can go heavy and short
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if you're focusing on strength. or lighter and
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longer if you want to increase your endurance.
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GoRuck has some excellent suggested rucking plans.
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I'll include them in the show notes. There are
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several out there. But to summarize GoRuck's
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general rucking plans, they recommend most beginners
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start with 20 pounds, regardless of body weight,
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especially if they're new to fitness or returning
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after a break. For those over 150 pounds, 30
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pounds is acceptable. They suggest keeping the
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weight manageable. focusing first on form and
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distance before increasing the load. Scaling
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up should happen gradually in five -pound increments,
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never exceeding one -third of your body weight
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and always listening to your body. Another resource
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out there is Wild Gym's How to Ruck series on
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YouTube. They emphasize starting light and moving
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often. Their guidance encourages beginning with
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10 to 20 pounds depending on fitness level and
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focusing on consistent practice over intensity.
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They prioritize good form, pack fit, and flat
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terrain early on. As strength and confidence
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build, users can increase weight and duration
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slowly while keeping posture and comfort front
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of mind. The last one I'll summarize is the Pathfinder
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Ruck Training Plan. They advise new ruckers to
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begin with a baseline of 10 to 20 pounds and
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focus on building volume and consistency. Their
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structure programs guide ruckers through progressive
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challenges by gradually increasing weight, distance,
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and intensity over 12 to 16 weeks. They emphasize
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progressive overload and encourage lighter recovery
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weeks every fourth week to allow adaptation and
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avoid injury. These plans are a softer entry
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than some of the tactical style rucking programs
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out there. If you're looking to start heavier,
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longer, and go harder, do some googling. You'll
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definitely come across a few. Probably one of
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the most popular options out there is Gritty
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Soldier's Embrace the Ruck program. Okay, so
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the key points or takeaways that I have from
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reviewing these plans, if you're just starting
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out and new to rucking, are don't start scaling
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until you nail down the form. I talked about
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form in a previous episode, episode four, but
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I'll recap that here in a second as I tell you
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a story about how I messed up and scaled too
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quickly. Other takeaways include you can add
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five pounds every two to four weeks as your current
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weight gets easier. Don't change more than one
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variable at a time. Don't exceed one -third of
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your body weight. Don't incorporate difficult
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terrain or significant elevation changes when
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starting. You can certainly include it when you're
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ready to increase intensity. And it's okay to
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ease off every few weeks and go on recovery rucks
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to give your body a breather. Progress is not
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necessarily linear. The last plan that I summarized,
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the Pathfinder plan, mentioned taking a break
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every four weeks or so. It's not just okay to
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ease off. It's smart. Even elite marathoners
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structure in recovery by including easy days,
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slow runs, or lighter weeks. And then the last
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takeaway from reviewing these plans, in addition
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to rucking, incorporating another type of workout
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is going to be extremely beneficial for your
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health. The Pathfinder guides athletes to incorporate
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functional workouts like I discussed. So functional
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workouts focus on movements that mimic everyday
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activities. They improve your body's ability
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to perform daily tasks with ease and reducing
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the risk of energy. I previously published a
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blog post on theruckersedge .com where I summarized
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the workout routine I used to get my body in
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shape, and I include using body weight, cinder
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blocks, and my TRX strap. All right, I want to
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take a pause real quick to say thanks for listening
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to this podcast. I make these episodes to help
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people build healthier, stronger lives through
00:10:56.940 --> 00:10:59.159
rucking. And if that sounds like someone you
00:10:59.159 --> 00:11:01.120
know, send this episode their way. And if you
00:11:01.120 --> 00:11:03.120
haven't yet, hit follow on your podcast player
00:11:03.120 --> 00:11:06.039
so you never miss an episode. All right, back
00:11:06.039 --> 00:11:09.220
to it. So you've decided how much weight you're
00:11:09.220 --> 00:11:11.279
going to start with. You've formulated a plan
00:11:11.279 --> 00:11:14.139
based off of a few recommendations. Now let's
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talk about scaling. crazy crucial to listen to
00:11:18.840 --> 00:11:21.740
your body when you're increasing your load or
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increasing the intensity of your rucks. Let me
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tell you about the time just five pounds set
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me back weeks in progress I was making through
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rucking. Whenever I have free time, I'll go on
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to a few social media platforms and check out
00:11:37.960 --> 00:11:41.120
a few rucking groups that I'm a member of. It's
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great for motivation and accountability purposes.
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I always like seeing the progress other people
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are making, it energizes me and motivates me
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to get up and get going again. One day I was
00:11:53.139 --> 00:11:56.299
on one of these platforms, and this was like
00:11:56.299 --> 00:11:58.779
early days of me starting my rucking routine.
00:11:59.299 --> 00:12:01.440
I opened up my phone and saw a few posts about
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people carrying sledgehammers and axes and a
00:12:03.759 --> 00:12:05.360
few other things, and I thought, man, that looks
00:12:05.360 --> 00:12:08.159
pretty cool. They were talking about how it's
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an excellent addition to your rucks to develop
00:12:11.559 --> 00:12:13.759
grip strength if you're into that sort of thing.
00:12:14.299 --> 00:12:16.500
I thought it was a great idea. I was noticing
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all of my muscles except for my forearms were
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developing, and it would help make carrying my
00:12:22.100 --> 00:12:26.519
kids a lot easier. It seemed perfect. So I decided
00:12:26.519 --> 00:12:28.899
to give it a go. I thought I was ready to do
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a 20 -pound ruck carrying a 5 -pound dumbbell.
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I started my ruck like I normally did, except
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this time I brought the 5 -pound dumbbell with
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me. I plan to alternate it between my hands every
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quarter of a mile or so. I started out like normal.
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I was feeling good. The confidence was high.
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I was pretty excited about this new addition
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to the ruck. I continued to switch it about every
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quarter of a mile. Then I hit the mile mark and
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the sweat started to accumulate on my palms,
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making the carry just a little difficult. I thought,
00:12:58.350 --> 00:13:00.629
great, I was expecting this to get hard. I can
00:13:00.629 --> 00:13:03.490
do hard things. Check this out. Then I hit a
00:13:03.490 --> 00:13:06.389
mile and a half. The dumbbell got heavier and
00:13:06.389 --> 00:13:09.039
heavier. My palms were burning. We're just talking
00:13:09.039 --> 00:13:10.440
about five pounds. I didn't know what was going
00:13:10.440 --> 00:13:11.860
on. I didn't think it was going to be this difficult,
00:13:11.940 --> 00:13:13.639
but here I was thinking, you know, what the heck's
00:13:13.639 --> 00:13:15.419
going on? Am I really struggling with just an
00:13:15.419 --> 00:13:19.500
extra five pounds? I got to mile two. The sweat
00:13:19.500 --> 00:13:22.259
made it incredibly hard to hold on to. The weight
00:13:22.259 --> 00:13:24.080
felt like it was getting heavier and heavier
00:13:24.080 --> 00:13:26.919
still. I started switching hands even more frequently,
00:13:27.019 --> 00:13:28.740
probably so frequently it looked like I was playing
00:13:28.740 --> 00:13:31.200
a game of Hot Potato or something. At this point,
00:13:31.220 --> 00:13:33.000
I would seriously consider ditching this thing
00:13:33.000 --> 00:13:34.399
on the side of the trail and coming back for
00:13:34.399 --> 00:13:36.679
it later. I'll just... Throw it down by the bench
00:13:36.679 --> 00:13:38.759
and hope it doesn't walk off. I'll drive back
00:13:38.759 --> 00:13:42.000
and pick it up later. But I was determined. No,
00:13:42.179 --> 00:13:45.000
I told myself I'm not giving up. And in retrospect,
00:13:45.179 --> 00:13:47.100
I wish I would have had the thought to just throw
00:13:47.100 --> 00:13:49.259
it in my backpack. Just throw it in the rucksack.
00:13:49.919 --> 00:13:52.179
I might have avoided the negative impacts I encountered
00:13:52.179 --> 00:13:55.059
at the end of the ruck. I kept going, carrying
00:13:55.059 --> 00:13:57.220
it. I got to, I don't know, two and a quarter
00:13:57.220 --> 00:14:00.279
mile down the trail and started to feel a stinging
00:14:00.279 --> 00:14:04.039
sensation in my ankle. But I decided to push
00:14:04.039 --> 00:14:06.639
through it. I got to the two and a half mile
00:14:06.639 --> 00:14:08.360
mark where I usually check my posture through
00:14:08.360 --> 00:14:13.080
a window. And holy cow, almost unrecognizable.
00:14:13.120 --> 00:14:15.360
My head, shoulders, and back were so hunched
00:14:15.360 --> 00:14:17.399
over. My knuckles might as well have just been
00:14:17.399 --> 00:14:19.759
dragging on the ground. I looked like the monkey
00:14:19.759 --> 00:14:23.179
on the chart of human evolution from primate
00:14:23.179 --> 00:14:25.500
to homo sapien. That was me all the way on the
00:14:25.500 --> 00:14:28.820
left, hunched over. I fixed my posture and finished
00:14:28.820 --> 00:14:31.460
the last half mile and threw my gear down in
00:14:31.460 --> 00:14:34.690
the grass when I finished. The next day, my ankle
00:14:34.690 --> 00:14:37.250
was screaming. I caused a flare -up that no amount
00:14:37.250 --> 00:14:40.870
of post -ruck recovery routine could have stopped.
00:14:41.929 --> 00:14:45.470
I was down for weeks. It was a struggle to walk,
00:14:45.549 --> 00:14:48.850
let alone ruck, and I was itching to get back
00:14:48.850 --> 00:14:51.549
out there and ruck every day I was sidelined.
00:14:52.250 --> 00:14:54.529
In my line of work, we typically do an after
00:14:54.529 --> 00:14:57.110
-action report after an event or important activity
00:14:57.110 --> 00:15:00.860
to assess what worked and what went wrong. So
00:15:00.860 --> 00:15:03.299
I did an abbreviated after action report for
00:15:03.299 --> 00:15:05.460
this ruck where I carried the dumbbell. And here's
00:15:05.460 --> 00:15:09.159
what went wrong. The added weight and the shift
00:15:09.159 --> 00:15:11.580
in my center of gravity from carrying the extra
00:15:11.580 --> 00:15:14.659
weight impacted my posture severely. I was not
00:15:14.659 --> 00:15:17.539
engaging my core. I was not keeping my head up
00:15:17.539 --> 00:15:19.899
and my shoulders back. My back was definitely
00:15:19.899 --> 00:15:22.879
not straight. I was leaning way too far forward,
00:15:23.039 --> 00:15:26.120
which we all know is a recipe for disaster. I
00:15:26.120 --> 00:15:28.679
finished the ruck, but I definitely shouldn't
00:15:28.679 --> 00:15:32.500
have. The moment I felt a sensation or a burning
00:15:32.500 --> 00:15:35.559
in my ankle, I should have called it quits then
00:15:35.559 --> 00:15:37.779
and there. I probably should have dropped the
00:15:37.779 --> 00:15:39.659
excess weight once my body started negatively
00:15:39.659 --> 00:15:42.500
responding to it. And because I scaled up too
00:15:42.500 --> 00:15:45.139
quickly and was using improper form, I was making
00:15:45.139 --> 00:15:47.799
my legs compensate by forcing several muscle
00:15:47.799 --> 00:15:50.460
groups and associated ligaments and tendons to
00:15:50.460 --> 00:15:52.940
work harder, specifically my ankles and calves.
00:15:54.509 --> 00:15:56.710
My ego got the best of me as a poor decision
00:15:56.710 --> 00:15:59.129
to scale up too quickly by carrying extra weight
00:15:59.129 --> 00:16:03.009
just because it looked cool. And that decision
00:16:03.009 --> 00:16:05.429
led to me having to take two weeks off to heal
00:16:05.429 --> 00:16:10.250
and recover. Moral of the story, only scale when
00:16:10.250 --> 00:16:12.529
your body is ready, especially if you have a
00:16:12.529 --> 00:16:14.350
pre -existing medical condition or a history
00:16:14.350 --> 00:16:17.409
of injuries. You need to go slow because your
00:16:17.409 --> 00:16:20.590
muscles, tendons, cardiovascular system, they're
00:16:20.590 --> 00:16:22.269
all getting used to this new activity that you
00:16:22.269 --> 00:16:24.820
started. You need to stay at a certain stage
00:16:24.820 --> 00:16:27.059
or certain difficulties to allow your body to
00:16:27.059 --> 00:16:31.379
adjust before pushing any further. There's a
00:16:31.379 --> 00:16:33.360
saying that I like. Sometimes people will say
00:16:33.360 --> 00:16:35.700
you're getting out in front of your skis when
00:16:35.700 --> 00:16:38.080
you act prematurely or take on something that
00:16:38.080 --> 00:16:40.539
you're not necessarily ready for or is just beyond
00:16:40.539 --> 00:16:43.320
your capabilities. So on your rucking journey,
00:16:43.440 --> 00:16:45.519
if you scale up too quickly, you get out in front
00:16:45.519 --> 00:16:49.200
of your skis, just scale it back. Go back down
00:16:49.200 --> 00:16:50.679
to the level where you previously were. Go back
00:16:50.679 --> 00:16:52.820
down to the weight you were previously carrying
00:16:52.820 --> 00:16:56.639
or the distance you were previously going. And
00:16:56.639 --> 00:16:59.679
then attempt to scale back up in a week or two.
00:17:00.320 --> 00:17:03.879
Don't rush it. You might be asking, well, how
00:17:03.879 --> 00:17:07.579
do I know when I'm ready to scale up? Here's
00:17:07.579 --> 00:17:09.440
a bit of a checklist that you can run through
00:17:09.440 --> 00:17:12.220
to make that decision. Do the form check. Can
00:17:12.220 --> 00:17:14.680
you maintain perfect posture for your current
00:17:14.680 --> 00:17:18.799
weight or distance? Do the comfort test. Is your
00:17:18.799 --> 00:17:21.099
current rucking routine feeling easy for at least
00:17:21.099 --> 00:17:24.839
a week? Do your recovery check. Are you bouncing
00:17:24.839 --> 00:17:28.400
back quickly after your rucks? And then always
00:17:28.400 --> 00:17:30.859
remember the one variable rule. Only change one
00:17:30.859 --> 00:17:34.400
thing at a time. In my instance, I changed two.
00:17:34.440 --> 00:17:38.480
I changed the weight I was carrying and how I
00:17:38.480 --> 00:17:41.640
was carrying that weight. Now, after you scale
00:17:41.640 --> 00:17:43.819
up, after you've made the decision to scale up
00:17:43.819 --> 00:17:48.599
on that first ruck, pay attention is your form
00:17:48.599 --> 00:17:51.059
being impacted are you feeling more than just
00:17:51.059 --> 00:17:54.180
a little sore if so scale back stay at the previous
00:17:54.180 --> 00:17:59.200
step for a little longer scale up later scaling
00:17:59.200 --> 00:18:01.759
isn't about overloading it's about doing something
00:18:01.759 --> 00:18:04.359
sustainable for a long period of time there's
00:18:04.359 --> 00:18:06.980
a good phrase i like that's applicable to my
00:18:06.980 --> 00:18:09.799
philosophy on scaling up a workout and it's boring
00:18:09.799 --> 00:18:14.019
is beautiful And I know that sounds sort of counterintuitive,
00:18:14.039 --> 00:18:15.880
especially when you're scrolling through Instagram
00:18:15.880 --> 00:18:19.259
or other social media posts, seeing people carrying
00:18:19.259 --> 00:18:21.579
axes and kettlebells or dumbbells on their rucks.
00:18:21.619 --> 00:18:24.339
But here's the thing. Boring is what builds you
00:18:24.339 --> 00:18:26.759
up and keeps you injury free. Ultimately, boring
00:18:26.759 --> 00:18:30.839
is what gets you to your goals. Think about it
00:18:30.839 --> 00:18:33.359
this way. When you're doing the same 20 pound,
00:18:33.440 --> 00:18:35.380
two mile ruck every Tuesday and Thursday for
00:18:35.380 --> 00:18:38.500
two to four weeks straight, that might feel monotonous.
00:18:39.150 --> 00:18:41.289
But what's actually happening is incredible.
00:18:41.390 --> 00:18:43.609
Your body is adapting your muscles, tendons,
00:18:43.670 --> 00:18:45.670
cardiovascular system. They're all getting comfortable
00:18:45.670 --> 00:18:47.910
with this new demand you're placing on them.
00:18:48.230 --> 00:18:53.269
And you're building a strong foundation. Here's
00:18:53.269 --> 00:18:56.309
what I've learned. That boring routine becomes
00:18:56.309 --> 00:18:58.690
this anchor in your week. Just like you don't
00:18:58.690 --> 00:19:00.490
think twice about making your morning coffee
00:19:00.490 --> 00:19:03.150
or brushing your teeth, that consistent rut becomes
00:19:03.150 --> 00:19:07.019
automatic. It becomes part of who you are. The
00:19:07.019 --> 00:19:10.400
beauty is in the process itself. Instead of chasing
00:19:10.400 --> 00:19:12.640
the excitement of adding 10 more pounds or an
00:19:12.640 --> 00:19:15.220
extra mile, you're focusing on how your form
00:19:15.220 --> 00:19:18.599
feels that day. You're tuning into whether your
00:19:18.599 --> 00:19:21.859
pack is sitting right. You're noticing if your
00:19:21.859 --> 00:19:23.900
core is engaged or if you're starting to lean
00:19:23.900 --> 00:19:27.500
forward. That internal focus, that's where the
00:19:27.500 --> 00:19:31.400
real progress happens. So when your buddy asks
00:19:31.400 --> 00:19:33.220
why you're still doing the same route with the
00:19:33.220 --> 00:19:35.420
same weight for the third week in a row, tell
00:19:35.420 --> 00:19:38.160
them, Because boring is building me into the
00:19:38.160 --> 00:19:40.759
rucker I want to become. The flashy stuff can
00:19:40.759 --> 00:19:42.940
wait. Right now, boring is exactly where you
00:19:42.940 --> 00:19:45.440
need to be. Trust the process. Embrace the boring.
00:19:45.579 --> 00:19:49.619
And let consistency do the heavy lifting. Literally.
00:19:51.240 --> 00:19:53.460
You know what? You want a great example of trusting
00:19:53.460 --> 00:19:55.200
the process and living the boring is beautiful
00:19:55.200 --> 00:19:58.900
life? Nick Saban. If you're unfamiliar with who
00:19:58.900 --> 00:20:00.960
Nick Saban is, he's the greatest college football
00:20:00.960 --> 00:20:03.759
coach of all time. His teams have won seven college
00:20:03.759 --> 00:20:06.519
football national championships, and he's created
00:20:06.519 --> 00:20:09.019
a football dynasty at Alabama over the last couple
00:20:09.019 --> 00:20:11.759
of decades. Well, he's since left Alabama, but
00:20:11.759 --> 00:20:13.740
while he was there, he was just absolutely dominant.
00:20:14.099 --> 00:20:17.180
And even before Alabama, at his previous schools,
00:20:17.220 --> 00:20:21.079
LSU and Michigan State. But Saban doesn't get
00:20:21.079 --> 00:20:22.819
his players fired up by talking about winning
00:20:22.819 --> 00:20:25.849
championships. Instead, he gets them focused
00:20:25.849 --> 00:20:29.509
on executing each individual play perfectly all
00:20:29.509 --> 00:20:32.369
throughout the season and even the offseason.
00:20:32.809 --> 00:20:34.869
He tells his team, don't think about winning
00:20:34.869 --> 00:20:37.369
the SEC championship. Don't think about the national
00:20:37.369 --> 00:20:40.450
championship. Instead, focus on this practice,
00:20:40.630 --> 00:20:43.869
this drill, this rep. It's not about winning
00:20:43.869 --> 00:20:47.150
the game, but winning the seven seconds per play.
00:20:48.190 --> 00:20:50.170
That's exactly what boring is beautiful means
00:20:50.170 --> 00:20:52.269
for ruckers. The process is about learning to
00:20:52.269 --> 00:20:54.910
focus on the things that you can control. You
00:20:54.910 --> 00:20:56.250
can't control whether you're going to be able
00:20:56.250 --> 00:20:59.009
to ruck 50 pounds next month, but you can control
00:20:59.009 --> 00:21:01.650
whether you show up for today's 20 -pound, 2
00:21:01.650 --> 00:21:05.210
-mile ruck with perfect form. So that boring
00:21:05.210 --> 00:21:07.809
Tuesday ruck where you focus on keeping your
00:21:07.809 --> 00:21:10.190
shoulders back and your core engaged, that's
00:21:10.190 --> 00:21:12.470
your championship play right there. Saban has
00:21:12.470 --> 00:21:14.410
won multiple national championships not by dreaming
00:21:14.410 --> 00:21:16.569
about trophies, but by making the boring stuff
00:21:16.569 --> 00:21:19.200
beautiful. The daily grind, the attention to
00:21:19.200 --> 00:21:21.000
fundamentals, and the consistency that nobody
00:21:21.000 --> 00:21:23.700
sees. Your rucking journey works the same way.
00:21:23.759 --> 00:21:26.279
Trust the process, embrace the boring, and let
00:21:26.279 --> 00:21:30.259
the results take care of themselves. Speaking
00:21:30.259 --> 00:21:32.920
of the process and results, in next week's episode,
00:21:33.000 --> 00:21:34.700
we'll discuss the importance of tracking our
00:21:34.700 --> 00:21:37.759
rucks and what we can do with the data that we
00:21:37.759 --> 00:21:40.000
collect. So be sure to follow the podcast so
00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:43.059
you get notified of new episodes. I make these
00:21:43.059 --> 00:21:44.980
episodes to help people build a healthier, stronger
00:21:44.980 --> 00:21:47.160
life through rucking. If that sounds like someone
00:21:47.160 --> 00:21:50.099
you know, send this episode their way. As always,
00:21:50.160 --> 00:21:52.240
links to all studies and products mentioned in
00:21:52.240 --> 00:21:54.220
this episode are provided in the show notes.
00:21:54.779 --> 00:21:56.720
Thanks again for listening to this week's episode
00:21:56.720 --> 00:21:58.279
of The Rucker's Edge.
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.700
Starting with the right weight is critical because
00:00:02.700 --> 00:00:05.940
it's step one of your rucking plan. I'm going
00:00:05.940 --> 00:00:08.919
to guide you to making this decision for yourself
00:00:08.919 --> 00:00:11.580
by feeding you questions and making you reflect
00:00:11.580 --> 00:00:14.140
on where you are in terms of your current physical
00:00:14.140 --> 00:00:17.019
fitness. This will get you thinking about what
00:00:17.019 --> 00:00:19.359
you want to achieve out of rucking, how you want
00:00:19.359 --> 00:00:21.539
to get there, and then you can make a decision
00:00:21.539 --> 00:00:24.160
based off of some of your answers to those questions
00:00:24.160 --> 00:00:26.899
as well as general guidelines that I'll provide.
00:00:32.120 --> 00:00:34.340
Welcome to the Rucker's Edge podcast, a show
00:00:34.340 --> 00:00:36.600
all about rucking that is designed to help you
00:00:36.600 --> 00:00:39.119
develop a rucking routine, lose weight, and ultimately
00:00:39.119 --> 00:00:42.100
gain your strength and energy back. Whether you're
00:00:42.100 --> 00:00:44.299
an office worker with lower back pain, a fitness
00:00:44.299 --> 00:00:46.600
first -timer, or a new parent trying to get back
00:00:46.600 --> 00:00:48.659
to your pre -kids weight, this is the show for
00:00:48.659 --> 00:00:51.039
you. I'm your host, Spencer. Thanks for tuning
00:00:51.039 --> 00:00:53.399
in. Today, we're answering one of the most common
00:00:53.399 --> 00:00:57.039
questions new ruckers ask. How much weight should
00:00:57.039 --> 00:00:59.600
I start with? In this episode, I'll walk you
00:00:59.600 --> 00:01:01.640
through how to make the decision based on where
00:01:01.640 --> 00:01:04.319
you are right now in terms of your fitness level,
00:01:04.480 --> 00:01:06.920
your injury history, and the goals that you have.
00:01:07.219 --> 00:01:09.400
You'll also learn about the three core variables
00:01:09.400 --> 00:01:12.299
in rucking, weight, distance, and pace, how to
00:01:12.299 --> 00:01:14.859
safely increase intensity, and why going too
00:01:14.859 --> 00:01:18.079
heavy too soon can set you back. I'll also share
00:01:18.079 --> 00:01:20.680
a personal story about the time I scaled up too
00:01:20.680 --> 00:01:23.000
quickly and paid the price so you don't have
00:01:23.000 --> 00:01:25.980
to make the same mistake. I know we've touched
00:01:25.980 --> 00:01:29.000
on this before. But let's start out by touching
00:01:29.000 --> 00:01:31.640
base on the three variables you can change when
00:01:31.640 --> 00:01:35.540
you ruck. They are weight, distance, and pace.
00:01:36.700 --> 00:01:39.260
Arguably, there could be a fourth one to increase
00:01:39.260 --> 00:01:41.439
the intensity of your workout, and that would
00:01:41.439 --> 00:01:45.099
be elevation changes. But elevation changes are
00:01:45.099 --> 00:01:49.019
more of an advanced topic. So starting out, it's
00:01:49.019 --> 00:01:52.140
wise to stick to relatively flat trails until
00:01:52.140 --> 00:01:54.439
your body is ready to start handling more of
00:01:54.439 --> 00:01:57.879
a challenge. like stadium steps or hill repeats.
00:01:58.519 --> 00:02:01.200
When deciding how to start rucking, these three
00:02:01.200 --> 00:02:03.920
variables all have to be considered. Tweak them
00:02:03.920 --> 00:02:06.180
as you develop your rucking plan and continue
00:02:06.180 --> 00:02:10.120
to make gains. Deciding what weight to use brought
00:02:10.120 --> 00:02:12.960
us here today, but first let's consider the other
00:02:12.960 --> 00:02:16.699
two variables, and then we'll attack what weight
00:02:16.699 --> 00:02:21.129
to use. Let's talk about distance and pace. How
00:02:21.129 --> 00:02:23.530
do we set these? Well, for distance, you need
00:02:23.530 --> 00:02:26.189
to determine how far do you want to go, how much
00:02:26.189 --> 00:02:29.129
time do you have to ruck, and how far are you
00:02:29.129 --> 00:02:31.469
comfortable going? The general recommendation
00:02:31.469 --> 00:02:35.490
is to start with two miles. All right, let's
00:02:35.490 --> 00:02:37.229
talk about pace. How fast are you going to go?
00:02:37.770 --> 00:02:41.009
Let's start out at a brisk pace. You may not
00:02:41.009 --> 00:02:43.449
know exactly how fast you're going to go, but
00:02:43.449 --> 00:02:45.569
go take a walk without any weight for your intended
00:02:45.569 --> 00:02:49.110
distance and go at a brisk pace. That's going
00:02:49.110 --> 00:02:51.530
to be your baseline. When you start adding weight,
00:02:51.650 --> 00:02:53.449
you're naturally going to be walking slower,
00:02:53.569 --> 00:02:55.430
but as you get stronger, you're going to increase
00:02:55.430 --> 00:02:58.409
your pace, and your baseline pace is a good goal
00:02:58.409 --> 00:03:02.830
to shoot for. The general recommendation is 20
00:03:02.830 --> 00:03:07.169
minutes per mile. All right, now let's talk about
00:03:07.169 --> 00:03:10.009
weight. How much weight should you ruck with?
00:03:10.830 --> 00:03:14.490
The answer is it depends. The general guideline
00:03:14.490 --> 00:03:18.030
is 10 % of your body weight or 10 to 20 pounds.
00:03:19.120 --> 00:03:22.680
But it's very situational and unique to each
00:03:22.680 --> 00:03:25.039
rucker. There are situations where you should
00:03:25.039 --> 00:03:27.560
start with less than that. You should start with
00:03:27.560 --> 00:03:30.680
no weight. Here are some examples of that. If
00:03:30.680 --> 00:03:32.520
you're just getting back into training, you're
00:03:32.520 --> 00:03:35.180
nursing an injury, recovering from a surgery,
00:03:35.419 --> 00:03:39.020
going through physical therapy, your body mass
00:03:39.020 --> 00:03:42.719
index or your BMI exceeds the overweight category,
00:03:43.199 --> 00:03:46.319
you're suffering from chronic pain, recovering
00:03:46.319 --> 00:03:49.099
from a major illness, you're an older adult,
00:03:49.379 --> 00:03:52.680
or you're a postpartum mother. If you fall in
00:03:52.680 --> 00:03:55.599
one of those situations, maybe consider establishing
00:03:55.599 --> 00:03:58.379
a good walking routine for a few weeks and then
00:03:58.379 --> 00:04:02.319
progressing to weighted walks. Now, conversely,
00:04:02.319 --> 00:04:04.219
there are situations where you could start with
00:04:04.219 --> 00:04:06.680
more than the recommended starting weight of
00:04:06.680 --> 00:04:09.319
10 pounds to 20 pounds or 10 % of your body weight.
00:04:10.120 --> 00:04:12.120
Situations where this might be the case include
00:04:12.120 --> 00:04:15.939
maybe you've been strength training very regularly.
00:04:16.600 --> 00:04:18.639
We're talking three to four times a week for
00:04:18.639 --> 00:04:21.019
more than one to two years straight, and you're
00:04:21.019 --> 00:04:24.339
in great physical condition already. Starting
00:04:24.339 --> 00:04:26.899
with the right weight is critical because it's
00:04:26.899 --> 00:04:30.560
step one of your wrecking plan. Because everyone
00:04:30.560 --> 00:04:32.459
is different and on different fitness journeys,
00:04:32.680 --> 00:04:35.180
where you start may not be the same place where
00:04:35.180 --> 00:04:37.339
I started or where your workout buddy started.
00:04:38.040 --> 00:04:41.040
I'm going to guide you to making this decision
00:04:41.040 --> 00:04:43.819
for yourself. by feeding you questions and making
00:04:43.819 --> 00:04:46.379
you reflect on where you are in terms of your
00:04:46.379 --> 00:04:48.899
current physical fitness. This will get you thinking
00:04:48.899 --> 00:04:50.879
about what you want to achieve out of rucking,
00:04:51.100 --> 00:04:53.819
how you want to get there, and then you can make
00:04:53.819 --> 00:04:55.879
a decision based off of some of your answers
00:04:55.879 --> 00:04:58.620
to those questions as well as general guidelines
00:04:58.620 --> 00:05:01.959
that I'll provide. The first thing to assess
00:05:01.959 --> 00:05:05.500
is your fitness level. Have you been riding the
00:05:05.500 --> 00:05:08.480
couch, basically living a sedentary lifestyle,
00:05:08.740 --> 00:05:13.319
years of inactivity? Are you slightly more active?
00:05:13.360 --> 00:05:16.879
Do you do other exercises casually here and there
00:05:16.879 --> 00:05:19.680
and have a relatively active lifestyle? Maybe
00:05:19.680 --> 00:05:21.980
you formally trained and you just need to get
00:05:21.980 --> 00:05:25.620
back into a rhythm. Or maybe you've been consistently
00:05:25.620 --> 00:05:29.000
working out for a significant length of time
00:05:29.000 --> 00:05:33.120
and you're already in decent shape. Do you have
00:05:33.120 --> 00:05:35.220
any historic or existing injuries or chronic
00:05:35.220 --> 00:05:37.269
pain? If this is the case, I strongly suggest
00:05:37.269 --> 00:05:39.910
talking to your doctor. Good time to remind everybody,
00:05:40.189 --> 00:05:42.949
I'm not a doctor. The contents of this podcast
00:05:42.949 --> 00:05:45.329
is for informational and educational purposes
00:05:45.329 --> 00:05:47.790
only. But if you fall into this case, talk to
00:05:47.790 --> 00:05:50.209
your doctor to establish where you should start
00:05:50.209 --> 00:05:53.250
your rucking journey. For new ruckers that fit
00:05:53.250 --> 00:05:55.949
into the unfit or sedentary lifestyle currently,
00:05:56.250 --> 00:05:59.110
maybe start out walking and progressing slower.
00:05:59.490 --> 00:06:01.709
If you're slightly more active and have been
00:06:01.709 --> 00:06:04.110
working out here and there, a great place to
00:06:04.110 --> 00:06:07.279
start is 10 pounds. If you lift weights already
00:06:07.279 --> 00:06:11.319
and run or some other exercise on a very regular
00:06:11.319 --> 00:06:14.060
basis, you can start off a little heavier and
00:06:14.060 --> 00:06:18.000
do 10 % of your body weight. Okay, let's talk
00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:20.600
rucking plans. I've had a few listeners reach
00:06:20.600 --> 00:06:22.899
out to me asking for some guidance about what
00:06:22.899 --> 00:06:25.540
rucking plan I follow or what rucking plan I
00:06:25.540 --> 00:06:27.240
suggest to them. And in each case, it's always
00:06:27.240 --> 00:06:29.879
different. But let's walk you through developing
00:06:29.879 --> 00:06:32.759
your own rucking plan and what options there
00:06:32.759 --> 00:06:36.980
are out there. for you to either use or adjust
00:06:36.980 --> 00:06:40.480
and tailor it for your own goals. Okay, so we
00:06:40.480 --> 00:06:42.439
already did our baseline walk. We've established
00:06:42.439 --> 00:06:44.680
our distance, we've established our pace, and
00:06:44.680 --> 00:06:46.699
we've decided on what weight we're going to start
00:06:46.699 --> 00:06:50.240
with. But in terms of developing a rucking plan,
00:06:50.439 --> 00:06:53.480
the first thing you need to consider is what
00:06:53.480 --> 00:06:56.699
is your goal? Are you rucking for endurance,
00:06:57.079 --> 00:07:01.540
weight loss, strength? You can go heavy and short
00:07:01.540 --> 00:07:04.850
if you're focusing on strength. or lighter and
00:07:04.850 --> 00:07:06.750
longer if you want to increase your endurance.
00:07:07.970 --> 00:07:10.850
GoRuck has some excellent suggested rucking plans.
00:07:11.129 --> 00:07:13.329
I'll include them in the show notes. There are
00:07:13.329 --> 00:07:15.990
several out there. But to summarize GoRuck's
00:07:15.990 --> 00:07:19.290
general rucking plans, they recommend most beginners
00:07:19.290 --> 00:07:21.689
start with 20 pounds, regardless of body weight,
00:07:21.889 --> 00:07:24.310
especially if they're new to fitness or returning
00:07:24.310 --> 00:07:28.430
after a break. For those over 150 pounds, 30
00:07:28.430 --> 00:07:31.730
pounds is acceptable. They suggest keeping the
00:07:31.730 --> 00:07:34.379
weight manageable. focusing first on form and
00:07:34.379 --> 00:07:37.779
distance before increasing the load. Scaling
00:07:37.779 --> 00:07:40.540
up should happen gradually in five -pound increments,
00:07:40.699 --> 00:07:43.160
never exceeding one -third of your body weight
00:07:43.160 --> 00:07:46.600
and always listening to your body. Another resource
00:07:46.600 --> 00:07:50.000
out there is Wild Gym's How to Ruck series on
00:07:50.000 --> 00:07:52.759
YouTube. They emphasize starting light and moving
00:07:52.759 --> 00:07:55.500
often. Their guidance encourages beginning with
00:07:55.500 --> 00:07:57.800
10 to 20 pounds depending on fitness level and
00:07:57.800 --> 00:08:00.620
focusing on consistent practice over intensity.
00:08:01.800 --> 00:08:04.899
They prioritize good form, pack fit, and flat
00:08:04.899 --> 00:08:07.899
terrain early on. As strength and confidence
00:08:07.899 --> 00:08:10.360
build, users can increase weight and duration
00:08:10.360 --> 00:08:12.959
slowly while keeping posture and comfort front
00:08:12.959 --> 00:08:16.860
of mind. The last one I'll summarize is the Pathfinder
00:08:16.860 --> 00:08:19.939
Ruck Training Plan. They advise new ruckers to
00:08:19.939 --> 00:08:22.240
begin with a baseline of 10 to 20 pounds and
00:08:22.240 --> 00:08:25.620
focus on building volume and consistency. Their
00:08:25.620 --> 00:08:27.660
structure programs guide ruckers through progressive
00:08:27.660 --> 00:08:30.790
challenges by gradually increasing weight, distance,
00:08:31.029 --> 00:08:35.009
and intensity over 12 to 16 weeks. They emphasize
00:08:35.009 --> 00:08:37.610
progressive overload and encourage lighter recovery
00:08:37.610 --> 00:08:41.129
weeks every fourth week to allow adaptation and
00:08:41.129 --> 00:08:44.590
avoid injury. These plans are a softer entry
00:08:44.590 --> 00:08:47.549
than some of the tactical style rucking programs
00:08:47.549 --> 00:08:50.409
out there. If you're looking to start heavier,
00:08:50.509 --> 00:08:52.549
longer, and go harder, do some googling. You'll
00:08:52.549 --> 00:08:55.250
definitely come across a few. Probably one of
00:08:55.250 --> 00:08:57.309
the most popular options out there is Gritty
00:08:57.309 --> 00:09:01.230
Soldier's Embrace the Ruck program. Okay, so
00:09:01.230 --> 00:09:04.070
the key points or takeaways that I have from
00:09:04.070 --> 00:09:06.570
reviewing these plans, if you're just starting
00:09:06.570 --> 00:09:09.370
out and new to rucking, are don't start scaling
00:09:09.370 --> 00:09:12.090
until you nail down the form. I talked about
00:09:12.090 --> 00:09:15.509
form in a previous episode, episode four, but
00:09:15.509 --> 00:09:17.570
I'll recap that here in a second as I tell you
00:09:17.570 --> 00:09:20.289
a story about how I messed up and scaled too
00:09:20.289 --> 00:09:23.529
quickly. Other takeaways include you can add
00:09:23.529 --> 00:09:26.230
five pounds every two to four weeks as your current
00:09:26.230 --> 00:09:28.970
weight gets easier. Don't change more than one
00:09:28.970 --> 00:09:32.230
variable at a time. Don't exceed one -third of
00:09:32.230 --> 00:09:34.929
your body weight. Don't incorporate difficult
00:09:34.929 --> 00:09:37.330
terrain or significant elevation changes when
00:09:37.330 --> 00:09:39.730
starting. You can certainly include it when you're
00:09:39.730 --> 00:09:42.909
ready to increase intensity. And it's okay to
00:09:42.909 --> 00:09:45.970
ease off every few weeks and go on recovery rucks
00:09:45.970 --> 00:09:49.789
to give your body a breather. Progress is not
00:09:49.789 --> 00:09:54.309
necessarily linear. The last plan that I summarized,
00:09:54.450 --> 00:09:58.009
the Pathfinder plan, mentioned taking a break
00:09:58.009 --> 00:10:01.750
every four weeks or so. It's not just okay to
00:10:01.750 --> 00:10:05.330
ease off. It's smart. Even elite marathoners
00:10:05.330 --> 00:10:09.070
structure in recovery by including easy days,
00:10:09.210 --> 00:10:12.789
slow runs, or lighter weeks. And then the last
00:10:12.789 --> 00:10:16.750
takeaway from reviewing these plans, in addition
00:10:16.750 --> 00:10:19.509
to rucking, incorporating another type of workout
00:10:19.509 --> 00:10:22.429
is going to be extremely beneficial for your
00:10:22.429 --> 00:10:25.409
health. The Pathfinder guides athletes to incorporate
00:10:25.409 --> 00:10:27.929
functional workouts like I discussed. So functional
00:10:27.929 --> 00:10:30.409
workouts focus on movements that mimic everyday
00:10:30.409 --> 00:10:32.750
activities. They improve your body's ability
00:10:32.750 --> 00:10:35.210
to perform daily tasks with ease and reducing
00:10:35.210 --> 00:10:38.090
the risk of energy. I previously published a
00:10:38.090 --> 00:10:41.769
blog post on theruckersedge .com where I summarized
00:10:41.769 --> 00:10:44.090
the workout routine I used to get my body in
00:10:44.090 --> 00:10:46.049
shape, and I include using body weight, cinder
00:10:46.049 --> 00:10:50.320
blocks, and my TRX strap. All right, I want to
00:10:50.320 --> 00:10:52.039
take a pause real quick to say thanks for listening
00:10:52.039 --> 00:10:54.740
to this podcast. I make these episodes to help
00:10:54.740 --> 00:10:56.940
people build healthier, stronger lives through
00:10:56.940 --> 00:10:59.159
rucking. And if that sounds like someone you
00:10:59.159 --> 00:11:01.120
know, send this episode their way. And if you
00:11:01.120 --> 00:11:03.120
haven't yet, hit follow on your podcast player
00:11:03.120 --> 00:11:06.039
so you never miss an episode. All right, back
00:11:06.039 --> 00:11:09.220
to it. So you've decided how much weight you're
00:11:09.220 --> 00:11:11.279
going to start with. You've formulated a plan
00:11:11.279 --> 00:11:14.139
based off of a few recommendations. Now let's
00:11:14.139 --> 00:11:18.840
talk about scaling. crazy crucial to listen to
00:11:18.840 --> 00:11:21.740
your body when you're increasing your load or
00:11:21.740 --> 00:11:25.740
increasing the intensity of your rucks. Let me
00:11:25.740 --> 00:11:28.080
tell you about the time just five pounds set
00:11:28.080 --> 00:11:30.960
me back weeks in progress I was making through
00:11:30.960 --> 00:11:34.899
rucking. Whenever I have free time, I'll go on
00:11:34.899 --> 00:11:37.960
to a few social media platforms and check out
00:11:37.960 --> 00:11:41.120
a few rucking groups that I'm a member of. It's
00:11:41.120 --> 00:11:44.919
great for motivation and accountability purposes.
00:11:45.120 --> 00:11:47.379
I always like seeing the progress other people
00:11:47.379 --> 00:11:50.320
are making, it energizes me and motivates me
00:11:50.320 --> 00:11:53.139
to get up and get going again. One day I was
00:11:53.139 --> 00:11:56.299
on one of these platforms, and this was like
00:11:56.299 --> 00:11:58.779
early days of me starting my rucking routine.
00:11:59.299 --> 00:12:01.440
I opened up my phone and saw a few posts about
00:12:01.440 --> 00:12:03.759
people carrying sledgehammers and axes and a
00:12:03.759 --> 00:12:05.360
few other things, and I thought, man, that looks
00:12:05.360 --> 00:12:08.159
pretty cool. They were talking about how it's
00:12:08.159 --> 00:12:11.559
an excellent addition to your rucks to develop
00:12:11.559 --> 00:12:13.759
grip strength if you're into that sort of thing.
00:12:14.299 --> 00:12:16.500
I thought it was a great idea. I was noticing
00:12:16.500 --> 00:12:19.519
all of my muscles except for my forearms were
00:12:19.519 --> 00:12:22.100
developing, and it would help make carrying my
00:12:22.100 --> 00:12:26.519
kids a lot easier. It seemed perfect. So I decided
00:12:26.519 --> 00:12:28.899
to give it a go. I thought I was ready to do
00:12:28.899 --> 00:12:31.340
a 20 -pound ruck carrying a 5 -pound dumbbell.
00:12:32.120 --> 00:12:34.179
I started my ruck like I normally did, except
00:12:34.179 --> 00:12:35.940
this time I brought the 5 -pound dumbbell with
00:12:35.940 --> 00:12:40.220
me. I plan to alternate it between my hands every
00:12:40.220 --> 00:12:43.590
quarter of a mile or so. I started out like normal.
00:12:43.629 --> 00:12:45.250
I was feeling good. The confidence was high.
00:12:45.330 --> 00:12:46.789
I was pretty excited about this new addition
00:12:46.789 --> 00:12:49.889
to the ruck. I continued to switch it about every
00:12:49.889 --> 00:12:53.149
quarter of a mile. Then I hit the mile mark and
00:12:53.149 --> 00:12:55.370
the sweat started to accumulate on my palms,
00:12:55.429 --> 00:12:58.330
making the carry just a little difficult. I thought,
00:12:58.350 --> 00:13:00.629
great, I was expecting this to get hard. I can
00:13:00.629 --> 00:13:03.490
do hard things. Check this out. Then I hit a
00:13:03.490 --> 00:13:06.389
mile and a half. The dumbbell got heavier and
00:13:06.389 --> 00:13:09.039
heavier. My palms were burning. We're just talking
00:13:09.039 --> 00:13:10.440
about five pounds. I didn't know what was going
00:13:10.440 --> 00:13:11.860
on. I didn't think it was going to be this difficult,
00:13:11.940 --> 00:13:13.639
but here I was thinking, you know, what the heck's
00:13:13.639 --> 00:13:15.419
going on? Am I really struggling with just an
00:13:15.419 --> 00:13:19.500
extra five pounds? I got to mile two. The sweat
00:13:19.500 --> 00:13:22.259
made it incredibly hard to hold on to. The weight
00:13:22.259 --> 00:13:24.080
felt like it was getting heavier and heavier
00:13:24.080 --> 00:13:26.919
still. I started switching hands even more frequently,
00:13:27.019 --> 00:13:28.740
probably so frequently it looked like I was playing
00:13:28.740 --> 00:13:31.200
a game of Hot Potato or something. At this point,
00:13:31.220 --> 00:13:33.000
I would seriously consider ditching this thing
00:13:33.000 --> 00:13:34.399
on the side of the trail and coming back for
00:13:34.399 --> 00:13:36.679
it later. I'll just... Throw it down by the bench
00:13:36.679 --> 00:13:38.759
and hope it doesn't walk off. I'll drive back
00:13:38.759 --> 00:13:42.000
and pick it up later. But I was determined. No,
00:13:42.179 --> 00:13:45.000
I told myself I'm not giving up. And in retrospect,
00:13:45.179 --> 00:13:47.100
I wish I would have had the thought to just throw
00:13:47.100 --> 00:13:49.259
it in my backpack. Just throw it in the rucksack.
00:13:49.919 --> 00:13:52.179
I might have avoided the negative impacts I encountered
00:13:52.179 --> 00:13:55.059
at the end of the ruck. I kept going, carrying
00:13:55.059 --> 00:13:57.220
it. I got to, I don't know, two and a quarter
00:13:57.220 --> 00:14:00.279
mile down the trail and started to feel a stinging
00:14:00.279 --> 00:14:04.039
sensation in my ankle. But I decided to push
00:14:04.039 --> 00:14:06.639
through it. I got to the two and a half mile
00:14:06.639 --> 00:14:08.360
mark where I usually check my posture through
00:14:08.360 --> 00:14:13.080
a window. And holy cow, almost unrecognizable.
00:14:13.120 --> 00:14:15.360
My head, shoulders, and back were so hunched
00:14:15.360 --> 00:14:17.399
over. My knuckles might as well have just been
00:14:17.399 --> 00:14:19.759
dragging on the ground. I looked like the monkey
00:14:19.759 --> 00:14:23.179
on the chart of human evolution from primate
00:14:23.179 --> 00:14:25.500
to homo sapien. That was me all the way on the
00:14:25.500 --> 00:14:28.820
left, hunched over. I fixed my posture and finished
00:14:28.820 --> 00:14:31.460
the last half mile and threw my gear down in
00:14:31.460 --> 00:14:34.690
the grass when I finished. The next day, my ankle
00:14:34.690 --> 00:14:37.250
was screaming. I caused a flare -up that no amount
00:14:37.250 --> 00:14:40.870
of post -ruck recovery routine could have stopped.
00:14:41.929 --> 00:14:45.470
I was down for weeks. It was a struggle to walk,
00:14:45.549 --> 00:14:48.850
let alone ruck, and I was itching to get back
00:14:48.850 --> 00:14:51.549
out there and ruck every day I was sidelined.
00:14:52.250 --> 00:14:54.529
In my line of work, we typically do an after
00:14:54.529 --> 00:14:57.110
-action report after an event or important activity
00:14:57.110 --> 00:15:00.860
to assess what worked and what went wrong. So
00:15:00.860 --> 00:15:03.299
I did an abbreviated after action report for
00:15:03.299 --> 00:15:05.460
this ruck where I carried the dumbbell. And here's
00:15:05.460 --> 00:15:09.159
what went wrong. The added weight and the shift
00:15:09.159 --> 00:15:11.580
in my center of gravity from carrying the extra
00:15:11.580 --> 00:15:14.659
weight impacted my posture severely. I was not
00:15:14.659 --> 00:15:17.539
engaging my core. I was not keeping my head up
00:15:17.539 --> 00:15:19.899
and my shoulders back. My back was definitely
00:15:19.899 --> 00:15:22.879
not straight. I was leaning way too far forward,
00:15:23.039 --> 00:15:26.120
which we all know is a recipe for disaster. I
00:15:26.120 --> 00:15:28.679
finished the ruck, but I definitely shouldn't
00:15:28.679 --> 00:15:32.500
have. The moment I felt a sensation or a burning
00:15:32.500 --> 00:15:35.559
in my ankle, I should have called it quits then
00:15:35.559 --> 00:15:37.779
and there. I probably should have dropped the
00:15:37.779 --> 00:15:39.659
excess weight once my body started negatively
00:15:39.659 --> 00:15:42.500
responding to it. And because I scaled up too
00:15:42.500 --> 00:15:45.139
quickly and was using improper form, I was making
00:15:45.139 --> 00:15:47.799
my legs compensate by forcing several muscle
00:15:47.799 --> 00:15:50.460
groups and associated ligaments and tendons to
00:15:50.460 --> 00:15:52.940
work harder, specifically my ankles and calves.
00:15:54.509 --> 00:15:56.710
My ego got the best of me as a poor decision
00:15:56.710 --> 00:15:59.129
to scale up too quickly by carrying extra weight
00:15:59.129 --> 00:16:03.009
just because it looked cool. And that decision
00:16:03.009 --> 00:16:05.429
led to me having to take two weeks off to heal
00:16:05.429 --> 00:16:10.250
and recover. Moral of the story, only scale when
00:16:10.250 --> 00:16:12.529
your body is ready, especially if you have a
00:16:12.529 --> 00:16:14.350
pre -existing medical condition or a history
00:16:14.350 --> 00:16:17.409
of injuries. You need to go slow because your
00:16:17.409 --> 00:16:20.590
muscles, tendons, cardiovascular system, they're
00:16:20.590 --> 00:16:22.269
all getting used to this new activity that you
00:16:22.269 --> 00:16:24.820
started. You need to stay at a certain stage
00:16:24.820 --> 00:16:27.059
or certain difficulties to allow your body to
00:16:27.059 --> 00:16:31.379
adjust before pushing any further. There's a
00:16:31.379 --> 00:16:33.360
saying that I like. Sometimes people will say
00:16:33.360 --> 00:16:35.700
you're getting out in front of your skis when
00:16:35.700 --> 00:16:38.080
you act prematurely or take on something that
00:16:38.080 --> 00:16:40.539
you're not necessarily ready for or is just beyond
00:16:40.539 --> 00:16:43.320
your capabilities. So on your rucking journey,
00:16:43.440 --> 00:16:45.519
if you scale up too quickly, you get out in front
00:16:45.519 --> 00:16:49.200
of your skis, just scale it back. Go back down
00:16:49.200 --> 00:16:50.679
to the level where you previously were. Go back
00:16:50.679 --> 00:16:52.820
down to the weight you were previously carrying
00:16:52.820 --> 00:16:56.639
or the distance you were previously going. And
00:16:56.639 --> 00:16:59.679
then attempt to scale back up in a week or two.
00:17:00.320 --> 00:17:03.879
Don't rush it. You might be asking, well, how
00:17:03.879 --> 00:17:07.579
do I know when I'm ready to scale up? Here's
00:17:07.579 --> 00:17:09.440
a bit of a checklist that you can run through
00:17:09.440 --> 00:17:12.220
to make that decision. Do the form check. Can
00:17:12.220 --> 00:17:14.680
you maintain perfect posture for your current
00:17:14.680 --> 00:17:18.799
weight or distance? Do the comfort test. Is your
00:17:18.799 --> 00:17:21.099
current rucking routine feeling easy for at least
00:17:21.099 --> 00:17:24.839
a week? Do your recovery check. Are you bouncing
00:17:24.839 --> 00:17:28.400
back quickly after your rucks? And then always
00:17:28.400 --> 00:17:30.859
remember the one variable rule. Only change one
00:17:30.859 --> 00:17:34.400
thing at a time. In my instance, I changed two.
00:17:34.440 --> 00:17:38.480
I changed the weight I was carrying and how I
00:17:38.480 --> 00:17:41.640
was carrying that weight. Now, after you scale
00:17:41.640 --> 00:17:43.819
up, after you've made the decision to scale up
00:17:43.819 --> 00:17:48.599
on that first ruck, pay attention is your form
00:17:48.599 --> 00:17:51.059
being impacted are you feeling more than just
00:17:51.059 --> 00:17:54.180
a little sore if so scale back stay at the previous
00:17:54.180 --> 00:17:59.200
step for a little longer scale up later scaling
00:17:59.200 --> 00:18:01.759
isn't about overloading it's about doing something
00:18:01.759 --> 00:18:04.359
sustainable for a long period of time there's
00:18:04.359 --> 00:18:06.980
a good phrase i like that's applicable to my
00:18:06.980 --> 00:18:09.799
philosophy on scaling up a workout and it's boring
00:18:09.799 --> 00:18:14.019
is beautiful And I know that sounds sort of counterintuitive,
00:18:14.039 --> 00:18:15.880
especially when you're scrolling through Instagram
00:18:15.880 --> 00:18:19.259
or other social media posts, seeing people carrying
00:18:19.259 --> 00:18:21.579
axes and kettlebells or dumbbells on their rucks.
00:18:21.619 --> 00:18:24.339
But here's the thing. Boring is what builds you
00:18:24.339 --> 00:18:26.759
up and keeps you injury free. Ultimately, boring
00:18:26.759 --> 00:18:30.839
is what gets you to your goals. Think about it
00:18:30.839 --> 00:18:33.359
this way. When you're doing the same 20 pound,
00:18:33.440 --> 00:18:35.380
two mile ruck every Tuesday and Thursday for
00:18:35.380 --> 00:18:38.500
two to four weeks straight, that might feel monotonous.
00:18:39.150 --> 00:18:41.289
But what's actually happening is incredible.
00:18:41.390 --> 00:18:43.609
Your body is adapting your muscles, tendons,
00:18:43.670 --> 00:18:45.670
cardiovascular system. They're all getting comfortable
00:18:45.670 --> 00:18:47.910
with this new demand you're placing on them.
00:18:48.230 --> 00:18:53.269
And you're building a strong foundation. Here's
00:18:53.269 --> 00:18:56.309
what I've learned. That boring routine becomes
00:18:56.309 --> 00:18:58.690
this anchor in your week. Just like you don't
00:18:58.690 --> 00:19:00.490
think twice about making your morning coffee
00:19:00.490 --> 00:19:03.150
or brushing your teeth, that consistent rut becomes
00:19:03.150 --> 00:19:07.019
automatic. It becomes part of who you are. The
00:19:07.019 --> 00:19:10.400
beauty is in the process itself. Instead of chasing
00:19:10.400 --> 00:19:12.640
the excitement of adding 10 more pounds or an
00:19:12.640 --> 00:19:15.220
extra mile, you're focusing on how your form
00:19:15.220 --> 00:19:18.599
feels that day. You're tuning into whether your
00:19:18.599 --> 00:19:21.859
pack is sitting right. You're noticing if your
00:19:21.859 --> 00:19:23.900
core is engaged or if you're starting to lean
00:19:23.900 --> 00:19:27.500
forward. That internal focus, that's where the
00:19:27.500 --> 00:19:31.400
real progress happens. So when your buddy asks
00:19:31.400 --> 00:19:33.220
why you're still doing the same route with the
00:19:33.220 --> 00:19:35.420
same weight for the third week in a row, tell
00:19:35.420 --> 00:19:38.160
them, Because boring is building me into the
00:19:38.160 --> 00:19:40.759
rucker I want to become. The flashy stuff can
00:19:40.759 --> 00:19:42.940
wait. Right now, boring is exactly where you
00:19:42.940 --> 00:19:45.440
need to be. Trust the process. Embrace the boring.
00:19:45.579 --> 00:19:49.619
And let consistency do the heavy lifting. Literally.
00:19:51.240 --> 00:19:53.460
You know what? You want a great example of trusting
00:19:53.460 --> 00:19:55.200
the process and living the boring is beautiful
00:19:55.200 --> 00:19:58.900
life? Nick Saban. If you're unfamiliar with who
00:19:58.900 --> 00:20:00.960
Nick Saban is, he's the greatest college football
00:20:00.960 --> 00:20:03.759
coach of all time. His teams have won seven college
00:20:03.759 --> 00:20:06.519
football national championships, and he's created
00:20:06.519 --> 00:20:09.019
a football dynasty at Alabama over the last couple
00:20:09.019 --> 00:20:11.759
of decades. Well, he's since left Alabama, but
00:20:11.759 --> 00:20:13.740
while he was there, he was just absolutely dominant.
00:20:14.099 --> 00:20:17.180
And even before Alabama, at his previous schools,
00:20:17.220 --> 00:20:21.079
LSU and Michigan State. But Saban doesn't get
00:20:21.079 --> 00:20:22.819
his players fired up by talking about winning
00:20:22.819 --> 00:20:25.849
championships. Instead, he gets them focused
00:20:25.849 --> 00:20:29.509
on executing each individual play perfectly all
00:20:29.509 --> 00:20:32.369
throughout the season and even the offseason.
00:20:32.809 --> 00:20:34.869
He tells his team, don't think about winning
00:20:34.869 --> 00:20:37.369
the SEC championship. Don't think about the national
00:20:37.369 --> 00:20:40.450
championship. Instead, focus on this practice,
00:20:40.630 --> 00:20:43.869
this drill, this rep. It's not about winning
00:20:43.869 --> 00:20:47.150
the game, but winning the seven seconds per play.
00:20:48.190 --> 00:20:50.170
That's exactly what boring is beautiful means
00:20:50.170 --> 00:20:52.269
for ruckers. The process is about learning to
00:20:52.269 --> 00:20:54.910
focus on the things that you can control. You
00:20:54.910 --> 00:20:56.250
can't control whether you're going to be able
00:20:56.250 --> 00:20:59.009
to ruck 50 pounds next month, but you can control
00:20:59.009 --> 00:21:01.650
whether you show up for today's 20 -pound, 2
00:21:01.650 --> 00:21:05.210
-mile ruck with perfect form. So that boring
00:21:05.210 --> 00:21:07.809
Tuesday ruck where you focus on keeping your
00:21:07.809 --> 00:21:10.190
shoulders back and your core engaged, that's
00:21:10.190 --> 00:21:12.470
your championship play right there. Saban has
00:21:12.470 --> 00:21:14.410
won multiple national championships not by dreaming
00:21:14.410 --> 00:21:16.569
about trophies, but by making the boring stuff
00:21:16.569 --> 00:21:19.200
beautiful. The daily grind, the attention to
00:21:19.200 --> 00:21:21.000
fundamentals, and the consistency that nobody
00:21:21.000 --> 00:21:23.700
sees. Your rucking journey works the same way.
00:21:23.759 --> 00:21:26.279
Trust the process, embrace the boring, and let
00:21:26.279 --> 00:21:30.259
the results take care of themselves. Speaking
00:21:30.259 --> 00:21:32.920
of the process and results, in next week's episode,
00:21:33.000 --> 00:21:34.700
we'll discuss the importance of tracking our
00:21:34.700 --> 00:21:37.759
rucks and what we can do with the data that we
00:21:37.759 --> 00:21:40.000
collect. So be sure to follow the podcast so
00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:43.059
you get notified of new episodes. I make these
00:21:43.059 --> 00:21:44.980
episodes to help people build a healthier, stronger
00:21:44.980 --> 00:21:47.160
life through rucking. If that sounds like someone
00:21:47.160 --> 00:21:50.099
you know, send this episode their way. As always,
00:21:50.160 --> 00:21:52.240
links to all studies and products mentioned in
00:21:52.240 --> 00:21:54.220
this episode are provided in the show notes.
00:21:54.779 --> 00:21:56.720
Thanks again for listening to this week's episode
00:21:56.720 --> 00:21:58.279
of The Rucker's Edge.