Aug. 24, 2025

Why Tracking Your Rucks is the Secret to Faster Progress, Fewer Injuries, and Lasting Motivation

Why Tracking Your Rucks is the Secret to Faster Progress, Fewer Injuries, and Lasting Motivation
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In this episode, we’re breaking down one of the most overlooked tools for becoming a stronger, more consistent rucker: tracking your rucks.

Here’s the deal: what gets measured gets managed. Without tracking, it’s nearly impossible to know if you’re improving, where you’re falling short, or when you’re pushing too hard. But once you start logging your rucks, you unlock a powerful feedback loop that keeps you motivated, prevents injuries, and makes progress crystal clear.

You’ll learn:

  • Why tracking is the ultimate momentum builder for your rucking routine
  • The exact data points to track
  • How tracking helps prevent plateaus, burnout, and injuries
  • Simple tools (from old-school notebooks to apps) that make ruck logging easy
  • How to actually use your data to make better training decisions

I’ll also share a personal story about my cholesterol journey — and how tracking plus action led to a real transformation. Just like with health, your rucking results won’t change by accident. Progress happens when you track honestly, review your data, and make decisions that keep you moving forward.

If you’ve ever wondered “Do I really need to track my rucks?” this episode will give you the why, the how, and the payoff you’ve been missing.

If you’re tracking your rucks already, I’d love to hear how you’re doing it. Send me a message or drop a comment on Instagram @theruckersedgepod.

Links & Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

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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Tracking plus action equals improvement. Your

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rucking performance won't improve by accident

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or on its own. You can write down miles, times,

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pack weights all day long, but the real power

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comes when you use that data to adjust your training

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and make better decisions. Welcome to the Rucker's

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Edge podcast, a show all about rucking that is

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designed to help you develop a rucking routine,

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lose weight, and ultimately gain your strength

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and energy back. Whether you're an office worker

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with lower back pain, a fitness first -timer,

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or a new parent trying to get back to your pre

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-kid's weight, this is the show for you. I'm

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your host, Spencer. Thanks for tuning in. In

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this episode, we dive into why tracking your

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rucks is the key to building momentum, avoiding

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setbacks, and actually reaching your rucking

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goals. You'll hear how measuring the right things

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can help you build a consistent routine, stay

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motivated, prevent injuries, and even help get

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back on track after taking time off. After listening

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to this episode, you'll know how to turn your

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ruck logs into decisions that will accelerate

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your progress and keep you moving towards your

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goal. All right, let's jump in. I was talking

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with my father -in -law the other day about a

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local hospital's business model, and he reminded

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me of a story about Peter Drucker. That's perfect

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for what we're talking about today with tracking

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our rucks. Peter Drucker, the guy who basically

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invented modern management, he has this very

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useful quote, which is, what gets measured gets

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managed. Back in the 60s, Drucker was working

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with a big hospital. Like most hospitals at the

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time, they measured success pretty simply. How

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many beds do we have filled? How busy are our

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doctors and nurses? Basically, are we keeping

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everyone busy? But Drucker asked them something

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that nobody had really thought about. What is

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this hospital actually here to do? Because when

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you really think about it, the answer isn't fill

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beds or keep staff busy. The answer is help people

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get better. So Drucker convinced them to completely

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change what they were tracking. Instead of just

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counting occupied beds and staff hours, they

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started measuring what actually mattered. Recovery

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rates, how fast patients were getting discharged.

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and how often people had to come back for the

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same problem. And here's the thing. That simple

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shift in measurement changed everything. Suddenly,

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doctors and administrators were making decisions

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based on whether patients were actually getting

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healthier, not just whether the hospital looked

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busy. The results? Patients got better care.

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The hospital got better outcomes. It was a win

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-win. That's what happens when you track the

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right stuff. It's not just about having numbers

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to look at. It actually changes how you make

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decisions. And better decisions get you better

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results. This is just one of countless success

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stories where tracking data have improved systems

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or processes or results in general. Another good

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one that I really like, have always really liked,

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been fascinated by, was Apollo 13. During NASA's

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Apollo 13 mission, the oxygen tank exploded.

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The astronauts and mission control abandoned

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the intended mission of landing on the moon to

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returning the astronauts back to Earth safely.

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That was only possible because minute by minute

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the astronauts were tracking their oxygen levels,

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power use, and CO2 buildup in the cabin. That

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just goes to show you, without tracking, you

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can't measure what's important. Therefore, you

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can't understand where you are in relation to

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your goal. If you can't measure something, you

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can't understand it. How does this relate to

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rucking? This is a rucking podcast. We haven't

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even talked about it yet. But we can track our

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rucks for the same reason NASA and Peter Drucker

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tracked their metrics. We want to improve our

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rucking routine so that we can achieve maximum

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output. There are several reasons why we track

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rucks. I came up with eight reasons why we should

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track our rucks. I'll list them out here, but

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I'm going to go into a lot more detail for each

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one. The first one, and probably the most important

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one, it helps establish a habit. It develops

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our routine. The others include motivation. It

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can identify weaknesses. It confirms we're on

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track to achieving our goal. provides some sort

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of accountability for ourselves, and then it

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avoids plateaus in our training program, avoids

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burnout, and helps us to avoid injury. Okay,

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so let's circle back to that first one. It helps

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us establish a habit. There's a really excellent

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book by James Clear. I read it a few years back,

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and actually I would like to do an episode perhaps

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summarizing that book, but it talks about building

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a habit. And with tracking our rucks, this is

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exactly what we can do. Tracking creates a visual

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cue. So seeing your progress in a log, a calendar,

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or an app reminds you to take action. It's a

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visible record of your past rucks reinforces

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the fact that I am a person who rucks. Tracking

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reinforces the habit loop. So every time you

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track a ruck, you get a small reward from marking

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it done. which strengthens the habit loop. So

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there's a cue, your routine, and then reward.

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Logging the session is like mentally high -fiving

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yourself. And tracking builds momentum, so there's

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a consistency chain. And you can kind of think

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of it as you're trying not to break that chain.

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It helps provide that extra motivation. Okay,

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moving on to reason number two, why we should

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be tracking our rucks, is motivation. Rucking

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progress can feel slow because improvements aren't

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always obvious day to day. So being able to look

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back at the rucks that we've tracked shows measurable

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progress. A faster pace perhaps, longer distances,

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or heavier loads. Being able to see that last

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month I could barely do 2 miles with 20 pounds

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and now I'm doing 4 miles with 25 pounds keeps

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the momentum going. Reason number 3. It identifies

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weaknesses in our plan. Without data, it's hard

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to know what's holding you back. Looking at our

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rucking record reveals trends like slowing pace

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on hills or struggling with long distances or

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fatigue at certain weights. It lets you pinpoint

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whether endurance, strength, or recovery is the

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limiting factor, and it makes it easier to adjust

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training. Tracking doesn't just show you where

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you're strong, it shines a light on where you

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need to improve. Reason number four. It confirms

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that you're on track to achieving your goal.

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Big goals like a go -ruck event or weight loss

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or a distance milestone can feel overwhelming.

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Tracking our rucks helps break these big goals

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into smaller measurable steps. It keeps you honest

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about progress. You're not guessing if you're

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ready for that 12 miler with 30 pounds. The data

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is going to let you know. And it also builds

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confidence leading into the event or the milestone.

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Your log is like your GPS in your car. It tells

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you if you're on the right route towards your

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goal or if you need to course correct. Reason

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number five, accountability. It's easy to skip

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a ruck if no one knows and harder to stay consistent

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without structure. Tracking your rucks creates

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a record that you can't argue with. The rucks

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are either logged or they aren't. It works as

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a self -accountability. You don't want to break

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the chain like we mentioned before. You can share

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your rucks with a coach, a partner, or a rucking

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community to create an external factor for accountability.

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And while we're talking about sharing tracking

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data with others, I wanted to remind you the

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benefits of training with a partner. We mentioned

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this back in, I think it was episode one or two,

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when we talked about the benefits of training

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with a partner. But when you share your rucking

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data with others, it has a similar effect. There's

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a peer motivation effect where knowing your buddies

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are putting in the miles pushes you to keep up

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with them. Posting your rucks in a group chat

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or an app or a community makes it more likely

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for you to stay consistent because others can

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see your progress. Lastly, there's a support

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and encouragement effect. When you miss a session,

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others notice. And when you hit milestones, you

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get celebrated. Reason number six is it helps

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us avoid plateaus in our training. So how tracking

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can help? Well, it identifies patterns. Are you

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stuck at three miles with 30 pounds for weeks?

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It provides data to gradually increase one variable,

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either weight, distance, or pace, taking the

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guesswork out of it. And lastly, it makes progress

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measurable so you can see improvements even in

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the small increments over time. Reason number

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seven, it helps us avoid burnout. Without structure,

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we can push too hard. especially beginners, and

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too often we're thinking more is always better.

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That leads to a mental fatigue and a loss of

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motivation. So tracking our rucks can show us

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total workload over time, volume, and intensity.

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It helps spot when you've been stacking too many

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long or heavy rucks without recovering, and it

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makes it easier to plan down weeks and recovery

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sessions. We talked about this in the previous

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episode about rucking plans. It's a good idea

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to pencil in some slower or easier recovery rucks.

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And lastly, reason number eight, my favorite,

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is it helps us avoid injuries. Injuries usually

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come from spikes in volume. You know, you're

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going too far, too fast, or too heavy. Or you're

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ignoring early warning signs. So tracking helps

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prevent sudden jumps in mileage or load because...

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you can see your progression. It helps spot trends

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like slower pace or unusual fatigue before an

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injury sets in. Looking back at my ruck logs,

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I've had to step away from rucking on three occasions

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due to injuries I got while rucking. And I can

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go back to my training logs and identify exactly

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what caused the injury. So it happened three

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times. The first one, I jumped from 10 to 40.

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It's an insane jump. I was out for a week. Number

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two. I jumped from 10 to 40 again. I was out

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for three weeks that time. And number three,

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I added a dumbbell to my carry and I was out

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for two weeks. Had I been reviewing the data

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closer, I could have put two and two together

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and identified these issues and prevented further

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injuries. And talking about injuries, here's

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kind of like a bonus reason why we should be

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tracking our rucks is it helps you get back to

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your rucking when you come back from an injury

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or a break. After time off from nursing and injury,

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most ruckers either do too much too soon or lose

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motivation because they feel like they're back

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at square one. Tracking your rucks shows you

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where you left off so you can build smartly instead

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of guessing. It lets you scale back gradually

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using past data as a benchmark. It boosts confidence.

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You can literally see how you climbed before

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so you can do it again. And lastly, it's a roadmap

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to success or results that you know you can achieve

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because you've already done it once. Alright,

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so those are the eight reasons why we need to

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be tracking. Let's talk about what data we need

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to be collecting during these rucks. There are

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several metrics that we could be tracking, but

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I've broken it down into the essential metrics

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we need to track and useful metrics, but not

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necessarily essential. There are five essential

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metrics we need to collect during our rucks,

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and they are, well, I've grouped weight, distance,

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and pace into one because that's... For rucking,

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all intents and purposes, that is what rucking

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is. So weight, distance, and pace is the first

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one. The second one is when we ruck. Third one,

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our heart rate during the rucks. Fourth one,

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the terrain. And the last one, how you felt.

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Now this is the qualitative data that can provide

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some pretty good insight. For instance, your

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times may stay the same, but you may feel that

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it's getting easier, an indication you might

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want to consider pushing harder. To help with

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your analysis later down the road, you could

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turn this into a metric that's quantitative by

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measuring the level of effort. And you could

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give it a value between 1 and 5. 1 being, okay,

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that was pretty easy. And 5 was, yeah, I had

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to push really hard to achieve that one. All

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right, now let's go on to the metrics that are

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useful but not necessarily essential. And there

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are, let's see, 1, 2, 3, 4. There are four of

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them. The first one is wear your ruck. Second

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one, the gear you used. The third one, weather

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conditions. And the fourth one was if you did

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it by yourself, a solo ruck, or if it was a social

00:12:56.850 --> 00:13:00.009
ruck. Now you're probably thinking, man, that

00:13:00.009 --> 00:13:02.870
is a lot of data. I get it. After a ruck, I'm

00:13:02.870 --> 00:13:05.710
exhausted. I'm focused on cooling down and hydrating.

00:13:05.809 --> 00:13:07.929
The last thing I want to be doing is standing

00:13:07.929 --> 00:13:10.029
still and writing something down or typing something

00:13:10.029 --> 00:13:12.110
on a screen that can barely see because the sun

00:13:12.110 --> 00:13:15.759
is so bright and the screen is so dim. I would

00:13:15.759 --> 00:13:18.039
advise you to build it into your post -ruck routine,

00:13:18.240 --> 00:13:19.879
you know, while you're icing your joints or doing

00:13:19.879 --> 00:13:23.679
your stretches. Be logging your ruck. Or do what

00:13:23.679 --> 00:13:25.860
I do. I hit save on my Garmin, and then later

00:13:25.860 --> 00:13:29.759
that night, I fill in the data that my Garmin

00:13:29.759 --> 00:13:33.620
couldn't collect. All right, so now you know

00:13:33.620 --> 00:13:36.059
what data to collect. But let's talk about how

00:13:36.059 --> 00:13:38.500
to collect it. Now, back in the day, when I was

00:13:38.500 --> 00:13:41.879
running cross -country, my coach advised us to

00:13:41.879 --> 00:13:45.970
track all of our runs. Everybody used one of

00:13:45.970 --> 00:13:47.789
those black and white composition notebooks.

00:13:49.429 --> 00:13:52.450
We would take a ruler and draw in columns for

00:13:52.450 --> 00:13:54.629
the date, the distance, the time, and the pace.

00:13:55.309 --> 00:13:57.710
And it was actually really cool to see at the

00:13:57.710 --> 00:13:59.850
end of the season all the different runs we had

00:13:59.850 --> 00:14:04.070
gone on and kind of reminisced on stupid things

00:14:04.070 --> 00:14:07.210
that may have happened during those runs. But

00:14:07.210 --> 00:14:10.149
you can still do that. You can still use a composition

00:14:10.149 --> 00:14:13.820
notebook. It isn't nearly as efficient and comprehensive

00:14:13.820 --> 00:14:15.720
as some of the tech that's available out today,

00:14:15.860 --> 00:14:17.600
like the wearables I've talked about or some

00:14:17.600 --> 00:14:19.919
of the apps. But it's still kind of cool if you

00:14:19.919 --> 00:14:22.940
want to do an analog type of version. There's

00:14:22.940 --> 00:14:25.399
something about pencil on paper that seems just

00:14:25.399 --> 00:14:27.620
pretty cool, especially when the page is full

00:14:27.620 --> 00:14:30.159
and the pages are kind of curled at the end.

00:14:30.279 --> 00:14:34.740
I don't know. Maybe that's just me. But, you

00:14:34.740 --> 00:14:36.539
know, some of the wearables out there, Garmin,

00:14:36.559 --> 00:14:39.509
that's what I use, my Garmin watch. Also, the

00:14:39.509 --> 00:14:42.429
Apple Watch. I mean, I used to have one. I don't

00:14:42.429 --> 00:14:44.889
have a lot of recent information on the Apple

00:14:44.889 --> 00:14:49.149
Watch. I haven't owned one since, I guess, 2018.

00:14:49.309 --> 00:14:51.149
That's when I switched to Garmin because the

00:14:51.149 --> 00:14:53.929
battery life is significantly longer in the Garmin.

00:14:54.929 --> 00:14:57.129
At least it was back then. I think it is still

00:14:57.129 --> 00:15:00.470
now. But those are some of the wearables you

00:15:00.470 --> 00:15:04.129
can use to track rucks. There are a few apps

00:15:04.129 --> 00:15:06.830
out there. Another most common app used in the

00:15:06.830 --> 00:15:09.220
rucking community. as of the recording of this

00:15:09.220 --> 00:15:12.259
episode, is Ruckwell. I used it a few times.

00:15:12.320 --> 00:15:15.080
I liked it. It definitely did the job. It definitely

00:15:15.080 --> 00:15:18.360
tracked the data that I needed. There's a new

00:15:18.360 --> 00:15:21.299
one coming out. I haven't used it because it

00:15:21.299 --> 00:15:23.100
hasn't been released yet, but it's called Rucker.

00:15:23.960 --> 00:15:26.419
The hype is pretty high around it. I think a

00:15:26.419 --> 00:15:27.899
lot of people are looking forward to it. I'm

00:15:27.899 --> 00:15:30.419
curious about it too. So I'll be looking into

00:15:30.419 --> 00:15:34.669
that as well. Okay, I want to take a quick break

00:15:34.669 --> 00:15:36.769
here before discussing how you can effectively

00:15:36.769 --> 00:15:38.809
use the data you've collected from your rucks

00:15:38.809 --> 00:15:41.450
to improve your rucking gains. To say once again,

00:15:41.529 --> 00:15:43.830
thank you for listening to the podcast. If you

00:15:43.830 --> 00:15:45.850
found this episode helpful or interesting so

00:15:45.850 --> 00:15:47.950
far, please click the follow button in your podcast

00:15:47.950 --> 00:15:50.970
player so you are notified of new episodes. Also,

00:15:51.029 --> 00:15:52.769
if you know someone thinking about starting rucking

00:15:52.769 --> 00:15:54.629
or would benefit from rucking, please share this

00:15:54.629 --> 00:15:56.529
episode with them. It might just give them the

00:15:56.529 --> 00:15:58.629
motivation to start or keep pursuing their rucking

00:15:58.629 --> 00:16:03.139
goals. All right, back to it. So what do we do

00:16:03.139 --> 00:16:06.100
with the data that we've collected? Well, you

00:16:06.100 --> 00:16:09.080
use it to make decisions. Here's the thing about

00:16:09.080 --> 00:16:11.580
tracking. Collecting data is only half the battle.

00:16:11.940 --> 00:16:14.419
The real magic happens when you actually use

00:16:14.419 --> 00:16:16.519
that information to make better decisions for

00:16:16.519 --> 00:16:19.120
your rucking plan. Let me tell you a story that

00:16:19.120 --> 00:16:22.379
perfectly illustrates this point. Back in 2020,

00:16:22.639 --> 00:16:24.620
my wife and I were getting close to starting

00:16:24.620 --> 00:16:27.159
a family, and I decided it was probably time

00:16:27.159 --> 00:16:29.740
to start seeing my doctor on an annual basis

00:16:29.740 --> 00:16:33.039
for checkups. They started tracking my cholesterol

00:16:33.039 --> 00:16:36.200
levels during those annual checkups, and initially

00:16:36.200 --> 00:16:38.759
my cholesterol level was high, but didn't seem

00:16:38.759 --> 00:16:41.879
too alarming at first, but each year it crept

00:16:41.879 --> 00:16:45.840
up a little higher. By the end of 2022, my cholesterol

00:16:45.840 --> 00:16:50.799
was up to 235. In 2023, it plateaued, which at

00:16:50.799 --> 00:16:54.360
the time felt like a relief, but really it just

00:16:54.360 --> 00:16:57.700
meant I was stuck at an unhealthy level. Deep

00:16:57.700 --> 00:17:00.039
down, I knew I wasn't taking it as seriously

00:17:00.039 --> 00:17:02.779
as I should have. I told myself, I'll deal with

00:17:02.779 --> 00:17:04.920
it later, but each lab result was a reminder

00:17:04.920 --> 00:17:09.400
that later was running out. When I got my cholesterol

00:17:09.400 --> 00:17:12.539
results in 2024, something clicked. Seeing that

00:17:12.539 --> 00:17:15.920
number again unchanged now with baby number two

00:17:15.920 --> 00:17:19.339
on the way, that was my wake -up call. I made

00:17:19.339 --> 00:17:21.579
the decision to commit to eating healthier, sticking

00:17:21.579 --> 00:17:24.259
to a consistent exercise routine, which later

00:17:24.259 --> 00:17:26.799
turned into a rucking routine, and taking my

00:17:26.799 --> 00:17:29.240
health into my own hands instead of waiting for

00:17:29.240 --> 00:17:33.460
it to get worse. Now in 2025, my cholesterol

00:17:33.460 --> 00:17:38.680
is down to 187. So from 235 to 187, that's a

00:17:38.680 --> 00:17:41.140
48 -point drop. That number is more than just

00:17:41.140 --> 00:17:43.640
a stat. It represents a turning point. And I

00:17:43.640 --> 00:17:45.920
know that 187, that is still kind of elevated,

00:17:45.980 --> 00:17:49.640
and I am still progressing on lowering that cholesterol

00:17:49.640 --> 00:17:54.299
level. So the lesson, tracking plus action equals

00:17:54.299 --> 00:17:58.049
improvement. Just like my cholesterol, your rucking

00:17:58.049 --> 00:18:01.049
performance won't improve by accident or on its

00:18:01.049 --> 00:18:04.269
own. You can write down miles, times, pack weights

00:18:04.269 --> 00:18:06.630
all day long, but the real power comes when you

00:18:06.630 --> 00:18:08.650
use that data to adjust your training and make

00:18:08.650 --> 00:18:10.789
better decisions. That's how you get stronger,

00:18:10.890 --> 00:18:13.170
fitter, and keep moving towards achieving your

00:18:13.170 --> 00:18:17.569
goal. Okay, so how do we get from data collection

00:18:17.569 --> 00:18:20.890
to decision making? A lot of people that exercise

00:18:20.890 --> 00:18:23.670
fall into the same trap I did with my cholesterol.

00:18:23.809 --> 00:18:26.119
They track everything. But never let the data

00:18:26.119 --> 00:18:28.259
change what they do. It's like having a GPS,

00:18:28.400 --> 00:18:30.000
like I mentioned earlier, but never following

00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:33.259
the directions. If you want to improve your rucking,

00:18:33.440 --> 00:18:36.259
you need to stop only counting the inputs. Like,

00:18:36.279 --> 00:18:39.420
I went for a ruck, period. Don't get me wrong.

00:18:39.599 --> 00:18:42.359
Tracking the fact that you went for a ruck is

00:18:42.359 --> 00:18:44.740
good for habit building. But once you've developed

00:18:44.740 --> 00:18:46.720
that habit and you want to start making real

00:18:46.720 --> 00:18:48.480
progress, you really need to start tracking the

00:18:48.480 --> 00:18:50.859
outcomes that matter. So pace, distance, weight,

00:18:50.920 --> 00:18:52.579
all those other metrics that we discussed earlier.

00:18:53.900 --> 00:18:55.880
These metrics will help you identify where you're

00:18:55.880 --> 00:18:59.319
slowing down, when you're improving, and when

00:18:59.319 --> 00:19:02.059
you're holding back. So how do we use this data

00:19:02.059 --> 00:19:04.279
to make these decisions on improving our plan?

00:19:04.440 --> 00:19:09.880
Well, my tips are every month, ask yourself these

00:19:09.880 --> 00:19:13.380
three questions. What's actually working for

00:19:13.380 --> 00:19:17.460
me? Where am I spinning my wheels? And which

00:19:17.460 --> 00:19:20.619
should I focus on next? So basically, what's

00:19:20.619 --> 00:19:22.940
working, what's not, and where do I go from here?

00:19:23.759 --> 00:19:26.140
Let's break these down. So, okay, what's actually

00:19:26.140 --> 00:19:29.160
working for me? Ask yourself these questions.

00:19:29.259 --> 00:19:31.500
Are you consistently hitting faster paces on

00:19:31.500 --> 00:19:33.819
certain routes? Are you carrying heavier loads

00:19:33.819 --> 00:19:36.839
without the dead tired feeling? Are you bouncing

00:19:36.839 --> 00:19:40.119
back quicker after longer rucks? When you see

00:19:40.119 --> 00:19:42.220
these patterns, double down on whatever you did

00:19:42.220 --> 00:19:44.380
those weeks. Maybe it was rucking in the morning

00:19:44.380 --> 00:19:47.160
instead of evening, or that new route with more

00:19:47.160 --> 00:19:49.519
hills, or spacing your heavy rucks differently.

00:19:50.039 --> 00:19:52.950
Your data will show you what's working. Now do

00:19:52.950 --> 00:19:56.150
more of that. Okay, the second question. Where

00:19:56.150 --> 00:19:58.769
am I spinning my wheels? Well, if you've been

00:19:58.769 --> 00:20:01.890
stuck at the same pace for six weeks or you're

00:20:01.890 --> 00:20:03.750
still gassed after three miles when you want

00:20:03.750 --> 00:20:05.809
to be crushing five milers, your data is telling

00:20:05.809 --> 00:20:09.250
you something isn't clicking. Don't just keep

00:20:09.250 --> 00:20:11.630
doing the same thing hoping it'll magically improve.

00:20:11.789 --> 00:20:15.309
Maybe you need more recovery days or to add some

00:20:15.309 --> 00:20:19.470
variety to your routes or to focus on building

00:20:19.470 --> 00:20:22.109
your base before adding weight. The numbers don't

00:20:22.109 --> 00:20:24.230
lie. If you're plateaued, it's time to change

00:20:24.230 --> 00:20:28.150
something. All right, last one. What should I

00:20:28.150 --> 00:20:30.250
focus on next? This is where your data becomes

00:20:30.250 --> 00:20:33.529
your roadmap. So look at where you are now versus

00:20:33.529 --> 00:20:35.730
where you want to be and let that guide you for

00:20:35.730 --> 00:20:37.809
the next four to six weeks. If your goal is a

00:20:37.809 --> 00:20:41.190
12 mile ruck, but you're still working on consistent

00:20:41.190 --> 00:20:44.130
six milers, don't jump to heavy weight training.

00:20:44.940 --> 00:20:47.240
If you want to carry 50 pounds, but you're struggling

00:20:47.240 --> 00:20:50.059
with 30, maybe focus on building that load capacity

00:20:50.059 --> 00:20:53.140
before worrying about speed. Your tracking data

00:20:53.140 --> 00:20:55.799
takes the guesswork out of progression. It shows

00:20:55.799 --> 00:20:58.200
you exactly what the next logical step should

00:20:58.200 --> 00:21:01.759
be. The key here is actually using the information

00:21:01.759 --> 00:21:04.039
to adjust your training. Too many ruckers collect

00:21:04.039 --> 00:21:06.640
data like trophies, but never let it change what

00:21:06.640 --> 00:21:09.799
they do. Your data isn't just a record of what

00:21:09.799 --> 00:21:12.420
you did. It's a guide for what you should do

00:21:12.420 --> 00:21:16.289
next. And in conclusion, just to clarify, I'm

00:21:16.289 --> 00:21:18.390
not saying if you're not tracking your rucks,

00:21:18.509 --> 00:21:20.950
you're doing it all wrong. Getting out there

00:21:20.950 --> 00:21:24.589
and rucking at any frequency is a win. The point

00:21:24.589 --> 00:21:26.569
I am trying to make though, is that if you want

00:21:26.569 --> 00:21:28.670
to continue to progress on your fitness journey,

00:21:28.849 --> 00:21:32.069
you need to be tracking your rucks. Just imagine

00:21:32.069 --> 00:21:35.269
looking back at six months of rucking data and

00:21:35.269 --> 00:21:36.990
seeing that you've gone from struggling with

00:21:36.990 --> 00:21:39.630
two miles to crushing five mile rucks with 30

00:21:39.630 --> 00:21:42.829
pounds. That's not fantasy. That's what happens

00:21:42.829 --> 00:21:47.809
when you track. Alright, now you know why you

00:21:47.809 --> 00:21:49.410
should be tracking your rucks and what to do

00:21:49.410 --> 00:21:51.890
with the data to collect. In next week's episode,

00:21:52.029 --> 00:21:54.430
we'll discuss how to set your rucking goals.

00:21:54.849 --> 00:21:56.809
In the meantime, if you haven't already, please

00:21:56.809 --> 00:21:58.750
follow the show and your podcast player so you

00:21:58.750 --> 00:22:00.549
don't miss an episode and share this episode

00:22:00.549 --> 00:22:03.769
with a friend that might find it helpful. Also,

00:22:03.849 --> 00:22:05.789
are you doing anything differently with your

00:22:05.789 --> 00:22:08.670
data that I didn't mention perhaps? If so, shoot

00:22:08.670 --> 00:22:10.730
me a message or comment on a post of mine on

00:22:10.730 --> 00:22:14.660
Instagram at TheRuckersEdgePod. Again, my name

00:22:14.660 --> 00:22:16.660
is Spencer and thanks for listening to this week's

00:22:16.660 --> 00:22:18.059
episode of the Rutgers Edge.