Rucking: Is Walking With a Weighted Pack Worth Your Time?
Yes, for most people rucking is worth doing, as long as you see it for what it is. Walking with a loaded backpack turns an easy walk into moderate, sometimes vigorous, aerobic work without the impact of running, and it asks a bit more of your legs, trunk and upper back. It is a good way to make your walking count for more. It is not a replacement for proper strength training, and the most common mistake is loading too much, too soon. Start light, keep the weight high and tight on your back, and build distance before you build load.
What rucking actually is
The word comes from the military, where soldiers march with a rucksack as part of training and selection. The civilian version is simpler: put weight in a sturdy backpack and walk. No running, no special technique, no timer unless you want one. You can do it on a pavement, a towpath or a woodland trail.
What makes it interesting is that it sits in a gap most people have. Walking is easy to fit into a day but, at a normal pace on the flat, it is gentle for anyone reasonably fit. Running is more demanding but not everyone’s knees, Achilles tendons or schedules like it. A loaded walk raises the effort without changing the movement much, so you get more training from the same hour.
What it trains, and what it does not
Carrying extra weight increases the energy cost of walking and pushes your heart rate up. On a hill it climbs quickly. For many people a brisk loaded walk lands in the moderate intensity range that the UK Chief Medical Officers’ physical activity guidelines recommend building up to across the week. Hills and a heavier pack can take it into vigorous territory.
It also loads your body in a useful, low-skill way. Your calves, quads and glutes do more on every step. The muscles around your trunk work to keep you upright against a weight that wants to pull you backwards. Your upper back and shoulders hold the pack in place for an hour. People often notice their posture under a pack is better than without one, simply because slouching with a load is uncomfortable.
What it does not do is build much strength or muscle once you adapt to it. The load is light relative to what your legs can lift, and the movement is the same thousands of times over. The guidelines ask for muscle-strengthening work on at least two days a week as a separate requirement, and a rucksack walk does not tick that box on its own. Think of rucking as better walking, not as a gym session in disguise.
How much weight to start with
A sensible starting point for most adults is somewhere around 10% of body weight, or less. If you have not walked much recently, start with a few kilograms and a route you already know. The pack should feel noticeable after twenty minutes, not punishing after five.
Progress one variable at a time, and only once a session feels comfortable the following day:
- Time first. Get to 45 to 60 minutes at your starting weight.
- Then terrain. Add hills or rougher paths before adding kilograms.
- Then weight. Add a couple of kilograms at a time and drop the duration back a little when you do.
- Pace last. A faster walk with load is hard on feet and shins. Let it come naturally.
Most people never need to go much beyond a fifth of their body weight for general fitness. Heavier loads are for specific goals, such as preparing for a long hike or a military fitness test, and they need a gradual build over weeks.
How to pack and wear the load
How the weight sits matters as much as how much it is. A loose load bounces, drags your shoulders back and rubs.
- Keep it high and close. Put the heaviest item at the top of the pack, against your back, roughly between the shoulder blades. Low, loose weight pulls you backwards and makes you lean forward at the hips to compensate.
- Make it solid. A weight plate wrapped in a towel, water bottles packed tightly, or bags of sand inside a dry bag. Nothing should shift when you walk.
- Use the straps. Shoulder straps snug, chest strap fastened, hip belt if the pack has one. A hip belt takes a good share of the load off the shoulders.
- Choose the bag carefully. A cheap daypack will fail at the seams with a plate inside. A sturdy rucksack or a purpose-made rucking pack is worth it if you do this weekly.
- Look after your feet. Walking shoes or trail shoes you already trust, and proper socks. New boots plus a new load is how blisters happen.
Backpack or weighted vest?
A vest spreads weight around the torso, front and back, which some people find more comfortable and easier on the shoulders. It also tends to cost more and runs warm. A backpack is cheaper, more flexible and more like what you would actually carry on a long walk. Either works. Pick the one you will use.
Rucking vs running
| Rucking | Running |
|---|---|
| Low impact: one foot always on the ground | Higher impact on every stride |
| Easy to talk, easy to do with a friend | Harder to chat at anything but an easy pace |
| Loads the upper back and trunk | Mostly lower body and cardiovascular |
| Slower to reach a high heart rate on the flat | Reaches higher intensities quickly |
| Adds spinal and foot load that needs building up | Adds tendon and joint load that needs building up |
Neither is better in general. If you enjoy running and it suits you, keep it. If running hurts or bores you, a loaded walk is a solid alternative for steady aerobic work. Do not run with a pack, though. The combination of impact and load is where most rucking injuries come from.
Where to ruck around Highgate
North London is well suited to it. The Parkland Walk follows the old railway line and gives you a long, mostly gentle surface away from traffic. Highgate Wood and Queen’s Wood offer softer ground and short, steep sections. Hampstead Heath has the climbs if you want them. Highgate Hill itself is a perfectly good test: walk it with a pack and you will understand why hills count double. If you want more ideas, our guide to running routes in Highgate works just as well at walking pace.
Common mistakes
- Starting with a heavy plate because it felt fine for the first ten minutes. The problems show up the next morning in the feet, lower back or the front of the shins.
- Rucking every day from week one. Two or three sessions a week is plenty while your feet and back adapt.
- Treating it as your only training. It complements strength work; it does not replace it.
- Leaning forward from the hips to “carry” the load. If you have to lean, the pack is too heavy or sitting too low.
Check with your GP first if you have a history of back problems, a heart condition, are pregnant, or are coming back from a long break or injury.
How it fits with strength training
The people who get the most from rucking are those who also lift. Stronger legs, a stronger back and a stronger grip make loaded walking easier and less likely to irritate anything. Exercises like the farmer’s walk, split squats and rows transfer directly. In the studio we build that base, then rucking becomes a useful extra on the days you are not with us. If you are wondering whether walking alone covers your needs, our piece on whether walking is enough exercise goes through what it covers and what it misses.
If you want help putting a week together around it, private personal training in Highgate is built for exactly that: a plan that fits your actual life, not a template.
Questions we get asked
How often should I ruck?
Two or three times a week is a good place to start. Leave a day between sessions while your feet and back get used to the load.
Is rucking bad for your back?
Not for most people with a sensible load worn well. Too much weight, worn low and loose, is what causes trouble. If you have existing back pain, speak to your GP or a physiotherapist first.
Does rucking help with fat loss?
It burns more energy than unloaded walking, which helps. Fat loss still depends mostly on what you eat across the week.
Can I ruck instead of going to the gym?
It covers some of your aerobic activity. It does not meet the guideline for muscle-strengthening work, so keep some strength training. See how 1-1 training at the studio works, or start at the homepage.
Book with The Highgate House
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