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Rucking, or moving with a weighted backpack, is a great functional exercise for building strength and stability while getting slimmer.Thanks to Ten Thousand
Rucking, or wearing a weighted backpack, can help build lean muscle, said a former Navy SEAL.
Rucking workouts help develop versatile athleticism and mental toughness to take on any challenge.
To get the most out of rucking, start with a lighter weight and don’t overdo the intensity.
If you want to get leaner, stronger and tougher in a single workout, put some weight on your back and get going, according to a former Navy SEAL.
Walking, hiking or running with a weighted backpack is known as rucking. It’s a tough workout that can help you build endurance while also building musclesaid Michael O’Dowd, tactical expert for the fitness brand Ten thousand with nine years of experience as a SEAL.
“Rucking doesn’t make you skinny, you build muscle while losing fat. It allows you to run without losing muscle,” he told Insider.
While rucking is a go-to exercise for military fitness, you don’t have to be a SEAL to try it. Start with just a few pounds — less than 10 is good for beginners — and work your way up to get the benefits of better stamina and strength at home.
Rucking combines the benefits of strength training with cardio
Unlike gym sessions that have a controlled environment and specific focus, rucking makes your body adapt to the environment, says O’Dowd.
Your body has to tap into the muscles of your core, back and legs to move the weight.
It provides the cardiovascular benefits of aerobic exercise, along with resistance training to make you stronger and more muscular at the same time, he said.
For him and other members of elite military teams, versatile fitness is key – his typical routine includes walking, swimming, carrying heavy loads such as rucking and mixed martial arts (MMA) training. That’s true Ten thousand gear stands out because it’s designed to be usable for tough exercise in rough conditions, he said of the brand he’s partnered with. For him, the tactical shorts, developed with insight from members of the US Special Operations Forces, come in handy as they can withstand the sheer variety of physical challenges he takes on.
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“We don’t know what’s going to hold the track, whether it’s mountain climbing or miles of swimming,” said O’Dowd. “This one pair of shorts does everything I do, and I don’t have another pair of shorts like this.”
Rucking requires your body to adapt to harsh environments. Former Navy SEAL Michael O’Dowd teams up with fitness brand Ten Thousand, which develops gear like these utility shorts for versatile workouts.Thanks to Ten Thousand
You can build mental toughness by jerking
In addition to boosting muscle growth and overall endurance, according to O’Dowd, rucking has great mental benefits for developing perseverance in the face of adversity.
“Rucking is probably one of the toughest workouts in the world. It’s brutal. From step one there’s a mental toughness component,” he said.
Carry weight forces you to stay focused and make the conscious decision to keep moving, even when it’s uncomfortable, unlike a typical gym session where it’s much easier to catch your breath and scroll on your phone between sets .
O’Dowd said the ability to persevere in challenging situations is a key focus of the notoriously difficult course known as Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL training, or BUD/S.
He said that during his experience of the most infamous part of the training called “Hell week“, a simple task led many recruits to give up. The severely sleep-deprived trainees were asked to complete a four-mile run, which many of them tried to run as fast as possible. Instructors waiting at the finish told however, it immediately prompted them to repeat the exercise, and many chose to stop on the spot rather than attempt the seemingly impossible task of going even faster while exhausted.
O’Dowd was also overwhelmed with fatigue, but had an epiphany that he didn’t have to complete the run at his fastest pace ever – he just had to stick with it. That mindset got him through SEAL training, and you can practice it in a rucking workout by focusing on step by step.
“Who cares how fast you go, the mission is just to go,” he said.
How to safely try a jerk workout – start light and go slow
Everyone can benefit from incorporating rucking workouts into their fitness routine, O’Dowd said.
However, to avoid injuries and excessive fatigue, it is best to start with a small weight. Even 10 pounds can be “quite brutal,” he said.
While you can buy a specialized backpack, you can also pack a few books or water bottles into a sturdy backpack to get started.
Try to ensure that the load is distributed as evenly as possible and firmly attached to your body. Then avoid the common mistake of leaning too far forward to compensate for the weight, and keep your hips tucked under you, according to O’Dowd.
And messing around too much can be stressful for your body, so pick it up once or twice a week so you have plenty of time to rest between sessions.
If you’re new to fitness in general, you may want to build a solid foundation running routine or even start walking regularly before you mess around, according to O’Dowd.
“No one has to start with a crazy workout, it’s the routine part you need,” he said. “Take a walk, build up to a run, add some weight, add some Imprints.”
Read the original article Insider
