DISCLAIMER: I am not a physician, healthcare professional, or personal trainer. Consult with professionals before beginning any fitness program.
Load weight is the biggest risk factor when rucking. Studies suggest carrying loads equal to 10% of body weight (approximately 20lbs) is enough to significantly increase the risk of musculoskeletal injuries. Soldiers in the army routinely ruck with 80 to 50lbs. Subsequent declines in performance are acknowledged but, in a combat scenario, transporting such weight may be a realistic prospect. Research has determined four rucks per month to be the optimal frequency for soldiers’ efficiency and improvement. Additional marches are likely to negatively affect performance and increase the risk of foot, ankle and lower leg injuries.
ADAM SHERIFF, Common Rucking Injuries & How To Avoid Them
This quotation alone is enough to settle any debate about walking versus rucking. It also comes from an advocate for rucking as a fitness activity. I don't think rucking is worth the increased injury risk relative to plain vanilla walking. I think rucking is better than running when it comes to injuries, but it isn't better than walking. I can walk every single day versus the four times per month that you can ruck optimally according to the research.
The advice for preventing rucking injuries comes down to conditioning and equipment. You are advised to build up gradually with rucking. You are also advised to get expensive backpacks and special boots. I am a cheapskate, so I am not interested in activities that require special and expensive gear. Additionally, you will find many more websites and YouTube channels for rucking than for walking which fits with my thesis concerning products and activities. More gear produces more marketing and more media.
Rucking has a utilitarian argument that I will not dispute. It will condition you to carry loads for the military, hiking, or just lugging a backpack in your everyday life. I am a backpack guy except I don't carry the types of loads for the extended mileage that is common to rucking. I find that the easiest way to train for a thing is to actually do the thing you are training to do. This would be hiking or lugging books to class instead of rucking. You don't need to ruck with a 100 lb. load for 20 miles to be able to carry 20 lbs. of books from your car to your classroom. But if you are a "ground pounder" in the military, those rucks are vital necessities.
Simple walking is sufficient to improve health and fitness with a low risk of injury. If you want to increase the exercise, your best options are to walk more briskly and for greater distance. Some people add hills or walk treadmills set on an incline.
I will dig into the math of walking versus rucking using the Calories Burned Calculator. I cannot attest to the accuracy of the calculator, but it is what I have used to arrive at these figures. The Gentle Reader is now informed.
If a 150 lb. man walks at 3 mph for 1 hour, he will burn 208 calories. If you add 100 lbs. to that, he will burn 339 calories. 100 lbs. is a heavy load, but some people in the rucking community actually carry this load. Here's the thing. That 150 lb. man could eschew the rucksack and walk one additional hour to burn 415 calories. Walking further burns more calories than walking with heavier weight. Is saving that hour worth the injury risk of carrying the heavier load?
What happens when the 150 lb. man walks at 4 mph for an hour? He will burn 336 calories which is just 3 shy if he had lugged the 100 lb. rucksack at 3 mph for an hour. Walking faster gets it done without an increase in the risk of injury.
What is the takeaway from this? If you want to burn more calories, walk farther and walk faster. This is a better way than rucking. Naturally, you will hear claims that rucking burns 2 to 3 times more calories than walking. I think these claims are bogus. This would mean that 1 hour of rucking would be equal to 2 to 3 hours of walking. My calculator doesn't agree. But that bogus claim sells more product. The only way it would be legit is if you carried double or triple your current body weight. Who does this?
Rucking also makes the claim of enhancing strength. I tend to agree. What also enhances strength is dedicated strength training. I think exercising those areas you want to improve would be better than risking injuries with rucking. You may even want to do that strength training before you begin a rucking program.
I don't see rucking as being worth the increased injury risk. It's the same argument I make with running. If you can get the same results with less risk of injury, that's the way to go. Walking does that for you. As it stands, rucking with light weight isn't worth the time while rucking with heavy weight isn't worth the risk of injury.
UPDATE #1: I came across this video on YouTube about weighted walking:
I walked w/ a weighted vest for 30 days – what to avoid
I like videos where people experiment with things and give an honest appraisal of the experience. In this video, the presenter wore a 30 lb. weighted vest while walking. She seemed to enjoy it at first until the vest became painful and uncomfortable for her shoulders. Naturally, she blamed the vest and decided that a weighted belt would be better. I think going without additional weight is the better way to go. Just do plain vanilla walking and dedicated strength training.
UPDATE #2: The big injury area for runners are the knees. That pounding takes a toll. With rucking, the big injury area is the back. I see many discussions about back pain and injuries related to rucking. Rucking advocates stress weight distribution and better equipment which sounds like runners with their expensive shoes.
This was a helpful article:
Is Rucking Bad For Your Back
When I read articles like this, they remind me of the fine print in a contract. You usually find out the negatives after you have signed the paperwork. With rucking, shoulder pain and back pain are common. One of the recommendations was wearing a weight vest instead of a pack like the lady did in Update #1. The vest didn't do her any good.
Why risk these injuries? Rucking lost me at "compression nerve injury." Once again, save your back and just do plain vanilla walking.
