Alice.

I personally went through one of the worst times in my life and somehow stumbled upon rucking. It has become almost spiritual to me now. Being outside carrying the weight and pushing myself is the best medicine ever. I have lost over 50 lbs, no longer need my anxiety or antidepressant medications. So stopping for me is not an option. It’s life!

I was going to be walking with my hyperactive dog anyway, so I figured I may as well load up on some weight and burn a few extra calories while I was at it. She passed away in December, and it hasn't been the same since. I'm still rucking regularly, but now it's every few days, and not 3x/day.

Very cool rig.

I got a good deal on Goruck some time ago. I prefer the fit and design (how it carries weight on my body).

Goruck does not come with an external bottle holder unless you buy and attach one. Seems a bit stupid.

Goruck is not cheap and the weight plates are crazy expensive. Well made and with a really good paint to avoid rust and such. But if you don’t need that, yes4all is much more cost effective.

But I’m still glad I went with their pack. Overbuilt (important with serious weight) and carries serious weight well (a bunch of good design choices. Mine is a Rucker 4–presumably they have learned a lot over time).

For moderate weight, my reasons might matter less. And the cost is high.

I have a 1 hour each way commute. I started rucking that. No motivation needed, just a heavier backpack while I travel as I would anyway.

I got invited by my therapist to join him and a group of guys on Saturday mornings. We meet up at 6:00 am, do three or four miles, have some good conversation and fellowship and prayer when we're done. I've been doing it for about six months now and I can honestly say it has changed my life. This past weekend we had some guys do tlgour miles, some did eight , a few did twelve and a few stayed and did sixteen. Doing sixteen kinda sucked honestly but we did it together and it felt great to accomplish that. I would have never considered doing that on my own. So I do it more for the brotherhood that we have but also the exercise is great. I've lost over 20 lbs and I feel better than I have in years.

I got the feather ruck bundle and I'm really enjoying it. I'm a newbie to rucking so the 30# bundle (one 10 and one 20) was all i need. You can fit both at once in the feather for anyone wondering.

LoL, could happen here! They do allow dogs

THat's good work, but ll I can see in my head now is that English guy trying to control his dog. "FEEEEENTOOOOOOON! JESUS CHRIST!!"

I'm no beginner man, I know, but thanks for the concern.

Already had a walking habit in place with a walking partner, so rucking just means making a choice to pick up the pack. So in that case it’s pretty easy.

But, since I got off easy on the question, I’ll tell you what works for me on habits that are not as easy to add. I’ve found three useful tricks:

1. Start with a ridiculously small starting point.

I know someone who was into running and the rule was you had to put on running clothes and shoes and go out to the corner. If you didn’t feel like going after that, you were free to go back home. This stuck with me and I try to set a bar so low that it takes under 5 minutes. You know you sound like a fool if you “can’t” take 3 minutes.

So I always start with an insanely low bar, generally like “do one repetition.” Once I’ve gotten to the starting line, it’s usually enough. And, if it’s not, there is probably a reason I should genuinely take a day off.

1. Tie the habit to something I already do anyway.

The easiest one is getting up in the morning. I’m a night owl but, even so, I tie my priority habit to getting it done first thing.

But you can tie it to anything you do regularly. “I won’t eat breakfast until I have done X.” Or “I always do Y first thing when I get home from work” (probably NOT a good choice if you are currently raising kids). Naturally for Rucking, “I take my pack when I walk the dog” is a good one. 😂

1. Find someone who is interested in the same commitment and do it together on a regular schedule.

As ridiculous as this sounds coming from a night owl, I have persuaded more than one otherwise willing exercise partner to get up and started by 6am and it worked for years until one of us moved to another state in each case. The persuasive argument always boiled down to a variation of: there is no other time we can both commit to every day because of…(family commitments, work, etc). I have generally had to suggest the idea first and have a few follow up conversations before getting the commitment (it is a big ask), but it has worked out great.

I look forward to hearing more of what has worked for others.

When I set my daily goal of 13k steps, this became a way for me to get half the steps in, walk the pup, get zone 2 first thing in the day and get my head right with audiobooks or podcasts. It has become a habit and the difficult part is taking a day off

It me

My approach isn’t the same as most here. I walk to the gym every other workout. So basically there are three opportunities to ruck to and from the gym. On the way there, it serves as a warmup. On the way home it’s either just a cool down or I walk the hills on the other side of the river to lengthen the time. The walks range from 20 minute to 90 minute segments. It depends on what I’m hitting at the gym, the fatigue level of my core and lower body. I’ll still generally do a bike or incline treadmill or heavy carry cardio as well on non-leg days.

Well i had no idea who I was talking to or how much you did or didn't know. Most strap hangers/wannabe's or even just enthusiasts who aren't actual mil types understand terms like "ODA", "squadron" etc when it comes to spec ops.

And FWIW... I have never once embellished anything I've ever done or gone through. Ever. I don't see the honor in it, and would get no satisfaction from it. Never understood people who do, or the stolen valor people. That brings that weird-ass tik-tok guy..."Malibu Max Fitness" or something of another... to mind. Told everyone who would listen he was IED'd in the face. (to explain his obvious but shitty plastic surgery indicators, I guess, but who knows). But apparently, he was never injured in any type of combat at all. I don't get people like that.

After time in group, I got into the PSD game in Iraq, and worked on 2 different contracts; I was in TC's 3rd training class, before they even had a facility, and switched over to supporting GRS a year or so later. (And yes, I eventually did attend and pass the actual TDC course that all GRS personnel are required to pass. Not trying to be sketchy with words, lol) I crack up when I hear guys who were over there with the likes of Blackwater and I'd hear them somewhere going "yeah, I can't reveal where we operated. Classified!". Lol, STFU you were a window licker in the trail suburban in a DoS convoy, and it was years ago. I promise you're not divulging national secrets; No one cares."

I have read up on various things more recently, but rucking isn't one if them, as it's not a full time thing or effort for me. Other types of metcon training, or resistance training? VO2 max conditioning? Sure. I find it interesting, and so I'm far more up to date on current best practices. Especially plantar fasciitis. After my last few visits to medical professionals resulted in nothing more than the proverbial "wear cushy shoes, stretch the foot, cortisone shots and here, try this goofy ass sock at night"... I started down my own rabbit holes, resulting in various explanations, techniques and practices I had never been presented with before. And... my PF is now fully under control; pretty much non-existent.

Point being, my ideas about rucking aren't from any conventional wisdom I learned, either. As a matter of fact, I can't recall ever being coached on how to safely and effectively train. It was "Go. Fast." And for years, that's what I did. Since then, I've developed what works for me and keeps my joints healthy. I know what has tweaked things and what hasn't. Same with resistance training. What I do is counter to what many gym bros will tell you. But... it works well. For me. And I have no doubt it would be effective for others. But debating with gym bros is not something I ever waste time on. In fact, I'm astounded at how many people still train according to 30yr old information. It's not that it doesn't work for them. But they will correct people with more current information. I... did not correct anything. Just said "All I know is what I know".

So while I don't think I parrot "old news"... I am absolutely an old dude. And while I was blessed with a problem-free frame far beyond many others whose knees and hips starting giving out years ago... I'm now also increasingly victim to the creaks. A proper warm up is literally it's own full phase 1 of any workout now lol. So my best practices will involve a slower progression of stress on the frame. You get faster, and stronger... but it takes more time. But I only speak on what I know via experience.

I guess i could have saved a lot of time by just including the caveat "this works for me, your mileage may vary." And fuck younger guys anyway, with their lubricated joints and capable ligaments and shit.

GOod work on the stolen valor thing. Personally, it doesn't stress me out so much. I just roll my eyes. But I like when dipshits get called out, and I'm glad it was made a crime, even if only a light one. So good on you for standing at the gate.

Peace.

"the best exercise is the one you'll actually do"

• someone much cleverer than me.

Thank you!

Great job!!

For me I would say there’s just something genetic that gets triggered that makes me want to put some weight on my back and go on a jaunt. I don’t feel mentally complete if I don’t get my miles in for the week so it becomes a non negotiable.

Thank you for sharing this! Glad you had success with everything!

I started using it to listen to audiobooks and I also started rucking with a group of guys from my local F3 region

When I started rucking I was using the 5.11 rush 12. That lasted about 4 months, then I purchased the GoRuck 5.0 and it’s a night and day difference. Keep the GoRuck pack

That's a great way to do it.

I walk my dog a couple miles each morning. I wanted to be efficient with my time and push myself a bit more.

The dog kinda goes his pace, so I could adjust the weight I carry more easily that I could change his pace.