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Three Rules for Adding Weight to Your Backpack That Will Maximize the Benefits of Your Exercise
Aug
Walking is a great exercise to keep your physical and mental health in check. But if you want to boost your daily walks, you can try rucking.
Rucking is a military term used to describe march or hike with a load. This is typically done using a weighted backpack or vest. It’s an incredibly versatile exercise, meaning you can do it almost anywhere. You can also adjust the length of your walk, the amount of weight you carry, and even where you walk (e.g., on flat ground or hiking trails) based on your fitness level.
Rucking combines strength training and aerobic exercise, meaning it can provide plenty of benefits for both. physical
AND sanity – especially if it’s outside. Here are some of the benefits of rucking.
Helps control body weight
Studies on walking and running with a weighted vest (which has a similar effect to a weighted backpack) show that carrying extra weight while walking uses more energy. This may result in burning more calories than normal walking.
The amount of extra calories you burn while backpacking versus walking will vary based on a number of factors – including your fitness level, age, and how much weight you’re carrying. Sources typically indicate that the calorie expenditure is much bigger compared to other activities such as walking. There are also online tools which will facilitate you calculate how many calories you can burn while backpacking.
This can be especially beneficial for people caring for their children. Libra or wanting to improve their overall physical fitness.
Better mental well-being
One of the unique things about rucking is that it usually takes place outdoors.
Studies show that outdoor exercise can have a profound effect on mental well-being. While it is unclear why green exercise has this effect, evidence suggests a reduction stress through connection with nature. This can facilitate reduce the feeling anxiety, depression and even fatigue.
Read more: Ecotherapy aims to exploit nature to improve well-being
I’m taking a friend may further escalate its mental health benefits – with the added benefit of lowering blood pressure.
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Builds stronger bones
Studies on weighted vests show that they can promote and protect bone health by increasing bone mineral density – especially in places where fractures occur frequently, such as knees, ankles and hips.
Improving bone mineral density can make everyday activities (such as carrying groceries) easier. It can also improve balancewhich reduces the risk of falls, especially in later life.
This aspect of rucking can be especially crucial for older people. Because bone density decreases with ageits behavior is crucial to reduce age-related fractures and falls.
Aerobic exercise alone may not be enough to preserve bone density, but a combination of aerobic and strength training can facilitate promote healthy bone growthThis is why backpacking can be beneficial.
Before you start
Like any exercise, rucking isn’t without its risks—especially at first. Because the exercise combines extra weight with often uneven terrain to hike, it can also make it riskier than other workouts.
Studies have shown that among soldiers, this may result in in case of back pain, stress fractures of the lower body parts (e.g. shin splints), blisters and knee pain.
This is likely due to the way your posture changes during running and walking when additional weight is introduced. For example, hiking with a loaded backpack has been shown to increase torso tiltchanges your normal step and increases the amount the knee must bend while walking and running.
Each of these elements alone would not normally pose a risk. But when you add the fatigue of thousands of steps, you may be at greater risk of injury. Fortunately, these injuries are less common during walking and hiking than while running with weight – escalate the pace only when you are ready.
If you want to try your hand at backpacking but still want to avoid injury, here are a few things to keep in mind.
1. Add load gradually
Some studies recommend carrying only a load that 30% of body weight. Others, however, reported that participants felt discomfort while wearing 20% of body weight during exercise lasting longer than an hour.
To avoid this at first, wear a backpack that weighs only 5-10% of your body weight. For someone who weighs 70 kg, this would mean carrying around 3.5-7 kg in your backpack.
You should also gradually escalate the distance before adding weight to the bag. This way, you will still get the benefits of rucking, but the risk of injury and discomfort will be lower.
2. Let’s keep it miniature
A survey conducted among female hikers showed that many of them have experience negative muscle changes(especially in the muscles that support movement, such as the knees) after just 2 km of walking. Therefore, it is best to plan a miniature route for the first few times and gradually escalate it.
Anton Starikov / Shutterstock
The same can be said for frequency. Too many rucking sessions too soon can lead to fatigue and overuse injuries. Start with one to two sessions per week, working up to that frequency eventually. recommended 300 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week.
3. Choose the right set
When choosing a backpack or travel bag, you should prioritize options with adequate padding and proper weight distribution.
To make choosing a pack easier, many companies have even designed specialized packs with weighted plates or sandbags. You can also exploit a standard hiking pack with a hydration reservoir and adjust the amount of fluid in the pack. You can also exploit items you have on hand at home to make a well-padded and supportive pack—like cans or bags of rice.
As with any novel training regime, it is always advisable to consult your GP to see if it is right for you. However, following these guidelines should ensure you can try rucking with confidence and minimal risk of injury.
