How to Progress your Rucking?

I even see the occasional Wild Gym Ruck out in the wild, which is extremely rewarding.

And lately, one question keeps popping up:

How do I progress my Rucking?

The simple answer is progressive overload.

Progressive overload just means giving your body a little more than it’s used to, then giving it enough time to recover, adapt, and come back stronger.

That’s how fitness works.

You stress the body.
You recover.
You adapt.
You get stronger.

And if you’re new to exercise, or getting back into it after some time off, you actually have an advantage.

Beginners can make a lot of progress quickly.

The more trained you become, the harder it is to squeeze out the next small gain.

I’m 40 now, getting close to 41, and I’m much more careful about avoiding injury and building performance longevity than trying to go a muerte in every physical pursuit.

It’s not that I don’t push hard.

I just save it for the right moments.

When I start a new training program, I take great care to slowly ramp up the intensity.

I want to overbuild the foundation so that when I do push harder, my body is ready.

This is why I encourage people new to rucking to slowly ramp up the weight.

Especially if you don’t already have a regular walking practice, start lighter and slowly increase your distance over time.

A great place to start:

10-20 pounds
20-30 minutes
3 times per week

If you’re already walking regularly, Rucking 3-5 times per week can be totally reasonable.

Just start with the same 10-20 pounds.

So when should you increase the weight?

Give yourself at least a month before making a significant jump.

Adding 5-10 pounds is usually reasonable.

Going from 10 pounds to 40 pounds in a month is where I’d be more cautious.

And remember:

You don’t always have to increase the weight.

You can Ruck farther.
You can Ruck faster.
You can Ruck more often.
You can Ruck on hills.
You can Ruck with better posture and more intention.

The key is to only increase one or two things at a time.

More weight, more speed, more distance, and more frequency all at once is usually how people get hurt.

And not every Ruck needs to be a “workout.”

Sometimes it feels good to just cruise outside with some weight on your back.

That counts.

There is a massive benefit to mellow Rucks, especially when they help you stay consistent.

You can approach Rucking like a running program and slowly build distance.

You can approach it like strength training and move through waves of heavier and lighter loading.

You can even mix it up, with some days heavy, some days light, some days fast, some days long.

The main point is this:

The same principles that make you stronger in the gym also apply to Rucking.

Start where you are.

Progress slowly.

Recover well.

Stay consistent.

If you want a simple way to put this into practice, join the 21 Day Outdoor Workout Challenge.

I also made a free 21 Day Workout Plan that combines Rucking, strength, mobility, and flexibility. You’ll get access when you join the challenge.

I hope to see you out there.

Have a wild weekend and ruck on!
-Dan, Wild Gym Founder