Rucking Prep

TB_Rays

TB_Rays

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Oct 22, 2019
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Given that there is nothing to do right now, I have been going on a lot of ruck marches. However, the dumbells I have been using have really not been to kind to my lower back. Anyone have any ideas for objects or things to use as weight to put in a backpack?
 
Get a thick mil plastic bag and put the desired amount of sand in it. Shape it like a pillow and wrap in duct tape at least twice. Of course you want it to fit in your pack. Note that you have granular control over the weight you want. This is what the Mids in DSs NROTC unit used when training for pre-BUDS.
 
Oder a weight vest to simulate a flak or nowadays a plate carrier and then weight up the pack like @kinnem recommends. Find hills, soft and hard terra, a rocky road, and hard ball (asphalt). Don't hurt yourself but if you hump on smooth surfaces only, the first time off the street you'll be hurting in places you didn't know you had.
 
Agree with above. There are a lot of creative ideas found using Google also.
 
At school I use what we affectionately call "sand babies." Fill a garbage bag with the desired amount of sand and wrap it in duct tape.
 
If you're willing to spend...there's a company called GoRuck that specializes in exercise/everyday use rucks. They also sell plates and sand bags. I personally don't own one, but have seen one in person, and they do look well made.
 
Excellent advice already posted. Additionally, don’t start out on a ten mile ruck. Work up gradually to train your body without injuring it. Blisters take time to heal and will slow your progress. Make necessary footwear and ruck adjustments as needed. Then gradually mix up the mileage and terrain.
 
Place the weight higher on your back. If you look at the inside of an ALICE pack (buy one from ebay), you will see the inside compartment for the radio - put your weight there. The higher on the back the weights are, the less they beat the hell out of your ass. I've humped a PRC-77 (old timers radio) and four 81mm WP rounds in Panama, trust me the higher the weight is from you fourth point of contact, the better it will feel - if there is such a thing as "feeling better" when rucking.
 
Montana State Army ROTC said:
Ruck properly- don’t run, increase weight and speed slowly. Wear the waist belt. Don't run. Did I mention not running? Do it properly and your body will be thankful
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Ruck properly and you won't risk injury which will delay contracting.

I applaud your enthusiasm and dedication, but remember, you aren't qualifying to become a Delta Ranger SEAL. You're qualifying to become a Cadet.
 
Rucking as prep isn't necessary. Your unit will prepare you to ruck properly and allow for increasing loads over time. If you want to be a rucking stud, work on it over the summer or spare time after you've been properly trained. Just one man's two cents.
 
I remember when I hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back up in one day there was a guy rucking a load of rocks for practice. I thought he had rocks in his head.
 
Montana State Army ROTC said:
Ruck properly- don’t run, increase weight and speed slowly. Wear the waist belt. Don't run. Did I mention not running? Do it properly and your body will be thankful
Click to expand...

This is very good advice. My DD is an athlete and in pretty top shape when she first started rucking but she didn't want to seem like a slacker so started with the max rucking weight from the get-go and also rucked at a pretty brisk pace. Didn't help that although she is strong, she's very petite. This was a mistake as it stressed her back and hips and it took her quite a while to heal and get back to normal - it negatively affected her performance in sports so she had to take some time off that.
 
kinnem said:
Rucking as prep isn't necessary. Your unit will prepare you to ruck properly and allow for increasing loads over time. If you want to be a rucking stud, work on it over the summer or spare time after you've been properly trained. Just one man's two cents.
Click to expand...
I was fortunate enough to have someone who has been rucking as a profession (11B) to show me the way to do things without hurting myself. My feet paid the price though.
 
How much weight and for how far is required? Last month took a handful of teens on a 28 mile, 3 day backpacking trip. Quite a bit of hills and rocks. We each carried about 20% of our body weight. Just want to compare. But also, would much rather go backpacking than carrying around sand...
 
The air assault standard is 12 miles in three hours with 35lb to give you a single point of reference, but Infantry types routinely have much heavier rucks in training and operationally. There’s some interesting studies that have looked at how much stuff carried has grown from war to war based on advances in body armor, crew serve weapons, and radios
 


Agree with @Casey - USMC Infantry carries much heavier loads. I have attached two source documents for examples. I am not sure what the USMC standard is now but it is way too heavy and getting worse with batteries, etc. As @Casey notes, there are a lot of good studies on the subject.

For anyone just starting, I wouldn't suggest getting anywhere near these weights. Learn to carry a load and move quickly over various terrain. Additional weight can be added as you progress in your military career. Learn how to pack, how to carry a load, how to take care of your feet. These are much more important than maxing the load.
 
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