Let's Get Rucking!

What is Rucking?

Rucking is walking with weight on your back (usually in a backpack).

It's what militaries worldwide have used for centuries to enhance the fitness of soldiers.

The exceptional benefits are not just for young, muscular men. I'm talking to you ladies... all of us over fifty! Rucking can be a game-changer for health and fitness levels as we age, but it is especially beneficial for women, as rucking is often lacking in our daily routines.

As humans, we're built to walk and designed to carry a load.

An average human can carry thirty percent of their body weight and maintain a more efficient walk than primates or most other creatures.

God designed us to perform these two tasks (walking and carrying a load) efficiently.

The Benefits of Rucking

Because we're designed to walk and carry the load, our bodies benefit tremendously when we do what God designed us to do!

We can see benefits like:

• Improved muscle strength and tone

• Increased bone density

• Better endurance

• Improved posture

• Refined Balance

• Increased Cardio

• Reduced Body Fat

• Increased Endorphins, joy, and happiness from a good workout

  
  

GoRuck

• GoRuck's challenges were our inspiration to create our own challenges.

• We love choosing one of their rucking challenges, earning the patch, and adding it to our backpacks!

• We encourage you to do the same. Check out GoRuck's challenges (and awesome patches) HERE.

• GoRuck also makes backpacks specifically designed for carrying weight.

• Of course (especially when starting), any backpack may work. But as you get more proficient and increase your loaded weight, we encourage you to consider a GoRuck backpack. We have no affiliation with GoRuck, but we appreciate excellent quality gear when we find it!

Before You Begin

• As with anything, I must tell you to check with your medical professional before making any changes to your life.

• If rucking is new to you, begin with walking. Start slowly and with comfortably short distances, and increase them gradually over time.

• Walk three times per week for at least 20 minutes each time.

• Once you're comfortable, choose a backpack and wear it while walking (with nothing in it).

• From there, slowly increase your weight. This can be as simple as adding one pound of weight to your backpack and incrementally increasing the weight (one pound at a time) until you feel steady, strong, and confident with the current weight before increasing it further.

• Live to train another day! It's better to accomplish a slightly lighter weight on a more accessible trail than to overdo it, get injured, or require time to heal before you can work out again. Slowly increasing the weight in your backpack can bring fabulous, long-term results.

• Safety first!

  
  

Monastery Rucking Challenges

Monastery Rucking Guidelines

• To earn a Monastery patch, you must complete the specific ruck described for that patch.

• Carry a minimum of ten percent of your body weight during every ruck (unless otherwise noted). (An excellent, long-term goal might be thirty percent or more of your body weight.)

• Unless otherwise noted, the minimum distance to cover is one mile per ruck.

• We're using the honor system, so we trust that if you're purchasing a patch, you've completed the ruck (or intend to complete it soon).

Get Ruckin'

• Choose your backpack; feel free to use anything you already have.

• Select your rucking shoes and attire based on the weather conditions.

• Load your pack with at least five percent of your body weight.

• Minimum Distance: Walk with your weighted load for at least one mile—on the terrain of your choice.

• Minimum Duration: Repeat this ruck three times in two weeks!

Burnside Burner Ruck

• This is a location-specific ruck in Portland, Oregon, USA.

• It's ALL STAIRS (hence the burn)!

• Begin at the top, at the Memorial. Walk down the stairs until you reach the uneven stairs at the bottom (the slow walk down is your warmup, and it improves your eccentric strength). Now, ruck back to the top!

• The minimum distance is once down (for your warm-up) and once back up.

Snow Ruck

• Yep, you guessed it, ruck in the snow!

• Minimum of three inches of snow (unless your area only gets a little snow, then do it on a "heavy" snow day).

• Minimum Distance: three miles.

• Distance may be completed in multiple sessions (for example, three sessions of one mile each).

Purchase Your Embroidered Monastery Patch

• Download the specific design below.

• Order your patch HERE (minimum of two patches per order).

• Choose the number of patches, and click "4 inches or less" for the size.

• Upload the design.

• Add the following to the box when ordering:

  • "Standard Size for USA, 3 inches wide, 2 inches high, velcro back"

• Note: Please allow approximately one month for delivery of these custom patches, so feel free to order early.

Let's See Your Monastery Patch!

We'd love to see your patch! If you've completed one of our ruck challenges and got a patch, send us a photo so we can celebrate with you and share it here.

Conclusion

Find a pace and weight that works for you. Try adding a partner or group of friends to join the fun!

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You are responsible for your health. Please make any decision regarding your health only after thorough research, sincere prayer, and careful consideration regarding your specific illness, injury, or level of health and while consulting a medical professional in that area of expertise. May you be blessed as you walk your journey to true health.

I, Lori Grimmett, and this website do not claim to provide, and I do not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatments. There are no claims that any of this is a cure for cancer or any other illness (because that would be illegal in the US). The function of this information is to share my personal experience for entertainment use only. The statements made here are my personal opinions. You should not use this information in place of professional medical care.

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