144: What’s All the Rucking Commotion? Fad or Function?

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Rucking, the practice of walking with a weighted backpack, offers significant health benefits when incorporated responsibly into a balanced fitness routine. We examine how this military-inspired training method builds functional strength and mental resilience while potentially supporting bone density and metabolic health.

• Originated in military training and has gained popularity in civilian fitness communities
• Provides combined strength and cardio benefits in a single, accessible activity
• Requires careful progression starting with only 5-10% of body weight for 15-20 minutes
• Builds functional strength in glutes, hamstrings, core, and posture muscles
• Can cause joint stress, back issues, and nervous system burnout if approached incorrectly
• Should be complemented with proper recovery practices including quality sleep
• Benefits from structural alignment checks before adding weight
• Works best as part of a comprehensive health strategy that includes nutrition support
• Requires monitoring biofeedback signals like HRV to prevent overtraining

Schedule a free 20-minute high-performance strategy call or explore our precision at-home functional health tests through the links in our show notes. Train smart and recover smarter to keep breaking boundaries.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
You've seen the posts weighted backpacks, marching
through neighborhoods, trailsand even grocery store aisles.
It's called rucking and it'sgaining traction fast.
But is it just another fitnessfad or a smart way to
supercharge your health and yourlongevity?
Today we're breaking it downwith science, experience and a

(00:22):
dose of common sense.
Let's go.
Science, experience and a doseof common sense, let's go.
Hello, I'm Jeffrey Mort.
If you're like mostentrepreneurs, you're busy
taking care of business, yetwho's taking care of you?
If you're ready to take yourenergy and performance to the
next level in your life and yourbusiness, then this podcast is
for you, because today you'regoing to start breaking

(00:42):
boundaries of your mind, bodyand business with integrative
health, and when you do that,your possibilities are limitless
.
I'm grateful you're here yes,always grateful for you joining
me here on the BreakingBoundaries podcast.
Make sure you subscribe so youdon't miss out on all the action
.

(01:03):
So what's all the ruckingcommotion about?
You've probably seen it onlinefriends or influencers strapping
on weighted packs and walkingfor miles.
Well, on the surface it lookssimple enough, right, grab a
backpack, add some weight and gofor a walk.
And, honestly, that simplicityis one reason it's become so

(01:26):
popular.
But, as with any trendingfitness or health fad going on,
especially in the world ofhigh-performance health, we have
to ask is this just a gimmickor is there actual science
behind it?
And, most importantly, is itright for you?
Now, honestly, I'll becompletely straight with you.

(01:50):
I've tried rucking and, assomeone who's always looking for
ways to optimize movementconditioning and real world
resilience, of course it had itsappeal.
But here's the truth.
I didn't just throw on a heavypack and hit the trails for five
miles.
I knew better because, likemany of you, I've learned the

(02:12):
hard way what happens when weskip the on-ramp.
And, as you know my story backin 2022, during my recovery from
long COVID and CIRS, my centralnervous system was absolutely
fried, my muscles were weak andeven a short walk felt like a

(02:33):
marathon.
It took graduated programprogramming, our graduated
exercise program and data-drivenrest cycles and a balance of
movement that required differenttypes of movement to be able to
rebuild, and some of that wasTai Chi, some of that was Qigong

(02:56):
, some of that was yoga, some ofthat was just complete
stillness, and that's whytoday's conversation isn't just
about rucking.
It's about how to integrate itresponsibly into a well-rounded,
high-performance healthprotocol.
So you know.
Let's get into it.
What is rucking?
Why is it so popular?

(03:17):
Well, of course, rucking ifyou're not aware that originated
with the military Soldierscarrying weighted packs for
miles to build endurance,strength and mental toughness.
Now, in the civilian world,it's become a grassroots
movement, accessible.
All you need is a backpack andsome weight, efficient, strength

(03:40):
and cardio and mental grit allwrapped into one, and then
community-driven.
There's groups that are rucking, there's groups that are
rucking.
There's online challenges forrucking, but the key is this
what works for a trained soldierdoesn't always work for an
overworked executive or weekendwarrior.
Now let's get into the pros ofrucking.

(04:01):
That means, when it's doneright, functional strength.
This engages the glutes, thehamstrings, the core and the
posture muscles, and we're goingto talk a little bit more about
posture in just a few minutes.
It also helps with bone density.
This is super important.
Weight-bearing exercisepromotes stronger bones,

(04:24):
especially important after theage of 40.
And it also is low-impactconditioning.
It can be easier on the jointsthan running and it creates a
mental resilience.
This builds mental stamina andgrit.
And then, of course, there'sthe caloric burn.
It boosts metabolism withouthigh-intensity spikes that

(04:46):
overtax that central nervoussystem.
Now you might be wondering whatare the risks of rucking?
This is, when it's doneimproperly Well, poor
progression.
So jumping into heavy ruckingtoo soon leads to joint stress,
lower back issues and adrenalfatigue.
And then there's overtraining,especially when combined with an

(05:09):
already stressed system orintense training, and we're
going to talk a little bit abouthow to know if your system is
overstressed.
Then there's the centralnervous system burnout.
If you're already living infight or flight, this type of
stressor can tip you intoburnout.
And then it can also causesleep disruption.

(05:29):
Overdoing it late in the daycan spike cortisol.
Now, this is a stressor, soit's going to spike cortisol and
it can disrupt your diurnalrhythm, meaning your circadian
rhythm, your natural rhythm withthe earth.
And we want that cortisolelevated in the morning, not at
night, or I should say optimized, not really elevated.

(05:49):
So let's get into the scienceof smart training.
This is where balance beatsbravado.
Rucking isn't bad, don't get mewrong.
In fact, it can be great, butit must be part of a broader,
more intentional strategy thatincludes things like graduated
load and duration.
What does that look like?

(06:10):
It looks like starting with 5to 10% of your body weight.
So a 200 pound individual wouldonly want to start with 20
pounds added and then begin withjust 15 or 20 minutes.
You don't want to go throwing40 pounds in the backpack and
walking for an hour your veryfirst time.

(06:31):
15 or 20 minutes max is allthat you need and then increase
weight and time gradually neverboth at once.
So you would increase theweight gradually and then
increase the time graduallynever both at once.
So you would increase theweight gradually and then
increase the time gradually.
Now, strength training.
This focuses on posterior chain.
What is that?
Those are your glutes, that'sbasically your butt muscles, and

(06:54):
then your hamstrings, the backof your legs and your lats.
That would be your back, thetop of your legs, and your lats,
that would be your back, thetop of your back.
These are your rucking powermuscles.
Daily walking, without weight.
Use walking as recovery, notpunishment.
So the rucking would be theexercise, the walking would be
the recovery, and then true restand recovery If your heart rate

(07:16):
variability is trending down.

(07:42):
No-transcript, it's calledWelltory I'm just on the free
version of it, but it's veryinteresting and they give you
some great tips and it also letsme know if you know I didn't

(08:02):
get a good night's sleep.
It lets me know before myworkout that I should really
take it easy, or if I got agreat night's sleep that I can
go, you know, a little deeperinto my workout.
And then, of course, nervoussystem regulation.
We want to use functionaltesting like the stress mood
metabolism test, for instance,to check cortisol levels to
ensure that our adrenals canhandle this level of an upgrade

(08:28):
in our graduated exerciseprogram.
Now, of course, I want to giveyou an actionable plan.
This is so you can build yourrecovery-focused movement
blueprint.
Number one assess, before youstress, things like the minerals
and metals test.
This is where we use a piece ofsoft tissue from the hair.

(08:49):
It's just a basic snippet ofhair that can use soft tissue to
let us know the amount ofstress the body is under, how
the body is responding to thatstress, as well as something
like the organic acids test,which is a urine-based test to
look for nutrient deficienciesthat impact energy production
and muscular recovery.

(09:10):
Number two you want to trackthat biofeedback.
So back to the tech devicesmonitoring morning heart rate,
heart rate variability, sleepquality and, of course, your
mood.
Now, you don't need a techdevice to monitor your mood, you
know, but if you wake upaggravated and just feeling
depleted that you know.

(09:31):
Maybe you shouldn't be pushingyourself to the limits that
particular day.
These are your body's dashboardreadings so that you can really
understand where you're at at aglance.
Number three fuel intelligently.
We want to use real food.
Of course, we want to staymineralized and then add in

(09:52):
adaptogens if adrenal support isneeded.
And how are you going to knowthat You're going to know if
adrenal support is needed?
And how are you going to knowthat You're going to know if
adrenal support's needed throughthe functional testing, like
the minerals and metals test orthe organic acids test or the
stress mood metabolism test willtell you how your adrenals are
looking as well.
Number four recover like a pro.

(10:13):
So active recovery days, thingslike sauna.
Recover like a pro.
So active recovery days, thingslike sauna, limited cold
exposure or qigong or tai chi.
And don't underestimate deepsleep.
Deep sleep can be your recoverymechanism.
Remember your body adaptsthrough rest, not repetitions.
And then, number five this isvery important Struct,

(10:34):
structural alignment Before andafter check-ins with a trained
chiropractor and a massagetherapist is highly recommended.
If you have the luxury of havinga hybrid person that is, a
muscle and bone specialist.
That's a two for one rightthere.
You know, if you have subluxedspinal discs, meaning they are

(10:54):
out of alignment and you'readding weight to your structure,
this could be a recipe fornerve damage, either temporary
or permanent.
So we want to make sure thatthings are in alignment before
you go strapping weight to yourbody and, you know, going on a
ruck, basically.
So, closing thought, here's thebottom line.
Rucking is not the problem.

(11:15):
The lack of strategy behindrucking is the problem.
When paired with ahigh-performance protocol that
balances movement, rest,nutrition, nervous system
recovery, rucking can absolutelybe a powerful tool, but don't
use it to prove your toughness.
Use it to build your longevity.
If you want help building yourpersonalized movement protocol,

(11:38):
you can schedule a free20-minute high-performance
strategy.
Call with me right there in theshow notes, and if you're
curious about where youradrenals, your minerals, your
mitochondria stand, let's testand not guess.
You can check out Precisionat-home functional health tests
that we offer, linked right inthe show notes.
And remember to train smart andrecover smarter and keep

(12:01):
breaking those boundaries.
Bye-bye everybody.