If you’ve never tried “rucking,” which involves wearing a weighted “backpack” or backpack while walking and hiking, it’s a great way to take your usual cardio routine to the next level. superior. In fact, people are ditching regular walks for moving around to build strength and totally transform their bodies. However, any workout can be optimized to burn even more calories, so we consulted fitness professionals who share the best tips for maximizing your calorie burn while walking.
Before we dive in, let’s talk a little about the benefits of rucking and what it entails. Walking is associated with several amazing health benefits, such as improvement of cardiovascular conditionmental health and bone density, as well as decreased body fat, blood pressure, and more. Incorporating a backpack into your walking workout further increases these benefits, especially those related to musculoskeletal health.
“Rucking has distinct benefits for people who enjoy hiking and backpacking, which is essentially going through varied terrain,” says Amanda Caprittocertified personal trainer and strength coach for endurance athletes with PTPioner. “If you love hiking but don’t have many opportunities to train for long hikes, rucking is a great way to get in some busy steps, even in an urban setting.”
If you’re ready to increase the intensity of your walks, rucking may be an invigorating challenge for you. “Backpacks are like backpacks that are specially designed to add weights to them. They are very sturdy and will distribute the weight across your upper body in a useful way,” explains Domenic Angelino, CPT, from the Trainer Academy. “[Rucking] can help you burn more calories because [you carry] around the extra weight. You’ll need to produce more force with each step you take to move your body forward… Even the upper body muscles are involved as they help you stabilize your upper body despite the added load. [you carry]. This will help increase the muscular endurance of these muscles.
Now, lace up your sneakers and pack your backpack, because we’ve got some of the best tips for maximizing your calorie burn while walking.
Pick up the pace.
The faster you walk, the more calories you will burn!
“Try to gradually increase your rucking speed as you improve over time,” suggests Angelino. “If possible, aim [to walk] at a steady pace. Walking with intention, rather than casually strolling, will improve calorie burning. »
Go for the hills.
You’ll feel the burn best when you’re wearing a backpack and walking uphill. Angelino recommends choosing a route with lots of uphill and downhill terrain.
“This will increase the number of calories you burn and be more effective at improving your lower body muscles,” he tells us. “Going up a hill requires you to produce more force to propel your body forward with each step. Going down a hill requires you to produce more force to brake and prevent your body from tumbling forward with each step.”
Increase the weight.
When in doubt, add more weight. The weight you initially chose when you began your rucking routine may no longer challenge your body.
“You can burn more calories while cycling by adding more weight to your backpack or backpack,” Angelino points out. “It can be easy to forget about increasing your weight if you’ve been doing it for a while. But chances are you’ll be in better shape than when you started and will be able to handle a little more weight that you were originally capable of.
Ruck for a longer duration.
It’s simple advice, but it can be easy to ignore.
“If you want to burn more calories, just do longer runs. You’ll spend more time exercising and therefore burn more calories,” emphasizes Angelino. “If you’ve been doing 30-minute rucks for a long time, it can be easy to assume that rucks are supposed to be that long, but they can be as long as you want. If you have an extra five minutes, it’s not no problem.
Try interval walking.
It may be difficult for some to maintain a faster pace throughout the workout. However, you can still incorporate faster speeds via interval walking.
“[Interval walking helps you achieve] the benefits of burning calories by walking at a higher speed without needing the endurance to do it without a break,” says Angelino. “Alternate between walking at a moderate, maintainable pace and walking very fast throughout of your routine. Plan the duration of each phase based on the time you need to recover between periods of faster walking.
Capritto provides an example of a high intensity interval. “[Walk] at your maximum speed/effort for one minute, followed by a four-minute walk at light to moderate effort, and repeating for the duration of your session.
Add some jogging.
Increase the intensity even further by incorporating jogging into your rucking routine.
“This will significantly increase the number of calories you burn and significantly improve the impact of your workout on your cardiovascular system,” says Angelino. “You can either do a workout with just jogging, or you can do interval jogging, where you alternate between walking and jogging throughout your workout.”
Consider threshold intervals.
What is a “threshold interval,” you ask? Capritto breaks it down.
“Threshold intervals are longer than high-intensity intervals and involve working at efforts/paces just below your anaerobic threshold,” she says. “Popular in running, this concept can also work in rucking. After determining your threshold pace (approximately the maximum effort you can maintain at a given load for an hour), perform intervals of five to 10 minutes at this pace, followed by a slow pace -intervals of effort.”
Add resistance exercises to your routine.
Incorporate resistance exercises into your routine, like walking lunges and squats.
“[Plan] “Stop walking and do quick exercises every few minutes,” suggests Angelino. “Squatting is the best solution for this type of modification. If you stop doing 20 squats performing a full range of motion every three to five minutes while carrying a heavy backpack, you will find that your overall workout will be more demanding cardiovascularly and will burn more calories.
Eat before your rucking workout.
Giving your body proper nutrition is essential in a workout program. Angelino recommends eating a nutritious meal before heading into your ruck.
“Before you even start your workout, eat something nutrient-dense and healthy with a moderate amount of calories,” he says. “THAT will help [give your body] the energy needed to expend everything during your workout. This may seem counterintuitive, but it doesn’t mean increasing the number of calories you consume throughout the day. This simply means positioning one of your meals before your workout so that you have adequate blood sugar levels to support your workout. This will help you push a little harder mentally, but also physically. »
Stay hydrated.
Make sure to bring a water bottle on your backpack, as losing water during a workout can have a negative impact on your body. Being uncomfortable and thirsty can make you less motivated to continue.
“If you’re really thirsty, it can be hard to tell yourself to keep going for another five to 10 minutes,” says Angelino. “That’s why it’s helpful to bring water with you. If you’re properly hydrated throughout your ruck, you’ll have an easier time not only completing the workout as planned, but also giving yourself permission to extend the training for a few more minutes towards the end.”
Your rhythm.
It’s never a good idea to take on more than you can handle and risk burning out.
“Focus on what’s sustainable, and as you get fitter you’ll find that’s higher.” [training intensities] become more sustainable,” says Angelino. “You’ll burn more calories in the long run if you adopt calorie-burning strategies rather than going all out. You will always burn more calories in a workout that actually happens than in a workout that never happens. even begins.”
Choose the trails rather than the sidewalk.
Opt for trails rather than pavement for your rucks.
“If you have access to trails, do your workout off the sidewalk,” Capritto recommends. “Walking on trails exposes you to varied terrain, which includes challenges such as slopes and soft ground that minimize energy return, making each step more of an effort.”
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