Rucking for Beginners: How to Start Walking With Weight
Rucking is walking with weight on your back, usually in a backpack or a weighted vest. Start light, around 10% of your bodyweight or less (10 to 20 lb, or 4.5 to 9 kg, for most people), on flat ground, two or three times a week, and build up slowly. It turns an easy walk into harder work for your heart, legs and upper back, without running.
The name comes from the military rucksack. All you need is a sturdy backpack, something heavy and a walk you already do.
Why add weight to a walk
Carrying a load makes every step cost more energy. The best known way to estimate that is the Pandolf equation, published in 1977 and still widely used in military research. It predicts the energy cost of walking from your bodyweight, the load, your speed, the slope and the ground underfoot.
- More load means more work on every step.
- Speed and hills push the cost up quickly.
- The ground matters. In the equation, loose sand is rated at roughly twice the cost of a road or treadmill, and a dirt trail about 10% more.
The takeaway: you rarely need a heavy pack. A moderate load on a brisk walk with a hill or two does the job, with less strain on your back and knees. Think of the equation as a guide to what makes rucking harder, not a calorie counter.
Weighted vests, bone and muscle: what the research says
The research on bone is more mixed than the posts suggest. In a small 5 year study of 18 postmenopausal women, those who did weighted vest exercise with jumping three times a week kept their hip bone density close to where it started, while active women who didn't lost about 3 to 4%. That program included jumps, not just walking.
In the larger INVEST in Bone Health trial, published in JAMA Network Open in 2025, 150 older adults with obesity (average age about 66) lost weight over 12 months. One group also wore a weighted vest for about 7 hours a day, and one did resistance training. All three groups lost hip bone density at a similar rate. The vest didn't stop it.
So think of rucking as great conditioning, not a bone fix. For muscle and strength, lifting still does the heavy work.
How heavy to start, and how to build up
| Stage | Load | Walk |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1 and 2 | 10% of bodyweight or less (10 to 20 lb) | 20 to 30 minutes, flat ground |
| Weeks 3 and 4 | Same load, or add 5 lb (about 2 kg) if it felt easy | 30 to 40 minutes, a gentle hill or two |
| Months 2 and 3 | Add 5 lb at a time, toward 15 to 20% of bodyweight if you want to | 40 to 60 minutes |
Ruck two or three times a week, with a day between, in place of a usual walk rather than on top of it. Add time first, then weight, one at a time. A brisk ruck with 15 lb beats a slow shuffle with 40.
Pack fit and posture
- Keep the weight high and tight. Pack it high and close to your spine so it doesn't pull you backward. A plate in a laptop sleeve, padded with a towel, works well.
- Snug the straps. The pack shouldn't bounce. Use a chest strap or hip belt if it has one.
- Walk tall. Lean slightly forward from the ankles, not the waist, with your shoulders back and down.
- Shorter steps on hills, especially going down.
Rucking or the farmer's carry?
Both are loaded walking, with different jobs:
| Rucking | Farmer's carry | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the weight sits | On your back or chest | In your hands, at your sides |
| How heavy | Light to moderate | Heavy |
| How long | 20 to 60 minutes | 20 to 45 seconds per set |
| Main benefit | Conditioning, legs and endurance | Grip, upper back, core and strength |
Do both: rucks on walking days, heavy farmer's carries at the end of a strength session.
How to start if you're coming back
- Week 1: Walk your normal route twice without a pack, then once with 10 lb (about 4.5 kg) for 20 minutes.
- Week 2: Two rucks of 20 to 30 minutes with the same load, on flat ground.
- Week 3: Two or three rucks of 30 minutes. Add a gentle hill.
- Week 4: If everything feels fine the next day, add 5 lb or 10 minutes, not both.
If your feet, knees or lower back are sore the next day, drop the weight for a week.
If you haven't been walking at all, do a few weeks of plain walking first.
A week of rucking plus strength
Rucks go between the strength days, with one walk unloaded:
| Day | Session | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Full Body A | About 45 minutes |
| Tuesday | Ruck | 20 to 40 minutes |
| Wednesday | Full Body B | About 45 minutes |
| Thursday | Easy walk, no pack | 30 minutes |
| Friday | Full Body C | About 45 minutes |
| Saturday | Longer ruck | 30 to 60 minutes |
| Sunday | Rest | None |
Full Body A, B and C each cover a squat, a hinge, a push, a pull and a carry or core move, in about 45 minutes.
Ruck on walking days, lift on the rest
Three short strength sessions build the legs, back and grip that make the pack feel lighter. Full Body, 3 days is free in Liftspan: it's built for your equipment and around any joint you flag, every weight is set for you and moved up as you earn it, and each block ends with a lighter deload week. Rather use paper? Download the sheet.
Common questions
How heavy should my rucking backpack be?
Start with about 10% of your bodyweight or less, which is 10 to 20 lb for most people. Add 5 lb at a time once your walks feel easy and you're not sore the next day.
Is rucking better than walking?
It's harder than walking at the same pace, so you get more work in the same time. It also loads your feet, knees and back more, so make it two or three of your weekly walks, not all of them.
Should I use a backpack or a weighted vest?
Either works. A backpack is cheap and you probably own one. A vest sits closer to your body and spreads the weight over your chest and back, which some people find easier on the shoulders.
Does rucking build muscle?
A little, especially at first. It's mostly conditioning. For strength and muscle, pair it with two or three strength sessions a week.
Is rucking good for bone density?
The research is mixed. A small study of vest exercise with jumping found women kept their hip bone density, but a 2025 trial found a vest worn during weight loss didn't stop hip bone loss.
Using Liftspan? See how logging a walk keeps your daily flame going in the help manual. New to it? Liftspan is a strength training app for lifters over 40 that builds your plan around your joints and moves the weight for you.
Sources: Pandolf, Givoni & Goldman 1977, Predicting energy expenditure with loads while standing or walking very slowly (Journal of Applied Physiology) · Long-term weighted vest exercise and hip bone density in postmenopausal women, a 5 year study (Journals of Gerontology, 2000) · Beavers et al. 2025, INVEST in Bone Health trial (JAMA Network Open). General information, not a substitute for a clinician.
Keep reading: farmer's carry · does walking build muscle after 40 · the 12-3-30 treadmill workout · how to start working out again after a long break · all guides