BLOG

The Wedge is a free, open-source project for goal-setting, discipline, fitness and teamwork. Developed for firefighters, it’s a program that can be printed by anybody to run a month-long trial of aggressive pursuit toward well-structured goals that finishes with the ENDEX - a ruck march with a healthy dose of PT.

Prior to earning my BOLTS at the GORUCK 9/11 Chicago HTB, I had successfully completed the following events: 1 GORUCK Light, 1 GrowRuck (F3’s version of a GORUCK Tough), 1 GORUCK Tough / Light, 1 GORUCK Heavy and 1 GORUCK 50-mile Star Course. I definitely wouldn’t call myself an expert at anything GORUCK. In fact, I spent a ton of time reading AAR’s and asking others for their advice leading up to my attempt to earn the GORUCK BOLTS.

In this installment, please welcome Natasha Chung, of Portsmouth, United Kingdom, who co-founded The Sunrise Ruck Club. As our first female guest, Chung shares valuable insight into the essence of what motivated her to start a ruck club during a global pandemic and the importance of paying attention to the nuances of what makes sense for you when venturing into your personal rucking journey.

Let’s get some...

It’s the same distance as walking to space: A GORUCK 50 Mile Star Course AAR
-Joe Englin (F3 Kraut)

“The U.S. Air Force definition of an astronaut is a person who has flown higher than 50 miles (80 km) above mean sea level, approximately the line between the mesosphere and the thermosphere.” – Wikipedia.

Fifty miles is a long way.

If you have flown higher than 50 miles, the USAF considers you an astronaut. If your significant other asked you to go to a restaurant that was 50 miles away, you would say “No.” Ask a GRT if they want to walk 50 miles, and the answer is probably “That’s a terrible idea. When do we start?”

Again, 50 miles is a long way.

In this installment, Rob Webling, the bloke behind Xtreme Endurance in United Arab Emirates, shares a gracious, kind, and thorough perspective on rucking through the unique terrain in Dubai.

Let’s get some...

As you continue to immerse yourself in the sport of rucking, learning from those who’ve traversed before you can help shorten the learning curve between novice and badass. There are certain aspects of rucking that can only be predicted and prepared for after someone else has learned it the hard way.

So, in this evolving blog series, COME WITH IT NOW!, we’re taking the pulse from those who’ve got some notches on their padded hip belt to help guide others in their pursuit of a healthy, adventurous lifestyle while rockin’ a rucking backpack.

In this interview, we get some efficient, bullshit-free insight from Michael Castillo, known to many as Cadre Shredder. Puttin’ in miles out of his homebase in Rancho Cucamonga, California, Shredder operates Castlemen Events and brings his expertise with him across the country in an onslaught of ruck-based training and survival programs.

Stand by to get some…

Strap it On

As you continue to ratchet up the intensity of your rucking, you will inevitably meet the option to carry more weight and/or ruck farther. In either scenario, you’ll gain more traction by incorporating a few basic rucking accessories that allow for quick, convenient access to the tools that will help you ruck smarter, not harder.

Tip #1: Start Walking with Weight

You do not have to join a gym to get into shape. Nor do you need to buckle to an expensive exercise bike with an HD touchscreen just because it’s trendy. If you’re looking for a simple, affordable, and convenient alternative to working out that’s been around literally forever—and approachable to everyone—start rucking.

These benefits of rucking are where it’s at.

Function Trumps Fashion

Winter is coming. So, as most of the country braces for impending colder months, that doesn’t mean you have to go into hibernation with them. Suiting up in the appropriate winter rucking wardrobe will help you stay focused on your fitness goals and make those unforgiving temps a breeze.

Being Unprepared Will Weigh You Down

Don’t worry, you’re not late to the party. We just fed everyone an appetizer of the six best responses to the question, “What is Rucking?” And, yes, while rucking is badass, you don’t necessarily have to be to start doing it. However, you will be once initiated.

Four Key Considerations for a Critical Piece of Gear That Should Have Your Back

Rucking without a rucking backpack isn’t rucking. Cue the sad trombone. Instead, it’s simply walking or running for those who, like Kenny Powers, aren’t trying to be the best at exercising. We kid, we kid.

Running is the most popular form of cardiovascular training. Many millions of people - from average Joes to professional athletes - have incorporated regular running into their daily routines in the hope of making some sort of measurable improvement to their lives, whether that improvement is physical, aesthetic or psychological.

Rucking is a phenomenal cardiovascular workout for several reasons, not the least of which is the fact that the addition of weight to your back via your backpack tremendously taxes your entire muscular system. It places more strain on your legs, which are the primary drivers of the workout, while also forcing your stabilizer muscles to go into overdrive as you attempt to maintain the correct, upright posture.

It goes without saying that rucking is a growing sport, and that it has caught on in some places faster than in others. There are tons of reasons that rucking may capture the imaginations of people in certain locations rather quickly, while in other places it takes a bit more time. Having a military community to draw inspiration from is one factor. An abundance of inviting scenery is another reason. Also, having ruck-friendly weather throughout the year is definitely a clear-cut advantage for ruckers in environments that are warm and mild. At the same time, having a climate pleasant enough that it doesn’t leave ruckers drowning in pools of their own sweat is ideal.

There may be several reasons that people gravitate toward any form of exercise, let alone rucking. Whether the intent of the exercising is to develop a mouthwatering revenge body with which to make an ex jealous, or to make the prospects of running a marathon seem slightly less daunting, the goals of working out typically fall into either of two categories: To look better, or to feel better.

It is perfectly reasonable to ask questions about the number of calories you’re burning on a regular basis while you are out rucking. After all, what are we all here for if not to get into better shape? For those who have embraced the rucking habit out of a desire to shed some pounds, the number of calories that are being burned during rucking workouts is one of the foremost concerns.

In addition to being a fun workout style and training method, rucking is also a sport that can be challenging for people of all ages and physical fitness levels. Of course, the instant something becomes a formal sport, diehard, overachieving athletes immediately begin looking for ways to stretch the boundaries of their training to gain an advantage over their competitors… or to impress their friends.

Yes, we all know that when someone asks you the questions “what is GORUCK?” you are always supposed to reply with the community-authorized and preconditioned response:

“GORUCK is a team-building endurance event based on special forces training.”

So, by derivation, if someone asks you “what is rucking?” you could reasonably answer that rucking is an endurance exercise based on special forces training.