Experts Say Rucking Can Burn 2 to 3 Times More Calories Than Walking

Walking with a weighted pack used to belong to soldiers and serious endurance athletes. Now rucking is showing up in suburban parks, on lunch-break commutes and across social feeds, popularized in part by figures like David Goggins , as a low-impact way to combine cardio and strength training. For men in their 40s and beyond, who often struggle to balance joint health against the demand for real fitness gains, rucking has emerged as a practical alternative to high-intensity gym work.

Here is what to know about the trend, why experts say it works and how to start without overloading your back.

Rucking, at its simplest, is walking a set distance while carrying weight on your back, usually in a rucksack, backpack or vest.

“The term ‘rucking’ comes from military members carrying weighted rucksacks during boot camp trainings,” sports medicine physician Matthew Kampert , DO, told Cleveland Clinic . “Rucking or ruck marching prepares soldiers for real-world scenarios where they must carry heavy loads for long distances and prolonged time.”

The civilian version keeps the structure but strips away the boot-camp intensity. According to GORUCK , the entry point is three steps, get a ruck, add weight and just walk. Mathew Welch , an exercise physiologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, described it this way: “It’s a low-impact exercise that is pretty much based on military training. Think about how the military trains a lot for endurance, they do a fair amount of running, but they also have to carry a lot of heavy equipment, so that’s kind of how rucking started.”

The pitch for men over 40 is specific. The joint stress of running and the time demands of the gym become harder to absorb with age, while muscle mass and bone density naturally decline. Rucking targets both problems at once. “High-intensity training sessions can be tempting for the sweat factor and calorie burn, but rucking can provide the same results without the joint stress and exhaustion that follows,” Men’s Journal reports.

Military fitness coach Dan Fahey told the outlet the loaded walk forces the body to work harder without punishing the joints.

“Rucking burns significantly more calories than normal walking, or even running in some cases, without the high-impact joint stress,” Fahey said. “The added load increases energy demand while keeping movement controlled and repeatable. That means you can train harder, more often and recover better.”

Men’s Journal also highlights the functional-fitness angle, noting, “Unlike isolated exercises you might do at the gym, rucking engages your entire body at once, building functional fitness that translates into daily life. Every step is powered by your legs, while your core stays braced to stabilize your spine. Your upper back, shoulders and grip work constantly to support the weight.”

Fitness Forties frames the appeal in lifestyle terms. “For men in their 40s juggling careers, family responsibilities and declining natural testosterone levels, rucking for men over 40 offers a rare combination of benefits. It improves cardiovascular fitness while staying firmly in the low-impact zone. It builds functional strength through your core, glutes, shoulders and posterior chain. It requires zero gym time and can be integrated into daily commutes, lunch breaks or weekend family walks. And it burns two to three times more calories than regular walking, making it one of the most time-efficient forms of exercise available.”

Resistance work also matters more with age. “Resistance training is key, especially as we age, in helping our bone health and our muscle growth because that naturally deteriorates as we get older, starting in our 30s,” Nichele Cihlar , director of training at GORUCK, told HuffPost .

The trend has converts who credit it with significant health turnarounds. GORUCK’s site features firsthand accounts from people who built the habit later in life.

“I didn’t start rucking until I was in my late 40s and desperately needed to change my lifestyle. I was obese, and presenting a host of related medical problems. The simpleness of rucking appealed to me. Throw on a ruck and walk,” rucker Steve Ries said. “This may sound cliché, but rucking saved my life. I was late 40s, somewhere north of 340 pounds, pre-diabetic, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and all the rest. Through cycling and GORUCK, I lost the weight, built-up strength and finished my first Tough at 51. I lost almost 150 pounds, and am in the best shape of my life. All my medical problems vanished. My doctor says I’m healthier than he’s ever seen me in 20 years.”

Another rucker described turning to the practice after a cardiac scare. “I ruck to heal my heart. Shortly after turning 40 I woke up one morning with chest pains and one ER visit later I end up with three stents in my chest. I was never an athlete and lived a decidedly unhealthy lifestyle, but rucking has helped me change all of that. I tried running but was never really able to go too far. My cardiologist loves the changes and I am in better shape than I ever was,” the person wrote.

Experts recommend easing into rucking with some preparatory strength work. “A combination of lunges, goblet squats and kettlebell Romanian deadlifts are excellent lifts to add in to help build the strength and durability that’s required for rucking,” Stew Smith , C.S.C.S., a military fitness training coach and former Navy SEAL, told Nike .

On weight, Cihlar said to resist the urge to go heavy too soon. “I always say start low because you can always grow from there,” she said. “You don’t want to start heavy and get discouraged.” For someone already active and lifting regularly, she suggested a reasonable starting point, saying, “You could probably do a 20-pound plate, a 30-pound plate in your ruck.”

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The calorie math is a big part of what makes rucking appealing for time-pressed adults. “An average person burns about 125 calories on a 30-minute walk, but throw on a rucksack, and, depending on your weight and speed, you can burn about 325 calories on the same walk,” Dr. Michael Fredericson , director of physical medicine and rehabilitation sports medicine at Stanford University, told USA TODAY . “Rucking can burn two to three as many calories as just walking.”

The cardiovascular benefit follows from the load. “Rucking puts your body into the ideal fitness zone – around 60-70 percent of your max heart rate,” Fredericson said. “And research shows that carrying heavy loads over complex terrain increases heart and respiratory rates, indicating elevated cardiorespiratory demands.”

Adding weight to a walk amplifies both the benefit and the risk. Fredericson recommends “always listening to your body and warm up before each session.” He added, “Consult a healthcare professional if you have any pre-existing conditions and make sure to always have enough water and let someone know your route when rucking in unfamiliar areas.”

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