“More than 650 million adults worldwide suffer from obesity, and the prevalence of this condition has increased rapidly during the past 50 years.
Obesity has become one of the most important public health problems globally and is strongly associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM); cardiovascular diseases, including myocardial infarction and stroke; osteoarthritis; obstructive sleep apnea; depression; and some types of cancer, such as breast, ovarian, prostate, liver, kidney, and colon cancer.” - Ju Young Kim, Korean Society for the Study of Obesity
There are many reasons people want to lose weight, including all the reasons listed above, additional health complications, and simply wanting to look a certain way. While obesity is among the more prominent challenges of our time, weight loss is, at its core, fairly simple (if not necessarily easy). Burn more calories than you consume, and you will lose weight. The near-universal consensus among doctors and weight loss experts is that a combination of diet and exercise is the most effective and healthiest way to slim down and combat the negative effects of obesity. Sources like the one quoted above, republished by the National Institutes of Health, recommend a daily deficit of 500-750 calories.
There are many diets out there and what works best in terms of limiting caloric intake varies from person to person. For advice on that a doctor or fitness professional may need to be consulted. As for the exercise part of the equation, rucking is uniquely suited to those looking to shed extra pounds while enjoying a number of other health benefits.
The first thing that comes to mind for most people looking to lose weight is running. Running burns a lot of calories, but there is a cost. Running is more than 3x harder on the joints in terms of force relative to weight, and is difficult enough to be unsustainable for a beginner. Rucking is lower impact and more accessible. And because it is low-impact, rucking involves much less recovery time, especially after the first few weeks.
Rucking also targets the right calories. The pace of a ruck is moderate enough to keep you in the ideal intensity to burn fat (60-70% max heart rate). This range is often called Zone 2 training. Beyond Zone 2, the body increasingly pulls energy from carbohydrates , meaning more intense exercise can actually be less efficient if your primary goal is to lose weight. The strength training component of rucking also ensures that your body maintains and even builds muscle while chipping away at the fat.
Rucking in the military has been essential to getting young men and women into fighting shape for decades. It burns calories while targeting the weaker areas and producing more capable athletes. Rucking’s unique combination of aerobic and resistance training makes it an excellent component of any weight loss program. It’s low impact enough that you can do it every day, but hard enough to be a worthwhile exercise. Whether you’re getting back into fitness or seriously engaging in it for the first time, rucking is effective and accessible.
And maybe best of all, you’ll grow with the challenge. Rucking is meant to be tough. The toughness teaches discipline and confidence, which you can apply to new challenges in all facets of life.
Our friend Misty, a veteran and rucking proponent, told us about her own weight loss journey, in her own words:
“Like a lot of people, I let life get the best of me, and I gained about 60 lbs. I weighed about 215 lbs. I was miserable, I didn’t like who I was, I didn’t like how I was feeling, I didn’t like the way I looked, and I decided it was time to change and so January of [2024] I started rucking every single morning. For 75 days straight (75 Hard) I rucked every morning and I lost 30 lbs in the first 75 days, and it’s just become my morning routine. Every morning I get up, alarm clock goes off at four o’clock and I get out and get at least two miles in, every day.”
“I did [my first] 75 Hard in January [2024], and I lost 30 lbs, took a little break, not continuing the discipline, and October 1st I decided to do another round to finish out the year and in total, through both 75 Hards, I lost 50 lbs.”
“I’ve got some knee problems. I don’t have cartilage behind my kneecap and running is painful especially when you’re overweight. Anybody can do rucking. It’s so scalable, really you can just walk if you can’t carry weight yet and there were some days when I did that to give my body a break but it’s really adaptable to anybody. If you can walk you can ruck and that’s why I love it and I love getting outside first thing and catching the fresh air and feeling like I accomplished something every day, right at the beginning.”
For more on the caloric costs of rucking, check out our Rucking Calorie Calculator page. This tool estimates how many calories you can burn on a ruck, and the page also details some of the ways you can level up your ruck to burn even more.
