Latest news with #GoRuck
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Can You Walk To Burn Fat And Build Muscle At The Same Time? Experts Weigh In
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." I go for walks all the time—with my dog or pushing my daughter in a stroller. But to be honest, I rarely return thinking, Whew, workout accomplished. I moved and got some steps in, sure, but it often didn't feel as intense or challenging as my other sweats. Lately, though, I've totally rethought that somewhat shortsighted view. Walking has received a major glow-up in recent years, with countless hashtags (#hotgirlhikes, #silentwalks, #12330, and more) taking over social media. The activity has become downright cool: Now, 52 percent of exercisers say outdoor walking is essential to their general fitness routine, according to Mindbody's 2024 Wellness Index. Additionally, in the past few years, with guided classes being offered on major platforms such as Apple Fitness+, Peloton, iFit, Aaptiv, and Obé, walking has joined the ranks of exercise modalities like strength training, HIIT, and running. Walking can reduce your risk for chronic diseases, including sleep apnea, hypertension, and gastroesophageal reflux disease, per a study in Nature Medicine. Walking can also decrease visceral fat stored around your belly and reduce the risk for obesity, studies show. Plus, every 500 additional steps a day over 2,000 (up to 4,500 steps) was associated with a 14 percent lower risk for heart disease, heart failure, and stroke in people ages 70 and older, per a study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions last year. (FYI: You generally won't build as much muscle mass solely from walking, so for max gains, don't forgo other methods!) These healthy boosts aren't just for beginners. Once you learn how to incorporate not-just-a-walk-in-the-park variations into your routine, you'll find yourself craving more sweaty strolls. Knowledge, ahead… Long before social media existed, this loaded variety was a military training workout: Soldiers carried a heavy pack (rucksack) and logged miles (ruck marching). Think of the practice simply as an extended walk with a weighted pack, says Katie Knight, CPT, an online fitness coach and a GoRuck Games champion. The pack (you can purchase a specific rucking one or DIY it) is key to getting the most from the miles. 'It makes you stand up straighter as you move, and you work different muscles compared to hiking or backpacking,' says Emily McCarthy, cofounder of the community GoRuck. Rucking is a total-body workout too; it uses your core and shoulder muscles as well as your legs as you carry the load. It also really pays off: The method improved strength in upper- and lower-body muscles, according to a study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. After a 10-week period of resistance training and weighted walking, participants gained overall strength in squat jumps, pushups, and situps. Then gradually increase both as your fitness improves, recommends Knight. You can even attempt rucking at home or at the gym on a treadmill. There are specialty rucking packs that allow you to insert different weight plates and keep them evenly distributed. (See 'Gear Up and Go,' below, for a great rec!) But you can also just grab a backpack and put in a five-pound dumbbell, some ankle weights, and/or a full water bottle. For beginners, 5 to 10 pounds is ideal. 'Put your treadmill on an aggressive incline between 8 and 12 percent and walk at a speed from 2.7 to 3.5 for about 10 to 30 minutes,' says Percell Dugger, CPT, a Nike running coach. At its most basic, this style simply involves strolling with poles. Nordic walking originated as a way for cross-country skiers to keep up their training sans snow, says Malin Svensson, CPT, an International Nordic Walking Association master trainer and coach. But it has evolved into a year-round, any-surface way to walk. The variation is excellent cross-training or off-season cardio for other sports because you coordinate muscles from head to toe and keep the heart and lungs pumping, says Svensson. It also 'increases your endurance while taking stress off your ankle, knee, and hip joints, strengthens your core, arms, chest, back, buttocks, and legs, and improves posture and flexibility,' Svensson notes. And the motion, with or without the poles, improves resting heart rate, blood pressure, maximal oxygen consumption, and more, according to one review. While maintaining a natural opposing-arm-and-leg rhythm, plant your pole at a slight backward angle and push off with each step, making the triceps burn and engaging multiple upper-body muscles. 'Keep your arm in a handshake position,' Svensson says, with slightly bent elbows that aren't too tight to the body. What started as hot girl walks (to the tune of over 1 billion views) on TikTok evolved into hot girl hikes. The latter simply include an extra bit of planning, a lot more nature, and more rigor. You don't have to set out on your own Wild adventure or hit a new summit—a few trail miles will count. Hiking also brings in some added benefits that walking alone doesn't offer. 'Naturally, you will find more incline, hills, and uneven terrain, and that can increase the workload and challenge you from a fitness perspective more so than a flat road walk,' says Rachelle Reed, PhD, an exercise scientist and American College of Sports Medicine ambassador. Also expect a balance workout from uneven surfaces, as well as an emotional lift from being in nature. Exercising in green spaces has been linked to lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol and blood pressure, per a review in Extreme Physiology & Medicine. Focus on pushing through your heels to engage glutes and release pressure on knees in steep pitches, says Bradee Felton, CPT, host of the Fit for Hiking podcast and founder and CEO of the site Ponytail on a Trail. If you're wearing a pack, maintain proper posture by squeezing shoulder blades together. While it might sound more like a spa experience than a workout, a jaunt free of distractions comes with profound mental health benefits. Made famous on social media, silent walking is all about strolling without tech. Leaving music, podcasts, audiobooks, and phone calls behind ideally leads to mindfulness and connection during your journey. (But feel free to bring Fido if you want company!) Think of it as a walking meditation and a physical activity that gives you a break from the business of your life, says Reed. As such, the quiet goes deeper than popping out the earbuds; it includes muting the mental chatter, with the goal of engaging with your senses, your surroundings, and the present. It also opens the opportunity to experience awe, which comes with a host of mind perks unique to this emotion, such as greater kindness and feelings of social connection and community. Feeling daily moments of awe was predictive of better general wellbeing, too, according to multiple recent studies. Pay attention to details such as 'how your legs are moving, your breathing rate, or how your body feels when you walk faster or slower, to refocus into the here and now,' says Reed. 'Remember that this walking takes practice—and that mindful meditation is more about acknowledging your thoughts without judgment, rather than trying to think about nothing at all.' Mind magic!$108.49 at at at You Might Also Like Jennifer Garner Swears By This Retinol Eye Cream These New Kicks Will Help You Smash Your Cross-Training Goals
WIRED
09-04-2025
- Lifestyle
- WIRED
Which GoRuck Backpack Should You Buy?
I was first inspired to try rucking last year after reading this New York Times article, which suggests, 'if you have anything that weighs anything in your house, put that inside [a] backpack and simply go for a walk.' One hike with a cookbook-stuffed JanSport and an injured rhomboid muscle later, I found myself researching proper rucking backpacks. A $255 Rucker not being in my budget, I settled on GoRuck's 15L bullet. Billed as a daypack, the Bullet has the same 210D Cordura back panel and under-shoulder straps as the Rucker but a slimmer profile and less weight capacity. It can still fit a Ruck Plate in one of its three interior pockets, or a 20 lb. or 40 lb. sandbag in the main compartment, which helpfully opens flat. (I use a 20 lb. bag of rice from Walmart.) There's no hip belt, so I probably wouldn't attempt to go above 20 lbs., but for an average-sized woman in her mid-40s, I've found the Bullet to be perfect for short to moderate hikes. Weight feels evenly placed, the padded straps don't dig in or shift, and there's a D-ring inside to attach a hydration bladder, as there are no water bottle pockets. It's also the perfect size to double as a regular backpack for school or travel, and for $35 more you can spring for a version with a laptop compartment to make it a work bag. —Kat Merck $160 at GoRuck (Classic, 15L) $195 at GoRuck (Laptop, 16L) The GR3 is available in either 35L or 45L sizes, with the latter being the largest possible bag that's still TSA compliant. Perfect for travelers that haven't yet learned how to travel light, the GR3 can carry everything you need for two weeks on the road (or a lifetime if that's more your style). The GR3 is made of the same materials as the other GR series packs and like the GR2 has two compartments. They're just much bigger compartments. It is in fact difficult to convey just how big this bag is except to say that if you're like me—under 6 feet tall—you will look slightly ridiculous with the GR3 on your back. For that reason, and the fact that I don't need this much space, I much prefer the GR2, which, despite being nearly the same capacity, is much more svelte. One nice feature of the GR3 that the GR2 lacks is side compression straps (with buckles). These make the GR3 somewhat compressible, keeping it more manageable when it's not completely full, but even with these, and even on the 35L version, this is still a big pack and there's no hiding that. That said, if you need the room, the GR3 is the pack to get. GoRuck, should you read this, please consider a GR2 with compression straps.
