Notes from Jonny Pain for Intermediate Rucking Workout: This is a simple progression that you can attack 2-3 times per week. For variation, change the exercise selection. Try Cossack Squats, Reverse Lunges, Overhead Press etc etc. Your imagination is your limiter here, just don’t go too mental at this point. This change in stimulus, especially when incorporating fatiguing leg exercises, can really challenge. Ensure you are comfortable with these progressions before being tempted to add significant weight too.

Now, as we get used to this extra fatigue and stimulus, we should be thinking about upping the load to 15% and above. As ever, ensure you’re used to any load before adding more. (Each incremental additional weight added will have implications to posture and recovery that might not seem obvious until you’re too far into the ruck to change your mind! Not a fun place to find yourself (I speak from bitter experience. Lol). As well as this, try to work to a static 15 min per
mile (Approx 9 Min per km) or less as a standard.
Notes from Jonny Pain for Advanced Rucking Workout: Keep the pack on for every part of the above and then curse me quietly. As before, exercise selection is merely a suggestion and you can change this up each time but, to start with, perhaps limit this kind of session to one to two times per week until you’ve adapted to the demand. 6-12 Miles per week is significant so be sure to work up incrementally.

From here on in, again, you’re only limited by your imagination!

Change your environment regularly, share your experience with a new rucking buddy (or more) and let us know on socials where you’ve been and how you’ve gotten on ( @jonathanpain ). And, if you (like me) are wearing yours to the shops or while out with the kids just to get that little bit of extra work in under the radar, remember to look smug as you reap the gains while all others around you are simply…walking!

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