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Research Corner

Rucking (walking with a weighted pack) originated as military training, but recent research highlights its wider benefits for physical fitness, especially for athletes who bear load as a part of their sport, and those who require total-body resilience over a long period.

Let’s look at some of the science of what happens with rucking:

1. Increased Metabolic / Cardiac Demand. Carrying extra weight essentially increases the metabolic demand associated with walking and hiking. Even though you naturally decrease the speed at which you walk when wearing weight, the work done is greater for the same distance walked. This means you don’t have to jog or run to get your heart rate up like you are - making it a great way to develop cardiovascular endurance for those who can’t or don’t want to run or jog for other reasons.

2. Restricted Chest Wall Movement: With heavier loads across the back and chest, you actually lose the ability to expand your chest and rib cage fully for breathing. Although subtle, this has multiple ventilatory and cardiopulmonary effects. Considering the same effect happens when we wear armor, it’s definitely an additional “plus” for those of us looking for ways to prepare our body for the challenges of armored combat.

3. Leg Strength & Endurance: Although it won’t fully substitute for loaded squats, lunges, or step-ups, rucking provides an endurance challenge for the lower extremity and postural muscles that is worth noting. Anyone who’s spent a day walking in full kit (hello Feldlager) can tell you how important leg endurance actually is.

   Rucking helps develop Type I fibers (slow-twitch), which are built for long-duration, lower-intensity work. They’re fatigue-resistant and great for things like holding posture, walking under load, and staying mobile for hours. Type II fibers (fast-twitch), on the other hand, are explosive and powerful—but they fatigue quickly.

   Heavy lifting primarily trains Type II fibers. It’s great for building short-term force production (great for blossfechten), but it doesn’t do much to train the muscular endurance needed to carry 50-100 lbs of armor over up ladders, across fields, or through hours of gear-on/hurry-up-and-wait reenactment chaos.
   

   Rucking helps build those slow-twitch, endurance-oriented fibers in your glutes, quads, calves, and spinal stabilizers—without frying your nervous system or increasing injury risk. That’s a win for anyone fighting in armor or spending long days on their feet at events.

Here are some things to watch out for:

• Bone stress injury. Too much weight too fast can lead to bone breakdown faster than turnover, leading to foot stress injuries and even stress fractures of the metatarsals and midfoot bones. If your foot starts to hurt in one specific place, don’t ignore it - give the weight a rest for a few days.

• Back Pain or chest wall restriction from ill-fitting backpacks or poorly distributed loads can be problematic. If carrying above 20 lbs, consider an appropriately designed trail pack or specialized rucking bag that cushions and distributes the weight appropriately.

• Knee or Ankle Pain. Although lower impact than running or jogging, you still may not be able to work around a bum joint when carrying heavier loads. If in doubt, consult with your doctor on if rucking makes sense for your body and your medical conditions.

  Faghy MA, Shei RJ, Armstrong NCD, White M, Lomax M. Physiological impact of load carriage exercise: Current understanding and future research directions. Physiol Rep. 2022 Nov;10(21):e15502. doi: 10.14814/phy2.15502. PMID: 36324291; PMCID: PMC9630762.

HEMA Hot Take:

Less experienced armored fighters often brag about how much their kit weighs—80 to 100 pounds isn’t unusual for full harness. Experienced fighters know better, and are constantly looking for ways to shed a few more ounces. Because at the end of the day, it’s not about looking good if you can’t carry the load of your armor for more than five minutes without gassing out or collapsing your posture.

If your only training is sparring and lifting in the gym and you aspire to armored combat, you’re missing the middle ground: long-duration strength-endurance. That’s where rucking fits in. It’s not sexy. It’s not flashy. But it’s the difference between surviving your full event weekend and sitting out or having to armor down while everyone else is still going.

Coach’s Corner

Here’s how I recommend interested folks get started with rucking:

• Start light (10% of bodyweight) and go for 20–30 minutes on flat trails.

• Focus on posture—shoulders down, core braced, upright gait. If you find your shoulders or back fatiguing before your legs, that just means you need to build up those postural muscles with gradually heavier weight and longer rucks.

• Count it as Cardio - Don’t substitute rucking for strength training, but integrate rucking into your overall conditioning plan the same way you would a cardio session or a lighter training day. The goal should be that it fatigues you but doesn’t affect your fencing training the next day.

• Gradually increase weight and time, but remember also that increasing grade (hills) can also add significant challenge. If you utilize the same trails all the time, keep track of your time to completion and max heartrate as you progress over time.

Health & Fitness Tips

Don’t Skimp on the Shoes
If you’re rucking in shoes with no support or your most worn out outdoor shoes, you’re asking for plantar fasciitis or shin splints. Get an appropriate pair of trail or hiking shoes/boots which are designed for long distances and a human carrying weight. Keep in mind many light trail shoes are meant for day hikers carrying little gear, so if you find you like rucking and start to really build up the weight (30+ lbs), a solid pair of hiking boots will serve you better. In other words - make sure your shoes match the task!

Conditioning Move of the Week

Hip Windshield Wipers to Spinal Twist

This mobility drill targets hip internal/external rotation and thoracic spine mobility. Improving hip rotation helps with footwork and lunge mechanics, while thoracic mobility reduces shoulder compensation and low back stress. Include this move in your warmup and cooldown to maintain mobility in the hips and mid-back—two areas that get stiff fast from fencing, rucking, or wearing armor.

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