Fitness

I used to walk 10,000 stairs a day with a heavy bag – that’s why I don’t stop

Everyone likes a short cut. Anytime you see a piece of grass on the corner of the sidewalk, it’s bound to be trampled by people looking to shave milliseconds off their commute. The problem is that in the fitness world, you’ll be hard-pressed to find many effective shortcuts.

Cursing – carrying a heavy bag while walking – would be one of the few exceptions. So I decided to break free, committing to walking 10,000 steps a day for a week with a heavy weight on my back.

I tried logging 10,000 steps a day for a week and I loved the results

I tried logging 10,000 steps a day for a week and I loved the results (The Independent / Harry Bullmore)

This practice has its origins in the military, but has attracted many people in recent years due to its accessibility and attractive pay-to-pay ratio. Add weight to your legs to build strength and challenge your heart, lungs, legs, core and more. This can strengthen your body and strengthen your body – not a bad return from pop to the mall, or any other similar short.

As I practice to get my body in shape, I feel like I’m taking a walk in the park, I slip on my backpack and start walking – here are five things I’ve learned.

It is possible to kick

When you start a new type of exercise, there’s often a time when you don’t know what you’re doing. Case in point: my teenage workouts consisted of a few ropey curls and 20 minutes on the treadmill. But by cheating, I found out that this is not the case.

Without wanting to brag, I’ve backpacked before, and sewing was just as much of an extra weight. Once I believed there was a slight shift in my center of gravity, I was ready to go.

Another important point to note is that, while I use a purpose-built bag and weight plates from rucking experts GoRuck, you don’t really need any special equipment. to start.

“If you want to start light, I suggest throwing a few household items in the bag,” says Nichele Cihlar, GoRuck’s director of training. “My water bottle is really big and heavy, so you can put something like that in your racket and go up.”

The Independent's Fitness writer Harry Bullmore wearing the GoRuck GR2 heavy backpack

The Independent’s Fitness writer Harry Bullmore wearing the GoRuck GR2 heavy backpack (The Independent / Harry Bullmore)

It has many methods

However, I travel a lot, so instead of trying to fit into regular long racks I decided to wear a heavy bag while going about my daily activities. And for me, this worked great.

“I always recommend saving [your weighted bag] near the front door,” Cihlar says. “If you have to go looking for a rucksack and you want its weight, you might not bother bringing it with you. But if it’s near the door, it’s easy to put it.”

I wore mine for dog walks, a day in the office, a pop into town; when I was outside the house, the rucksack was rarely off my shoulders. And I found that I can easily accumulate 10,000 steps a day by taking this approach.

But rucking can also be a useful tool if you struggle to fit in your day. By increasing the strength of walking as an activity, it means that you can get more benefits from a little stretching.

“I have a couple of French bulldogs and I live in Florida where it’s really hot, so they can’t go for long walks,” says Cihlar. from that I can get more out of it.”

Exercise writer Harry Bullmore kicking in the park

Exercise writer Harry Bullmore kicking in the park (The Independent / Harry Bullmore)

It can help you build strength

Carrying a heavy rucksack makes walking difficult, and very few people would choose to do something difficult unless it offers many benefits. Fortunately, rucking offers this opportunity.

“Walking is usually a lower body activity, so the quadriceps, hamstrings and gastrocnemius [muscles in the thigh and calf] we’re going to have to carry that heavy weight,” Dr. Elroy Aguiar, assistant professor of exercise science at the University of Alabama, tells me.

“As a result, you would get smaller improvements [in strength and bone density]especially if you do it for a long time. You’ll also improve muscle mass from rucking, although it probably won’t be as much as you’d achieve with strength training. “

“Rucking also helps improve your core strength and the muscles in your upper back, because you’re holding that weight on your shoulders,” Cihlar adds.

After walking the hilly trails with heavy weight, I found my thighs experiencing the usual mild pain associated with a hard leg day. And my upper traps (the muscles you can see around your neck) took a huge hit when I was carrying high loads.

I was able to carry my heavy bag while going about my daily activities

I was able to carry my heavy bag while going about my daily life (The Independent / Harry Bullmore)

It’s not just exercise for your muscles

Strength is only one benefit that can come from kicking. You’ll also be calling your heart and lungs to work for cardio perks, and you’ll be working them harder than if you were walking with no weight.

Dr. Aguiar explains: “You have extra weight, and that extra weight costs you energy to move. “It will increase your oxygen consumption and heart rate if you try to maintain the same walking speed.”

To test this, I did three 1.2km loops of my uneven garden – once without a rucksack, once with 15kg and once with 35kg, all at the same speed. According to my Apple Watch, he burned an estimated 102 calories and my heart rate was 88bpm, while the last lap used 119 active calories and my heart rate was equal to 108bpm.

This may not be the most obvious difference, but I found this jump to be a week extension. Getting your heart rate up regularly can help improve cardiovascular health, and by getting it up you can reap this benefit.

As a regular exerciser, this last workout was not my favorite. But I got another unexpected benefit from my racking projects: I enjoyed the challenge.

“The benefits are physical as well as mental,” says Cihlar. “I always say that you don’t leave the house to ride the raki and come back in a bad mood. It’s a great way to clear your mind or get outside and get some fresh air, all the while getting a great bang for your buck in terms of time and exercise. ”

The more weight I used, the more difficult it was to walk

The more weight I used, the more difficult it was to walk (The Independent / Harry Bullmore)

The weight you use is important

Although it is the last on this list, this may be the most important point: pulling with a light bag feels very different from kicking with a heavy weight. That’s why it’s so important to find a weight that works for you, and adjust it depending on the type of work you’re doing.

Cihlar says he usually gives 30lb for men and 20lb for women (about 15kg and 10kg on UK plates) as the starting weights, but stresses how these weights are “not a starter for everyone”.

“You can really start with any backpack and put some weight in it, which could be your water bottle, some magazines, your snacks, whatever,” he says. ,” he says.

This can improve over time as your strength and fitness increases. Now, if you happily carry more than 5kg, it might be worth investing in some racking plates and a purpose-built bag for comfort.

“We also make our Rucker 4.0 rucksacks to be able to hold two plates, so if you’re a heavy hitter and you train to walk you can bump it up to 60lb or 75lb, Cihlar adds.

This heavy weight may cause you to adapt to the power, but you don’t want to lift a load that is too heavy for you and put yourself at risk.

“As long as you’re here [using a weight that means you’re] you can still walk and talk, as we say, then you’re good,” Cihlar sums up. Your heart rate will increase, but you should still be able to talk and breathe properly.

Personally, as a regular weightlifter weighing around 95kg, I found varying my rucksack between 15kg and 35kg to work for me, using a light load on long trips or random steps, and a very heavy general when I wanted to push myself.

These hard times would tire my muscles, and afterwards I would feel a touch in my thighs and traps. By the end of the week, carrying 15kg had become normal and I felt comfortable carrying it.

GoRuck GR2 backpack with 20lb and 30lb plates

GoRuck GR2 backpack with 20lb and 30lb plates (The Independent / Harry Bullmore)

Shall I continue kicking?

Even though my kicking challenge is over, my bag and plates are still at the front door. I don’t use them as religiously as I did on my seven-day trip – I don’t feel the need to pick them up for every trip, or hit a bump like heavy steps 10,000 a day – but I still get them to take my dog ​​to the park, among other businesses.

Why? Because I love being able to lift short legs to an impromptu workout, especially on busy days when it would be difficult to fit. I enjoy a challenge too, and I always feel better after a quick weight hike.

For these reasons and more, I hope that rucking is a form of exercise that is here to stay.

Read more: I tried the viral 75 soft fitness challenge – here’s what I learned

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