We Must Undergo A Hard Winter Training
1 January 2024
I promised I wasn’t going to get all philosophical like I do on my other substack Think. Read. Write. Repeat. but today’s title is from the stoic Epictetus’s Discourses who said, “We must undergo a hard winter training and not rush into things for which we haven’t prepared.”
That sounds like pretty fucking good advice.
OK, so it’s 2024. You probably told yourself that this was the year you would make some changes, take selection, run an ultra, get in shape, or get in better shape, or get in the best shape of your life, or whatever.
If the sun is high in the sky and you’re lying in bed reading this with a splitting headache — you’re not off to a great start.
My suggestion is to get up, drink water, put a ruck on your back, and get outside. Even one mile is more than you want to do, and that is better than nothing.
I’m not saying it will make you feel better, but it beats starting the new year off with a failure.
Doing something is always better than doing nothing.
I’ve had a ton of questions already asking what this substack is about and requests for specific information, so I figured I’d start by answering the questions I get most often.
I’ll move these to a Fucking Frequently Asked Question section and add to it as we go.
First the basics:
What the fuck is a ruck?
Ruck Noun: backpack, knapsack, rucksack, haversack, bergen, etc. A bag with shoulder straps that you put heavy things in. I don’t care what you called it before. Here we call it a ruck.
What the fuck is ‘to ruck’?
Ruck Verb: Hike, March, Yomp (for the Brits). Putting weight in the ruck, putting it on, and going. Although it may not be definitionally accurate, we will call any time you are moving under a load ‘rucking’ because there is value in carrying unwieldy asymmetric loads as demonstrated by Arnold in his tour-de-force performance in ‘Commando’. We will also talk a lot about other types of carrying because it’s good for you.
What the fuck kind of ruck do I need?
The ruck you have is better than the one you want. By that, I mean that the old Jansport you used to carry books in is better than the super-awesome ruck you can’t afford right now.
Granted, the Jansport will likely be uncomfortable and won’t last long if you load it down, but if you start rucking with 15 lbs in your Jansport and stop spending $7.00 a day on your damn chocolate mochaccino, in 30 days you will have enough to buy a decent ruck.
It really comes down to what you need the ruck to do. If it is just for fitness, you will want a different ruck than if you plan to use it as a carry-on, or if you love backpacking.
I’m planning on a whole series of posts on ruck selection, so before you drop a chunk of change on one you may want to wait.
But if you are saying, “John, I can’t wait. I have Christmas money from Grandma burning a hole in my pocket and I need to start rucking now.”
I am currently rocking the GoRuck Rucker 4. If you click the image below it will take you to the GoRuck Ruck-finder page.
If you are affiliated with the Military, Law enforcement, Fire, Medical, Government, or Education, you can sign up for a GOVX account which will get you 20% off.
If you are not, I suggest checking out 2% with Michael Easter (which you should all be reading anyway). You can get 10% off.
How the fuck much weight do I need?
That totally depends on how fucking strong you are. Standard ruck weight will probably fall somewhere between 15 and 45 lbs. If you weigh less than 150 start with 15-20. If you weigh more, start with more. If you are preparing for a military selection, get comfortable with 45 lbs plus water.
Whatever weight you start with, you should be able to walk upright, not hunched over like Quasimodo.
What the fuck should I use for weight?
Use whatever you have that weighs what you need: weight plates, dumbells, kettlebells, and rocks are all good. One gallon of water (much like the human head according to the Jerry McGuire kid) weighs 8 lbs.
—No, your honor, at no point did I suggest using human heads for ruck weight.
Again, you can purchase weights made for rucking, but it is an unnecessary expense if you’re getting started.
You can get a 50lb bag of sand for 5 bucks at Lowes, or you can go to the beach, or your neighbor’s kids’ sandbox and get it for free, or you can find a toddler (if it isn’t your toddler, ask for permission).
If you go with the sand route, split it up into large zip-top bags and wrap them in duct tape (I plan to make a video about this). This allows you to build: 1-20 lb, 2-10 lb, and 2-5 lb weights which gives you the ability to go anywhere between 5-50 lbs in 5 lb increments.
If you need to convert your Pounds to Kilos
Shouldn’t you tell me to check with my fucking doctor before I start rucking?
A) I’m not your fucking Mom.
B) I like to follow the principle of “Let your conscience be your guide and your ass be the scoreboard.”
C) But, because there is one of you litigious sons-of-bitches out there who will try to sue me for pulling a hammy, see your doctor if it makes you feel better.
How the fuck far should I go?
A little farther than you think is wise, then turn around and walk back. A massive benefit of rucking is that in addition to increasing cardiovascular endurance, strength, and bone density, you build mental toughness by continuing when your shoulders get sore or your calves are hurting and you want to stop.
Now what I didn’t say was to be a fucking idiot and go too far or too fast too soon. That takes us back to “Let your conscience be your guide and your ass be the scoreboard.”
How fucking fast should I go?
The standard in the military is usually 15 minutes per mile. The average person's walking pace is around 20 minutes per mile. If you are much slower than this, consider dropping some ruck weight.
How fucking frequently can I ruck?
You can ruck every day without ill effects, but rucking should be a part of a well-rounded fitness program consisting of running, swimming, lifting heavy things, etc.
If you already have a fitness program, I suggest adding 1-2 days per week of rucking in place of another cardio session.
You can also consider throwing on a relatively light ruck for any morning or after-dinner walk that you currently take or adding a few pounds to your school or work ruck.
I’ll be adding more rucking-specific workouts as we go.
That should be enough to get us started. Thanks for reading.
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Get after it!
fuckin' a.