Does Rucking Burn Fat?

Let’s address the big question right away: Does rucking actually burn fat?

The short answer is yes! Rucking, which involves walking with a weighted backpack or rucksack, is an excellent way to torch calories, boost your metabolism, and engage multiple muscle groups. Plus, it’s an activity anyone can start, regardless of fitness level.

How Rucking Burns Fat: The Science Explained

Rucking is a fat-burning powerhouse when done right. Let’s break down the science of how rucking helps you shed unwanted pounds and improve your fitness.

1. Increased Calorie Burn with Added Weight

Carrying weight while walking forces your body to work harder, significantly increasing your calorie burn compared to regular walking. On average, rucking burns 25-50% more calories than walking at the same speed. The added resistance challenges your muscles and boosts your metabolism, making rucking a highly efficient workout for fat loss.

2. Harnessing the Fat-Burning Zone

While the “fat-burning zone” is often misunderstood, rucking hits the sweet spot for steady-state cardio (zone 2). It keeps your heart rate in a moderate range—ideal for burning calories primarily from fat stores while preserving muscle. Plus, rucking’s low-impact nature means you can maintain this pace for longer periods, maximizing fat-burning potential.

3. EPOC: Burning Calories After the Workout

Rucking isn’t just about what happens while you’re moving. After you finish a challenging ruck, your body continues to burn calories through a process called Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC). This “afterburn effect” occurs because your body works to restore oxygen levels and repair muscles, leading to extra calorie burn long after you’ve taken off your rucksack.

4. Muscle Engagement and Metabolism Boost

Rucking isn’t just a cardio workout—it also builds strength. Carrying a weighted backpack engages your core, shoulders, back, and legs, helping to build lean muscle. And here’s the kicker: muscle burns more calories at rest than fat does. By increasing your muscle mass, rucking boosts your resting metabolic rate, helping you burn more fat even when you’re not exercising.

Benefits of Rucking for Fat Loss

Rucking isn’t just effective for fat burning—it’s packed with additional benefits that make it a go-to workout for people of all fitness levels. Let’s dive into why rucking is an excellent choice for shedding fat while improving your overall health.

Low-Impact Yet High-Reward

One of the biggest perks of rucking is that it’s gentle on your joints. Unlike running or high-impact workouts, rucking reduces the risk of injuries while still delivering impressive calorie-burning results. This makes it a great option for beginners, people recovering from injuries, or anyone looking for a sustainable way to stay active and lose fat.

Total-Body Muscle Engagement

Rucking is more than just walking—it’s a full-body workout. The weight of the rucksack activates your:

• Leg muscles (quads, hamstrings, and calves) to power your steps.
• Core and back to stabilize your body against the extra load.
• Shoulders to support the rucksack.

This total-body engagement helps you build lean muscle, which in turn increases your metabolism and supports long-term fat loss.

Burn Calories Without the Burnout

Because rucking is a moderate-intensity activity, it’s easy to stick with for longer periods. You can ruck for an hour or more without feeling completely drained, which means you’ll burn more calories overall compared to short, high-intensity workouts.

Adaptable for All Fitness Levels

Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned athlete, rucking can be tailored to suit your needs. Start with a lighter pack and shorter distances, then gradually increase the weight or intensity as your fitness improves. This adaptability ensures that rucking remains challenging and effective for fat loss at any level.

Combines Fitness and Adventure

Rucking isn’t just a workout; it’s an adventure. You can ruck on trails, city streets, or even around your neighborhood. It’s a great way to stay active while enjoying fresh air, exploring new places, or even socializing with friends or rucking groups. The mental boost you get from rucking makes it easier to stick to your fitness routine, which is key for long-term fat loss success.

How to Maximize Fat Loss While Rucking

If you want to torch fat efficiently with rucking, it’s all about fine-tuning your approach. Here are some practical tips to help you get the most out of your rucking sessions and accelerate your fat loss journey. You can implement these on outdoor rucks or on a treadmill. 

1. Find Your Optimal Rucking Pace

To maximize fat burn, aim for a brisk pace that keeps your heart rate in the moderate-intensity zone. For most people, this means walking at about 3.5–4 mph. You should feel like you’re working hard but still able to hold a conversation. Maintaining this pace ensures you’re burning calories efficiently without overexerting yourself.

2. Choose the Right Weight for Your Goals

The weight of your rucksack has a big impact on your workout. As a rule of thumb:

• Start with 10-15% of your body weight if you’re new to rucking.
• Gradually increase the weight to 20-30% of your body weight as your strength and endurance improve.

More weight means more calorie burn, but don’t overdo it. Carrying too much weight can lead to poor form or injury, which will derail your progress.

3. Incorporate Hills or Inclines

Rucking on hilly terrain or using a treadmill with an incline is an easy way to intensify your workout and boost fat burning. Inclines engage your glutes, hamstrings, and calves more, increasing both calorie burn and muscle activation. Plus, climbing hills mimics the challenges of real-world movement, making your workout even more functional.

4. Add Interval Training

You can use intervals while rucking to up the intensity and torch more calories. Ruck running and ruck shuffling are great ways to increase your heart rate. Try alternating between:

• A fast pace for 2-3 minutes.
• A moderate pace for 1-2 minutes.

This mix of intensities increases your heart rate, making your body work harder and burning more fat in less time.

Comparing Rucking to Other Fat-Burning Workouts

Rucking stands out as a versatile, fat-burning workout, but how does it measure up against other popular activities? Let’s break down the differences so you can see why rucking deserves a spot in your fitness routine.

Rucking vs. Walking

• Calories Burned: Rucking burns 30-50% more calories than walking because of the added weight. For example, a 150-pound person walking at 3.5 mph burns about 240 calories per hour, while rucking with 20 pounds can push that to 360 calories or more.
• Muscle Engagement: Walking mainly works your lower body, but rucking engages your shoulders, core, and back muscles, making it a more comprehensive workout.
• Accessibility: Both are beginner-friendly, but rucking offers a faster path to noticeable results due to the higher intensity.

Rucking vs. Running

• Impact on Joints: Running is a high-impact activity that can be hard on your knees and ankles. Rucking, by contrast, is low-impact and much gentler on your body.
• Calorie Burn: Running burns slightly more calories per hour than rucking, but rucking’s resistance aspect helps you build muscle, which boosts your metabolism over time.
• Longevity: Many people find rucking more sustainable because it’s less taxing on the body and can be done for longer periods without fatigue or injury.

Rucking vs. Traditional Weightlifting

• Cardio and Strength Combo: Rucking combines the calorie-burning benefits of cardio with the muscle-building benefits of resistance training, whereas weightlifting focuses primarily on building strength.
• Calorie Burn: While weightlifting builds muscle, it doesn’t burn as many calories during the workout itself. Rucking, with its cardio component, gives you more immediate fat-burning benefits.
• Accessibility: You don’t need a gym or fancy equipment to ruck—just a sturdy backpack and some weight.

Rucking vs. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

• Intensity: HIIT is great for short, intense calorie burns but can be intimidating or unsustainable for beginners. Rucking provides a steady, moderate-intensity workout that’s easier to stick with.
• Sustainability: Rucking can be done multiple times a week with minimal risk of burnout or injury, whereas overdoing HIIT can lead to fatigue.
• Afterburn Effect: Both rucking and HIIT create an EPOC (afterburn) effect, but rucking’s strength component adds long-term metabolic benefits.

Rucking vs. Cycling

• Calorie Burn: Both rucking and cycling burn a similar amount of calories, but rucking has the added benefit of engaging your upper body and core due to the weight.
• Accessibility: Cycling requires a bike and often specific terrain, while rucking can be done anywhere, making it more versatile.
• Terrain Challenge: Like cycling uphill, rucking on inclines increases intensity and calorie burn, but rucking is typically easier to adapt for all fitness levels.

Wrap-up

So, does rucking burn fat? Absolutely. Rucking is a powerful, accessible, and sustainable workout that combines calorie-burning cardio with muscle-building resistance training. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned athlete, rucking provides a unique way to torch fat, build strength, and boost your overall fitness—all while exploring the outdoors or staying social with a rucking group.

The beauty of rucking lies in its simplicity: all you need is a sturdy backpack, some weight, and a willingness to put one foot in front of the other. It’s a workout you can tailor to your fitness level, making it a perfect choice for anyone looking to lose fat and keep it off.