What is the limit on how many times I can do a week and maximum weight, say, if I want to train for a ruck march and not fucked up my knees and joints when I'm old?
>>76641057What branch, what program, what MOS. Dont be afraid to say ROTC.
>>76641060marine, enlisted inf, rifleman
>>76641057Rucking is poison for the knees if done regular over a longer period of time. My advice would be one march a week, start light and get heavier from week to week till you reach around 30 pounds/15 kg. Pause for several weeks and start over.
>>76641057First of all, there are a million videos online and most of them are actually decent quality about how to build a rucking routine. There have been enough guys who have fucked up their knees and enough guys who have avoided fucking up their knees that they pretty much have it down to a science at this point.The truth:1. Youre going to fuck up your knees to some degree. There is no way to safely run or even march (over a long distance) with 70+ lbs extra on your body. Talk to anyone whos ever been in Special Forces, they all have fucked up knees. Your back is the second biggest risk, and if youve never had sciatica, trust me when I say you dont want it.2. You dont have to fuck up your knees and back. Most cases of fucked up knees and spines are 95% avoidable if you take proper precaution, use proper form, and actually train/exercise for what you intend to do.Rules:1. Take care of your feet - Look up a few articles on proper foot care. Take advice from hikers, runners, and vets.2. Listen to hikers and runners. Every single one of them knows more than you do.3. Dont take anything as gospel. 4. If you dont work out, start. PT doesnt count. Also, make sure to incorporate PT into your routine so it doesnt interfere with rest days.5. If you train for rucking, start slow. DONT jump into it with 70+ lbs on your back. Start with like 20 to 35 tops. Ruck at least once a week and make sure to give yourself time to recover.6. The time to get good at rucking is about the same time to get good at lifting. It doesnt happen overnight. You will start to see results in a few months and start to be good at it in a few years. Remember the tortoise and the hare; LONG HAUL NOT SHORT TERM PROFIT.7. Running? You want "weight on your shoulders" Hiking/Marching? You want weight on your hipsI am not an expert, and I was never in the military. I am a hiker and was kicked out of ROTC for a genetic condition. >>76641079Have fun retard. Wish I could have been a ZOGbot.
>>76641057All you need is general strength and endurance and you don’t practise that by rucking. I was into sports before I joined the army and only started lifting in the army. Had no issue rucking all day long. Just change your socks every hour so you don’t get splinters.
>>76641057TheKneesOverToesGuy Ben Patrick Athletic Truth Group has a decent program to build up you knees' resiliency do whitstand more or less anything>you need 1 or 2 years though that's the downside
>>76641057I feel like a pussy everytime I say this but it doesn't make it untrue - you should never ruck unless you absolutely have to, even moreso if you are actually in the armed forces (or plan to be soon). There is a set amount of punishment your knees and joints can take, and although I'd be lying if I said rucks didn't make you fitter in some ways, the physical cost to your body in the long term is not worth it. Practise long-distance running and endurance, calisthenics/bodyweight work, and unironically do shit like pilates or some form of organised stretch work to keep yourself limber and flexible. The best way to train for rucking and military-oriented functional strength is, ironically, not actually by rucking. Most actual serving personnel will tell you the same. Rucking's primary purpose is more in terms of testing your mental resilience rather than as a form of physical training.
>>76641214this isn't me saying that we should get rid of rucking by the way - at the end of the day it remains an essential part of military training and a real crucible to test your mental and physical resilience. But doing it when you don't 'need' to is retarded.
>>76641057>What is the limit on how many times I can do a week and maximum weight, say, if I want to train for a ruck march and not fucked up my knees and joints when I'm old?>FrequencyIf you're using a 7 day schedule, do 4 days.If you're using a 5 day schedule, do 3 days.Recover or do some running between ruck days.>DurationSave 1 day a week for distance, use time as your duration marker for the rest of the days.Start with a minimum of 30 mins, if needed, and build up to a minimum of 1 hour for your timed days, and add time as needed.>WeightStart with 35% of body weight for a light range load.45% for a mid range.50% + for a heavy range.Use the light loads to build on the mid and heavy days. Use the mid or heavy load for your distance days.>PaceUse 15 minutes per mile, or less, as the pace for your distance days, and use your training days to build up to that. Take at least one day using a heavy load to build general leg strength and endurance and just walk at a comfy pace.>distanceFor your distance days start with 6-8 miles, build up to 10, 12, 15, and as far as you need until you have a reliable short, mid, and long distance range that fits your needs.>terrainFind a nice hill you can use and just walk up and down that motherfucker. Flats don't develop you the way hills do. Use the same hill to do your running on.When I attended an advanced land nav course, my schedule was pretty much the above. I'd ruck out to my hill of choice, walk up and down that fucker for an hour, then walk back. On non ruck days I'd run out to the hill, run up and down that bitch, then run back. Every week I did at least one distance ruck. Too easy.Carb loading, carb drinks, and carb snacks help make the hour + movements a lot less of a pain in the ass. Stay hydrated before, during, and after.Good luck.
>>76641060Why would anyone be afraid to say ROTC?At least they are doing something with their life instead if being a burnout who is a disappointment to their parents
>>76641099You sound like you know what you're talking aboutFlat feet - problem or no? Special care/precautions required?
>>76641057When I was in the military we ruck marched a lot in basic training and then maybe once or twice a month for unit PT. The most important thing by far was having comfortable boots. I had my issued boots which gave me blisters in the first quarter mile. Once I bought some after market (but still uniform approved) boots it really changed the game. Practice walking faster than you would naturally. Always push your pace because if youre training for military you will be surprised at how fast you are expected to walk. It can be be damn near a jogging pace. Fortunately most people arent great at ruck marching so if you are just slightly above average by training you will never stand out and be a target for your training cadre. If you arent doing this for the military then wtf are you doing? You also dont want to stand out by being a superstar because you might get stuck in a turbo group a where you are absolutely demolished and put with a top group of guys in the best shape. This sucks because it turns what would otherwise be a leisurely ruck march into a fucking slog. I dont enjoy ruck marching but due to my MOS when I got to my unit out of basic I was in fantastic shape compared to the regulars and they stuck me in the high speed group A and I got destroyed by people who take their fitness very seriously. It would have been a lot easier to go with the regular group of under achievers lol.
>>76641285speaking from experience having been part of the british equivalent of the ROTC (we call it the UOTC or universities officer training corps) - militaries tend to have a potent unofficial hierarchy of dick measuring based on how "real" you are (and frankly it's fairly justified). Cadet officers, as much as we do do some pretty hefty training in our own right (dependent on how much your unit cares and how well connected it is), are generally told to shut the fuck up and feel bad about themselves for existing by every other military branch. Half of the reason I'm joining the actual reserves now alongside my masters rather than doing another year of OTC with my new university is so that I can be a part of a "real" unit.tl dr yeah ROTC/OTC is imo an admirable commitment but for people actually involved you're taught to be ashamed of it
>>76642121can I ask what MOS anon? never heard anyone sound so positive about rucking so I'm curious lol
Don't be an idiot like the dude on the left and have your ruck so low. The higher, the easier it is to carry. I'd say once a week with training.
>>76641613NTA but I was almost denied entry for my nearly flat feet. But I went into the infantry and became a marching machine. It was the one PT thing I was really good at, and I crushed every march I went on.That said, don't ruck outside of what your unit makes you ruck. Your induction training will easily get you where you need to be, and your unit training schedule will keep you there. It's not something that requires a lot of training, and you get rapidly diminishing returns from over training and risk injury. And you WILL grind your knees down over time.
>>76642535Also, rucking is largely about mental resilience. Regular PT will give you all the cardio you could ever use for rucking and then some. If you have a good technique (your stride, rhythm, foot placement), good boots, and a correctly worn pack, then all you need to keep going is the right mental attitude.
>>76641613>You sound like you know what you're talking aboutI was really enthusiastic for the semester I was in>Flat feet - problem or no? Special care/precautions required?Yes. I have flat feet too. Wear your orthotics (if you need them) and take extra special care because your arch likely isnt as strong and more of your foot is in direct contact with the boot.
>>76641057>times a weekDo it every 10-15 days max unless you have an imminent selection event coming up that you're programming for. Rucking speed and endurance tracks very well with your lower body strength and running workouts so just focus on those most of the time. You absolutely can get used to heavy rucking and even ruck running, but you have to approach the issue gradually and in a way you can recover from following each session. Try sissy squats to strengthen the little muscles in your knees and tibia raises to prevent shin splints, and for your rucks, only change on variable at a time (weight/distance/pace).
>Water>Omega 3 (preferably cod liver oil)>Vitamin C>Stretch on a regular basisAll in all just do the damn thing, no need to worry about it but if you need to just adjust your harm reduction efforts to your age, how long you want to stay in, and bodyweight, IE if your over 6ft 180 lbs don't worry at all as the pack is not a smaller percentage of your body weight.Remember vets love to complain about literally everything as it helps them justify the disability they cried to the doctor at the VA for so don't believe everyone that says their back and knees are bad because of the Marines.
>>76641057Not a military man at all here, but i did get a 100 on the policemans exam. Anyway this summer i bought an inflatable paddleboard, it's a good 40 pounds, and it's actually almost more exhausting carrying the thing a mile and a half - 2 miles to the water, than it is rowing on the water. So maybe try that, cause it's heavy, but less straining, personally I walked 3 and a half miles today with that fucker on my back then rowed another 4 and im semi catatonic on my couch right now.
>>76642812Retard.
>>76641057>>76641079Why would you become a ZOGbot?>>76641218No. It should be gotten rid of. No soldier needs 72 hours worth of all purpose equipment ever. Nor do they need even 24 hours of all purpose gear.We don’t live in the Mesolithic we don’t need “wholistic Swiss Army knife independent operations” soldiers.We need squads of 12-15 men and enough ammo to supply four fire teams.The Germans figured it out in WWII. Cut that shit about “every man a Rambo” and load up on ammunition.How many times does ANYTHING in a 24 hour kit even see any use at all? Never.US forces and procurement is run by boy scout boomers who watched Rambo.Should be run by Neo-Nazis trying to rebuild the Volksgrenadiers.
>>76643062Of course, considering the Nazi's did so well in the only war they fought.
>>76642908Too much activity pussy? Post body.
>>76641057Isn’t the best solution to be lean as fuck? If the problem is additional weight straining your knees, feet and spine why not just lose 10kg of fat first?
>>76643127They kicked the shit out of three world spanning empires and two industrial superpowers with a country the size of Montana whose primary mode of transport was horse and cart.Whatever their economic or policy failures were; their military record is near mythical standing with the greats like Sparta, Hannibal, Rome, Napoleon, and Alexander.
>>76641214Ruckings a full body workout, the only thing is how much weight and how far you going.For most people 65lbs is the heaviest you'll ever need, and that's just walking
>>76641057Like any other exercise you need to work in lower impact or rest days. It is more akin to running and you can train almost every day.Just pay attention to your joints and rest them when they become inflamed. A little inflammation is okay, but you should not overtrain through inflammation because that's when you start damaging cartilage.
>>76642392Rucking isnt that bad overrall, its just an earlier start to the day and if you are combat arms you are likely to do it once a week, as a 13b and airborne it was an everywednsday thing, with it being 6 miles and doing something st the halfway point or 8-9 miles purely rucking, and some of these fuckers are easily doing the 4mph the entire time meanwhile army standard is 12 miles in 4 hours
>>76643127To be fair they were fighting a 3 front war, societs and their horde mentality, rest of europe with higher quality gear and training compared to the soviets and were getting gear and stuff from the americans before they joined the war and then a comoletely fresh USA came in giving a llvitsl boost to the other allied forces, you may not like them but you greatly underestimate their military capability
>>7664326710kg of fat on the body is not the same as 19kg pack on your back, its the way it sits on the body and such
>>76643062>The Germans figured it out in WWII.You mean the guys that still relied on horses for transportation, bolt action rifles, and slave labor to create their war supplies?O.K.....
>>76643427t. delusional
