Military Muscle: Improve your ruck march in just 4 months - Military Off Duty, Army Health, military fitness, army physical fitness - Army Times

Military Muscle: Improve your ruck march in just 4 months

Over the years, I’ve helped hundreds of people improve their ruck marching skills.

So if you’ve been out of the game for more than four months, or you’re just starting out, this program should put you on the right path.

Why would someone need to follow a specific program for something that seems so simple? It’s necessary for adaptation. Your bones, connective tissue and muscles need to get used to the load you’re carrying on your back.

If you do not follow a program, the body does not adapt properly and problems occur.

But if you follow this program, you can avoid that fate. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Make sure your kit fits and that you are wearing it properly.

2. Do two marches per week — a slow march and a fast march — separated by two to three days. Monday and Friday would work.

3. Your pace for the slow march should allow you to hold a steady conversation through the march.

4. During your fast march, the pace should limit you to speaking in quick bursts, and you should be just out of breath the entire time. You should not be marching as fast as you can — you have to build load-bearing capacity first.

5. Make sure you’re getting at least eight hours of sleep and eating plenty of carbohydrates. No creatine or protein powder — just lots of organic carbs and water.

6. Wear uncushioned boots — cushion causes joint instability and will cause severe microtrauma and fatigue.

7. Do not alter the body weight percentages outlined in the accompanying chart. Stick to the plan.

8. Do not exceed 40 percent of your body weight.

9. After completing this plan, do one march per week with 40 percent of body weight for at least 10 miles to maintain your conditioning. High-repetition swings with a dumbbell will reduce this requirement.

16-week program

Here’s a chart that will take you through 16 weeks of twice-a-week ruck marches:

Week       % of BW       Miles       Daily pace

1       20       5       Slow/fast

2       20       5       Fast/slow

3       25       5       Slow/fast

4       25       5       Fast/slow

5       30       5       Slow/fast

6       30       5       Fast/slow

7       35       5       Slow/fast

8       35       5       Fast/slow

9       40       5       Slow/fast

10       40       5       Fast/slow

11       40       6       Slow/fast

12       40       8       Slow/fast

13       40       10       Slow/fast

14       40       12       Slow/fast

15       40       14       Slow/fast

16       40       16       Slow/fast

Nate Morrison is an Air Force pararescueman staff sergeant. He is a military fitness expert and founder of an online fitness magazine.