In today's fitness world, rucking has been oversimplified as walking with weight. Rucking is a purposeful, loaded movement using a backpack to move yourself and equipment from one point to another. In military terms, it exists to get people and gear where they need to go without sacrificing capability. Rucking isn't the same as walking with weight. Rucking has intent, an intentional load, and a standard for how and why you move. If you’re carrying weight just because someone said it burns calories, that’s a weighted walk. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it isn’t rucking.

Rucking is safe for your knees and back when done correctly, but harmful when it’s done wrong. I know because I did it wrong first, going too heavy, too long, and too fast, and I paid for it with injuries. My body doesn't heal as fast as when I was in my 20's, so it was a setback. When I followed proper progression, rucking didn’t damage my knees; it fixed them. Walking under load keeps impact low while delivering consistent, controlled stress that improves joint nutrition through synovial fluid movement rather than breaking cartilage down. At the same time, it strengthens the muscles that protect your knees and spine, so force is absorbed by the structure, rather than dumped into joints. Rucking didn’t magically heal me, but disciplined progression changed everything. The free Recruit Training program inside the Semper Ruck community outlines safe progression and recovery from day one.

It depends on your goal. If your goal is speed or race performance, running is necessary. If your goal is durability, joint health, and long-term capability, rucking is often the better choice. Running delivers repeated high-impact forces. Rucking delivers a sustained load with lower impact per step. For many people over 40, that tradeoff allows consistent training without breaking down. The Semper Ruck system is built around that long-term tradeoff.

Light enough to move well. Heavy enough to matter. If you are new, movement comes first. Walk without weight until the distance feels normal. Then add the load gradually. Rucking is built on progression. Load, distance, pace, and terrain are trained one at a time, not all at once. The free Recruit Training program inside the Semper Ruck community lays out this progression step by step.

No. A backpack that fits and doesn’t bounce is enough to begin. Most people already own what they need.

As you progress, equipment becomes more important. Load increases, distance extends, and posture becomes non-negotiable. Gear should follow capability, not precede it. The Recruit Training program is designed so you can start without buying anything.