How Rucking Burns Fat: A Detailed Explanation

There are several reasons why rucking has become a popular exercise trend. One of them: it's an incredibly effective way to burn fat. But how exactly does carrying extra weight on your back lead to fat loss? There's real science behind why rucking is so effective for melting away pounds.

Rucking Burns a Ton of Calories

The most basic reason rucking burns fat is because it burns a lot of calories. The exact amount of calories depends on the weight you carry and how fast you walk, but expect to burn around 800-1000 calories per hour of rucking. This high-calorie burn makes sense when you consider that carrying a 20-50-pound (9-23 Kilograms) rucksack forces your body to work much harder with every step. Your legs, glutes, core, back, and shoulder muscles all engage to stabilize and propel your body forward against the extra resistance. This extra effort cranks up your calorie expenditure. For comparison, regular walking without weight burns just 200-300 calories per hour. So rucking provides a 3-5x bonus to your calorie expenditure, leading to greater fat loss over time. Amazing, right?

Rucking Keeps Your Metabolism Revved

Another reason rucking is so effective for fat loss is due to a phenomenon called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). What this means is that your metabolic rate remains elevated even after you finish your ruck. Studies show that high-intensity exercise like rucking can boost your metabolism for up to 48 hours post-workout. Your body needs extra energy to repair and grow muscle, refill depleted glycogen stores, and return to homeostasis. This keeps you burning extra calories and fat, even while sitting on the couch. Higher-intensity exercise causes a more pronounced EPOC effect. So upping your ruck weight and speed will lead to greater calorie burn after your workout is over.

Rucking Builds Metabolism-Boosting Muscle

The third reason rucking is excellent for fat loss is that it builds metabolism-boosting muscle. Carrying extra weight during your walks places your entire body under greater resistance. This provides a strength-training stimulus that leads to muscle growth. More muscle mass means you burn more calories and fat around the clock - even at rest. Every pound of muscle burns about 6 calories per day. So the more muscle you build with your ruck workouts, the faster your metabolism will be. Using heavier ruck weights, around 30-50% of your body weight, and focusing on good form will maximize strength and muscle gains to boost your resting calorie expenditure.

Rucking Mobilizes Fat Stores

Finally, rucking is effective at literally mobilizing fat stores so they can be burned for energy. Here's the science behind how it works: During low-intensity steady-state cardio like walking, your body mainly burns fat right alongside carbohydrates. But when exercise intensity increases, your body shifts to rely more on carbohydrates and less on fat for fuel. However, this doesn’t mean the fat is no longer being used. The drop in fat oxidation is accompanied by a rise in free fatty acids in your bloodstream. These are fatty acids “liberated” from your fat cells. So in essence, the high exertion of rucking releases stored triglycerides into your blood to be carried to the muscles and burned for energy. This direct tapping of fat stores is another reason rucking leads to impressive fat loss over time. The takeaway is that rucking is scientifically proven to fry fat through multiple mechanisms. The combination of a sky-high calorie burn, an EPOC effect, muscle building, and fat mobilization means pounds will steadily melt away when you commit to regular rucking workouts. Strap on a weighted pack and watch your fat burn!

Rucking Maximizes Fat Oxidation

We touched on how rucking liberates fatty acids into the bloodstream. But what happens to those free fatty acids? Many are transported to the muscles and oxidized for energy. Studies show low to moderate-intensity exercise, like a brisk ruck march, maximizes the body’s ability to directly oxidize fat. As exercise intensity increases, proportionately fewer fatty acids are oxidized. So keeping your ruck pace moderate, instead of trying to push too hard, allows more of the mobilized fat to be burned while you march. This effect enhances fat loss over time.

The Afterburn Lasts for Hours

We mentioned excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) earlier. What’s also notable about EPOC is that the metabolism-boosting effects can last for many hours after your workout. Research shows the duration of EPOC depends on exercise intensity and duration. More intense and longer workouts prolong the effects. In one study, metabolism remained elevated for a whopping 15 hours post-exercise after an intense 1-hour cycling session. Since rucking is highly demanding, expect your metabolism to stay fired up for 6-12 hours after your march. That means more fat-burning while sitting at your desk or sleeping!

Rucking Triggers Fat Loss Hormones

The body releases certain hormones during and after exercise that enhance fat burning. Two key hormones are epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine. As exercise intensity increases, your body secretes more of these hormones. They mobilize fats by stimulating your cells to release stored fatty acids into the bloodstream. They also drive fat breakdown in fat cells. The boost in these hormones while rucking and after makes it a powerful trigger for fat release and oxidation.

It Burns Visceral Fat

Rucking is extremely effective at targeting dangerous visceral fat – the kind that accumulates around your organs. Unfortunately, this deep abdominal fat is metabolically active and promotes inflammation, raising your risk for chronic disease. The good news is visceral fat is very responsive to exercise that burns a high number of calories. Since rucking torches so many calories, it’s been shown in studies to significantly reduce visceral fat. This can lead to a trimmer waistline.

Conclusion

In summary, rucking is scientifically proven to fry fat in multiple ways. It maximizes fat oxidation during exercise, prolongs EPOC, triggers fat-burning hormones, and targets visceral fat. Combined with its high-calorie burn, metabolism boost, and muscle-building effects, rucking is one of the most powerful weapons for melting fat. Strap on a rucksack, keep your march at a moderate pace, and watch the pounds disappear! Just be sure to also eat a healthy diet with a modest calorie deficit to fully unlock rucking's fat-blasting potential.