The Dangers of Running While Rucking

Some people make the mistake of trying to run while wearing rucksacks loaded with weight. However, running while rucking can lead to a number of potential injuries and other issues that are important to understand before attempting it. Carrying the extra weight of a rucksack changes your normal running form and adds additional stress to your body with each stride. This increases your risk of falls or sprains, overuse injuries, muscular imbalances, reduced running performance, dehydration, and overheating. While it is possible to incorporate short rucking segments into runs safely with proper precautions, at Ruckliving we advise avoiding running with weight altogether due to the inherent risks.

Increased Risk of Falls and Sprains

One of the biggest dangers of running with a rucksack is the high risk of falling and spraining your ankles or wrists. The extra weight on your back shifts your center of gravity backwards, making it much easier to lose your balance, especially on uneven terrain. Falls while running with weight on your back often lead to bad sprains or even fractures in the hands and ankles as you instinctively try to catch yourself.

The rigid frame of a hiking backpack also restricts natural arm swing while running, which makes it harder to maintain stability. The combination of these factors means falling is a real danger any time you try to run with a loaded pack. A simple stumble that would lead to a stubbed toe without a ruck can turn into a disastrous spill once you add 20 or 30 extra pounds on your back.

Increased Strain on Lower Body

Running is a high-impact activity by itself, but carrying extra weight adds even more strain on your legs, knees, and ankles with each stride. This compounds the stress of both the running and the load you are carrying, leading to a much higher risk of overuse injuries. Shin splints, stress fractures, Achilles tendinitis, IT band syndrome, runner's knee, and plantar fasciitis are some of the most common chronic injuries that can develop or be aggravated by the added weight of running while rucking.

Sudden increases in mileage or running speed also further increase injury risk if you try to run with a heavy rucksack. The best way to avoid these types of overuse injuries is to keep your running progression gradual and avoid carrying excess weight whenever possible. Save the rucking for your hiking days and keep your running days light.

Poor Running Form and Muscle Imbalances

Adding a loaded rucksack changes your normal running form, posture, and movement patterns. The extra weight behind your upper body forces you to lean forward, disrupting proper alignment. This places more stress on your back and core muscles to keep you upright against the backward pull of the pack. It also throws off the natural motion of your arms, which helps drive your stride and maintain balance.

Over time, running with a rucksack can create muscular imbalances as your body adapts to the abnormal posture. Your back and anterior shoulder muscles have to work much harder to stabilize your upper body against the load (read more about the correct posture for rucking here). At the same time, your hip flexors, glutes, and hamstrings have to put in more effort to drive your legs with the added resistance. This ultimately leads to some muscles becoming overworked and tight, while others become underused and weak. Restoring normal muscular balance requires stopping the strain of running with weight and targeted stretching and strengthening.

Decreased Running Performance and Speed

Even for experienced runners, carrying extra weight in a rucksack noticeably decreases running efficiency and speed. The heavy load forces your upper body to work harder, which leaves less energy to drive your leg turnover. The constant backward pull also makes it much harder to maintain proper upright posture as fatigue sets in. This gradually slows your pace and running economy.

Most runners see at least a 10-15% drop in their normal running speed when carrying a 20-30 pound pack. Heavier load weights of 40 pounds or more can slow runners down by 20% or more, even for short distances. The impact is most noticeable on hills, which require extra effort that is hard to maintain with a heavy rucksack on. For those training for a race or trying to meet certain pace goals, running with weight just doesn't allow you to perform at the level you're capable of without it.

Dehydration and Overheating

Running generates a lot of heat and sweat, especially during warmer weather. Carrying a rucksack during a run only increases the heat stress on your body. The backpack traps heat close to your core and prevents air circulation across your back to cool you down. Dehydration also sets in much faster when running with a pack due to the extra work your body has to perform against the added resistance.

This combination of overheating and dehydration can progress quickly into heat exhaustion or heat stroke without proper precautions. These dangerous conditions can lead to vomiting, confusion, and loss of consciousness, and require emergency medical treatment. To avoid heat-related illness while running with weight, maintain a slow pace, run only in cooler conditions, and stay well-hydrated before, during, and after your run.

Tips for Safe Running While Rucking

While running with a rucksack does pose some inherent risks, it is possible to safely incorporate short rucking segments into runs with proper precautions:

• Use a lightweight, low-profile rucksack designed for running rather than a bulky hiking pack

• Keep loads under 10-15 pounds to minimize change to form and decrease injury risk

• Run on flat, even surfaces free of obstacles and debris to prevent falls

• Slow your pace significantly and avoid sudden accelerations or hill running

• Focus on maintaining upright posture and short, shuffle-like strides

• Run only 1-2 miles at a time with a pack to limit heat and dehydration issues

• Build up slowly over time as your body adapts to the added weight

• Avoid running with a pack on consecutive days to allow recovery between sessions

• Monitor for hot spots and chafing where the pack rubs your body

• Stay hydrated and run in cooler conditions to prevent overheating

While running with weight may seem like a way to increase the intensity of your runs, the risks usually outweigh any potential training benefits. The best option is to keep your running and rucking workouts completely separate the majority of the time. But if you do want to occasionally incorporate short rucking segments, take steps to minimize injury and overuse risks. Listen to your body, build up slowly over time, and focus on proper form and posture.

Rucking offers many great benefits as a lower-impact endurance activity. However, most experts advise against trying to run with weight due to the high injury risks and reduction in running efficiency. Just because an activity like rucking has grown in popularity does not mean every training method or practice associated with it is inherently safe or advisable. Use sound judgment and take a gradual, cautious approach if you want to attempt to integrate some running into your rucking workouts.

The Benefits of Traditional Rucking Approaches

While running with a rucksack has some definite drawbacks, sticking to traditional rucking techniques offers many advantages. Here are some of the top benefits of slower-paced rucking using purpose-designed backpacks and loads:

Improved Cardiovascular Endurance

Hiking long distances with a weighted pack is a proven way to build exceptional cardiovascular stamina and aerobic capacity. The constant load forces your heart to work harder to fuel sustained effort over many miles. Over time, your cardiovascular system adapts to become more efficient at transporting oxygen throughout your body.

Increased Muscular Strength

The extra resistance of a loaded pack requires greater exertion from your core, back, shoulder, and leg muscles to power each step. This progressive overload strengthens muscles, connective tissues, and bones to improve functional fitness. Carrying weight while walking also helps correct muscular imbalances and posture issues.

Enhanced Mental Toughness

Completing long ruck marches over rough terrain with a heavy load requires intense mental stamina. Pushing through fatigue and discomfort forges grit, determination, self-discipline, and resilience. These mental skills translate well to other challenging endeavors.

Full-Body Functional Training

Rucking involves your entire body acting in unison to walk with weight for extended periods. This total-body challenge builds functional fitness by training muscles to work together naturally versus isolation training. It also complements more focused strength work like weightlifting.

Lower Injury Risk

Compared to running while weighted down, traditional lower-intensity rucking poses minimal injury risk when done carefully. The slow walking pace and full range of motion actually help active recovery from higher-impact training. The buildup is still gradual, but joint and muscle issues are rare.

Camaraderie and Community

Rucking often occurs in group settings, especially in military and tactical training environments. Shared challenges build camaraderie and a sense of community. Having companions on long treks also provides motivation to keep going strong.

So while running with a ruck has some risks and disadvantages, traditional rucking offers many benefits. Focus your running workouts on speed and form. Then enjoy slower-paced long ruck marches to build endurance, strength, mental toughness and camaraderie. Use the right training tool for the right goal.

Closing Thoughts

Rucking's popularity as an intense fitness activity makes it tempting to try and integrate it into other types of training, like running. However, as outlined above, running while wearing a weighted rucksack has some distinct risks and disadvantages that must be considered. While possible in limited doses with precautions, most experts recommend avoiding running with rucksacks altogether.

By understanding the differences between running and rucking, you can tailor your training plan to take advantage of the unique benefits of each, without compromising form, function, or safety. Ultimately, the smartest approach is to keep these two activities separate the majority of the time.

Listen to your body, take it slow with any new training method, and focus on proper progression. With some prudence and patience, you can safely condition your body and mind to take on the most demanding endurance challenges over time. Just don't try to rush the process by combining heavy rucking with running before you are ready.