Weekly Ruck #1

 As I watched my daughter perform a perfect squat, lug around a water bottle that weighed around a quarter of her bodyweight, fall over and then bounce back up like nothing happened, a question occurred to me. When do we lose the ability to do this? Why is it so common for a task, that my two year old daughter can do without thinking, to be so hard for an average American adult?  I believe the answer is actually pretty simple. When you don’t use it, you lose it. Kindergarten usually begins at the age of 5 or 6. From there kids go through a relentless cycle of sitting on a bus to get to school, sitting all day at school and then sitting and staring at screens while at home. Couple this with an all but disappearing physical education curriculum, Americans are quite literally forgetting how to squat and crawl and carry things.

 I named my website Carry and Crawl because that is where the basis of human movement starts and I believe crawling and carrying heavy things are missing links in many training programs. It is fairly straightforward to see how adding these movements into a general health and fitness program carry over to everyday life. If you add a bear crawl into your daily warm up, playing/chasing around your 2 yr old will be easier and more enjoyable. If you work up to a bodyweight farmer’s carry, all of sudden carrying in the weeks groceries will be a breeze. The interesting part is adding these movements into an athletes program. I like to call it the WTF factor.

 I first came across this while I was in the Marine Corps training for my second deployment. I was with 3rd Battalion 7th Marines Scout Sniper Platoon, Shadow. The guys in Shadow had a tendency to be pretty competitive, go figure. The gym on base had a set of kettle bells that went up to a preposterous 203lbs. One day a buddy of mine and I decided to see who could carry the pair of them the farthest. Now, 406 lbs of awkward, thick handled KBs banging into the side of my legs was quite the challenge but it became a pretty routine thing for us to challenge each other with. The amazing part was our deadlifts went up, running the hills during our battalion runs seemed easier and the 80lb rucks that we routinely humped around the field weren’t as brutal. Even my 3 mile run time, easily my least favorite part of the Marine Corps physical test, improved. WTF. Legendary strength coach Dan John sums it up pretty well,  “The loaded carry does more to expand athletic qualities than any other single thing I’ve attempted in my career as a coach and athlete.”

 Applying it. When it comes to weighted carries and crawls you are only limited by your imagination. I like to start simple and add variations over time. The bear crawl is one of the best ways to warm up the entire body quickly and efficiently. Simple crawl 10-20 yards forward keeping your back nice and flat and moving alternate arms and legs. Reverse the motion back to the starting line. Add in some deep goblet squats, hip bridges, some push-ups and you should be ready to roll.  The basic farmers carry is a great place to start. Grab two weights, stand tall and walk. You can go for time, distance, or weight but the important part is to continually switch it up. Bodyweight for 50 yards is a standard I set for all my clients; double bodyweight for at least 50 yards for athletes/military/LEO/fire fighters.

Thanks for joining me on the first addition of the Weekly Ruck. Until next time crawl around, find something heavy and carry it.