Plan to ruck

[three5x5s]

I stared doing stairs at work 3 weeks ago. Start in the basement then up 105 steps with 7 turn abouts to the 4th floor. I start at 8:00am making one trip up an hour stopping after the 2:00pm trip, for a total of 7 trips. Started walking at home 2 miles on Monday nights and Thursday nights last week. Its 1/2 mile down then 1/2 mile back up the other side, then back home. 32 mins round trip. My legs are pretty soar the next day. Should I NOT do the stairs on Tuesdays & Fridays to give my legs rest? Or do the stairs but slower, or push on. I'll add a weighted pack to the Monday-Friday walk as soon as I can do 4 miles in 60 mins. I have an extra 20 lbs on me for the stairs. I'm 66 years old.

Thanks

 

[wiscohunter123]

My personal opinion is that if you are soar then think about giving them a rest, but if you can handle it and not hurt yourself keep doing it and it will get better.

 

[mtwarden]

A little sore would be normal for starting a new regime; real sore—might want to back off a bit.

Rest and recovery are important components of any exercise regime. Also listening to your body.

Like I said, a little sore press on; real sore—might want to rest the legs a little.

 

[TaperPin]

You’ll eventually learn good sore from bad sore, but the faster you understand the difference the better off you’ll be. Muscles, joints and tendons all need to be worked, but they each have their limit and each person has different natural strengths and weaknesses. Muscle soreness is the least concerning, but can lead to other issues. A big one is going down hill with weak quads - it can cause the kneecap to rotate down and hit the bone causing a lot of pain that can take weeks to recover from. Be careful of only spending time on machines or stairwells - the ankle stresses when hiking over uneven terrain isn’t easily duplicated. At least for me joint pain is 99.9% overuse - push it and it can take months to recover, knowing when to take a break and in a few days it’s ancient history.

Legs are made for walking - I don’t know that limiting yourself to a few days a week is all that helpful unless you are really overdoing it.

 

[three5x5s]

I'm going by this plan "Rucking 101 by JB Outside.

He calls for rucking 2 days a week. If there are better plans to train me for mountain backpacking Please share. My only goal is to be better prepared.

 

[teamwhitebelly]

If possible wear your pack doing the steps. I did this at work on breaks and lunches. Best ruck I could get living in flat lands.

 

[mtwarden]

I'm going by this plan "Rucking 101 by JB Outside.

He calls for rucking 2 days a week. If there are better plans to train me for mountain backpacking Please share. My only goal is to be better prepared.

In my experience 2-3 times a week is plenty.

 

[three5x5s]

Thanks

 

[doc holiday13]

If possible wear your pack doing the steps. I did this at work on breaks and lunches. Best ruck I could get living in flat lands.

I brought my pack to work today. I walked 3 stairwells up and down in the parking garage. on 5 levels up, but better than nothing

 

[The_Jim]

Don’t discount rucking on flat ground. There is a lot to be gained from your body just becoming efficient with movement with that pack on. I would save the stairs for later and get efficient with that pack first on flat ground. Start light and slowly work your way up to 25%of your body weight to avoid injury.

Definitely avoid being really sore, but it’s also common to be sore when you start a new movement so you have to use some common sense.

 

[Grisha]

make sure you figure out what works well for a ruck sack. I ruck with 45lbs daily, I hate the purpose built ruck pack I have - plate digs into my back and they all hang off the shoulders. I would personally recommend a backpack w a good load distribution to hips and a sand bag inside.

 

[TNHunter18]

I don't have a bunch of elevation but I walk in a ditch on the side of our road. I feel like this helps with being unstable and not exactly flat vs just a road.