Your Rucking Stats:
Distance: — miles
Pace: — min/mile
Calories Burned (Estimate): — kcal
What is Rucking?
Rucking is the act of walking with a weighted backpack, often referred to as a "ruck." It's a fantastic form of exercise that combines cardiovascular conditioning with strength training. Unlike regular hiking, rucking typically involves a heavier load and can be done on various terrains, from city streets to rugged trails.
Benefits of Rucking:
- Full-Body Workout: Rucking engages multiple muscle groups, including your legs, core, and back, providing a comprehensive strength workout.
- Cardiovascular Health: The sustained effort of carrying weight improves heart health and endurance.
- Calorie Burning: Carrying extra weight significantly increases the number of calories you burn compared to unweighted walking.
- Mental Toughness: Pushing through challenging distances with a load builds resilience and mental fortitude.
- Low Impact: While weighted, rucking is generally lower impact than running, making it accessible to a wider range of fitness levels.
How to Get Started with Rucking:
- Choose a Ruck: Start with a comfortable backpack.
- Select a Weight: Begin with a lighter load, such as 10-20 lbs, and gradually increase as you get stronger. A common starting point is 10% of your body weight.
- Find a Route: Begin with shorter distances on flat terrain.
- Focus on Form: Keep your back straight, shoulders back, and engage your core.
- Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of water before, during, and after your ruck.
Rucking Calculator Explanation:
This calculator helps you understand key metrics of your rucking session. It takes into account the distance you covered, the weight of your ruck, your own body weight, and the time it took you to complete the distance. Based on these inputs, it estimates your pace and the number of calories you likely burned.
- Pace: Calculated by dividing the total time by the distance covered. This tells you how many minutes it took you to complete each mile.
- Calories Burned: This is an estimate based on MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) values for weighted walking. The formula typically considers body weight, ruck weight, and duration. It's important to note that this is an approximation, and actual calorie expenditure can vary.
Example Calculation:
Let's say you ruck 5 miles with a 30 lb ruck, your body weight is 170 lbs, and it took you 75 minutes.
- Pace: 75 minutes / 5 miles = 15 minutes per mile.
- Calories Burned (Estimate): Using a simplified MET value for weighted walking (e.g., ~8-10 METs depending on intensity and weight), and plugging in the values for distance, body weight, ruck weight, and time would yield an estimated calorie burn. For this example, it might be in the range of 600-800 kcal, depending on the exact MET formula used.
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function calculateRuckingStats() {
var distance = parseFloat(document.getElementById("distance").value);
var ruckWeight = parseFloat(document.getElementById("ruckWeight").value);
var carryingWeight = parseFloat(document.getElementById("carryingWeight").value);
var timeInMinutes = parseFloat(document.getElementById("timeInMinutes").value);
var displayDistanceElement = document.getElementById("displayDistance");
var displayPaceElement = document.getElementById("displayPace");
var displayCaloriesElement = document.getElementById("displayCalories");
// Clear previous results
displayDistanceElement.textContent = "–";
displayPaceElement.textContent = "–";
displayCaloriesElement.textContent = "–";
if (isNaN(distance) || distance <= 0 ||
isNaN(ruckWeight) || ruckWeight < 0 ||
isNaN(carryingWeight) || carryingWeight <= 0 ||
isNaN(timeInMinutes) || timeInMinutes <= 0) {
alert("Please enter valid positive numbers for all fields.");
return;
}
// Calculate Pace
var pace = timeInMinutes / distance;
displayPaceElement.textContent = pace.toFixed(2);
// Calculate Calories Burned (Estimated)
// This is a simplified estimation. Real calorie burn depends on many factors.
// MET value for brisk walking with a load can be roughly 8-10 METs.
// Let's use a MET of 9 for a moderate ruck.
var mets = 9;
// Total weight in kg = (carryingWeight + ruckWeight) / 2.20462
var totalWeightKg = (carryingWeight + ruckWeight) / 2.20462;
// Time in hours = timeInMinutes / 60
var timeInHours = timeInMinutes / 60;
// Calories = METs * bodyWeightKg * timeInHours
var caloriesBurned = mets * totalWeightKg * timeInHours;
displayCaloriesElement.textContent = caloriesBurned.toFixed(0);
// Display distance
displayDistanceElement.textContent = distance.toFixed(1);
}