rucking

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 8, Day 4

Shoulders and back day in the gym before heading off to do a 5-mile rucksack march. Conduct the ruck over varied terrain and remember to hydrate throughout. After unseasonably high temps yesterday and a muddy mess on the trail, the colder more typical January weather should have everything frozen back solid.

It is a good habit to get used to hydrating while rucking and a needed one for the time when you’re in the course. Mark your time down in your workout logbook.

UBRR Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

3 x 12 Lat Pulldowns, behind the neck (go as heavy as possible)

3 x 12 Lat Pulldowns, front

3 x 10 Seated Rows

3 x 10 Dumbbell Side Raises

3 x 10 Dumbbell Front Raises

3 x 10 Dumbbell Arnold Press

3 x 8 Shoulder Shrugs

5-mile Rucksack march (45-lb minimum) over varied terrain, 75-minutes maximum

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 8, Day 1

Time for our Sunday morning ruck march. Do a quick warmup of pushups and sit-ups before heading out. Stretch well both before and after the event. Remember to drink plenty of water and stay hydrated out there.

Today would a great time to wear your second pair of boots for the Selection Course. Don’t wait until then to get another pair broken in. Check for hot spots and blisters, by the time the Selection course rolls around, you’ll be an expert at this and shouldn’t have as many issues in that area.

UBRR Training:

Warm up

2 x 20 Pushups

2 x 20 Sit-ups

6-mile Rucksack march over varied terrain with a 45-pound minimum. And mark your times in your workout log book. The standard is 90 minutes, you should be looking to better that.

Stretch well after completion

Perfecting an Exoskeleton for SOF Needs To Happen Now

Today’s military is much more technology-based than in previous eras but while the high-tech gadgets make the soldier’s job easier and much more lethal on today’s battlefield, it also weighs them down more than ever before.

The price of having the technology at their fingertips is that, while all of that gear works and is vital, but it also has to be carried and all of it adds up. Eventually, normally many years later after toting the gear a pack animal used to carry, those long humps under a heavy rucksack will take their toll.

It is common for Special Operations troops to have a very high preponderance of knee, back and shoulder woes after a career in the military. In our day, we used to joke about carrying over 100-lbs of ‘Lightweight’ gear. And it is only going to get worse down the road considering how much more they have to carry now.

Operators today carry more weight into combat than any army in history. Think about that for a moment and the long-term ramifications for the health of the force. Take a look back in history and it plays out.

The Roman Legions did have pack animals, but only one for every eight Legionnaires. So, the average light infantryman carried about 60-100lbs of gear plus his arms. They were expected to complete 20 Roman miles (29.62 km or 18.405 modern miles) with 20.5 kg in five summer hours, which was known as “the regular step” during the march.

During the Revolutionary War, both the Redcoats and Rebels carried about 60 pounds of gear with them on the march. That remained the same during the Civil War. Although the soldiers wore the thick woolen uniforms which made their marching in the summer an exercise in itself.

But during the 20th century that would change. During World War II, the normal infantryman for the United States carried about 82 pounds of gear into battle. If that man was a BAR (Browning Automatic Rifleman) gunner, it would jump to 99 pounds.

During the Falklands War between the Brits and the Argentinians in the early 1980s, British infantrymen were frequently toting rucksacks in excess of over 120-lbs over long distances. During the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, a Marine officer, Aaron Ferencik wrote about his troops at one time carrying nearly 200-pounds. Think he’s exaggerating? Think again.

Which is why the military needs to perfect and begin to field the new exoskeletons that are currently being tested by the U.S. Army’s Natick Labs. We’re not talking about a ‘pie-in-the-sky’ TALOS Iron Man suit which isn’t even close to being ready for testing. That is probably at least a generation away.

No, the one being tested, right now is the very workable version by Lockheed-Martin is called the ‘Onyx’ and it is a computer-controlled exoskeleton that counteracts overstress on the lower back and legs and increases mobility and load-carrying capability. It boosts leg capacity for physically demanding tasks that require repetitive or continuous kneeling or squatting, or lifting, dragging, carrying, or climbing with heavy loads.

We wrote about this system about 18 months ago after seeing it at SOFIC (Special Operations Command’s Industry Conference) and speaking with the techs involved with the project in Tampa. The Onyx is designed to enable SOF operators the ability to carry heavy loads for long distances without using up their own energy, especially when climbing steep inclines, such as troops are doing on a daily basis in Afghanistan. Operators can climb 60-degree gradients without a loss of energy from a human standpoint, the idea is they want to maximize the metabolic efficiency of the operator.

Onyx uses the FORTIS Knee Stress Release Device (K-SRD). The K-SRD system is a computer-controlled exoskeleton that counteracts overstress on the lower back and legs and increases mobility and load-carrying capability. It boosts leg capacity for physically demanding tasks that require repetitive or continuous kneeling or squatting, or lifting, dragging, carrying, or climbing with heavy loads.

Sensors on the exoskeleton report the soldier’s speed, direction, and angle of movement to an onboard computer that drives electro-mechanical actuators at the knees. The exoskeleton delivers the right torque at the right time to assist knee flex and extension. FORTIS K-SRD ultimately reduces the energy needed to cross terrain, squat or kneel. These benefits are most noticeable when ascending or descending stairs or navigating inclined surfaces.

The Army is testing it with grunts from the 10th Mountain Division. When we met with the good folks at L-M last year, they told us about some operators from an Army Tier 1 unit that had already put it thru its paces, carry heavy weight, navigating small narrow streets, climbing up and down hills, even crawling thru a tunnel. One operator after just a few minutes of training leaped with all of his gear on to a table.

Both the Russians and the Chinese are experimenting with testing out their own exoskeletons. The Chinese version looks much like the Lockheed-Martin one does….imagine that?

The ‘Onyx’ isn’t bulky or too cumbersome and allows the operator the freedom of movement where he can be as agile and nimble as without it. It will, however, allow the operator to do his job without all of the weight he’s carrying be subjected to his own joints.

Not only will this save the operators’ bodies now and to be fresher during ongoing missions, but they will suffer fewer long-term injuries. That may not be visible today, but 10-15 years down the road? Most definitely.

After rucking three times during the past week, I can feel the aches and pains creeping back in my own knees and back. And I don’t wish that on anyone today…well maybe our enemies…DOL

Photos; Lockheed-Martin

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 7, Day 5

We are heading back to the gym today as we prep for the UBRR with a Chest and Triceps workout. This workout will build your upper body strength

Then a 4-mile ruck march with 45-pounds minimum. Remember to stretch well before and after and to stay hydrated. Mark your progress down in your workout log book.

UBRR Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

3 x 12 Bench Press

3 x 10 Dumbbell Flies

3 x 10 Dumbbell Incline press

3 x 20 Pushups (alternate sets with wide, narrow and shoulder width)

3 x 10 Kip Ups

3 x 20 Sit-ups

3 x 20 Cable Push Downs (rope)

3 x 20 Dips or until muscle failure

4-mile rucksack march (45-pound minimum, 60 minutes maximum) over varied terrain, note your time

Stretch well after completion

Rucking Early Christmas Morning, No Days Off

Before celebrating Christmas with the family today it was time for some exercise. I was up before the sun and since everyone was sleeping in as we had been out late visiting family on Christmas Eve, I decided to take advantage of the quiet time to get some rucking in…and to work off some of the food I ate last night.

As I’ve said before, I love to go rucking in the early morning hours. It is therapeutic for your brain, most especially after a very long, stressful Christmas week. It is a very relaxing way to start the day, you get a good workout in and are prepared for whatever is going to get flung at you the rest of the day. Af our six-miler on Sunday, I figured another 5-6 would be a perfect way to begin Christmas morning.

Right behind our house are some large power lines that run for miles and are peppered with hills that make it a perfect rucking location. The terrain is broken up in spots, at times the trail can be pretty muddy or rocky. Today, however, the ground was still frozen from the cool night (about 29-30 degrees) from Christmas Eve.

Our rucking trail today, the power lines. With rolling hills, differed terrain and perfect weather on Christmas morning

Since moving here about a month ago, I’ve gone out a few times to test out the trails and they are pretty challenging especially after the torrential rains we had here about a week ago that turned much of it into a muddy morass.

The mud added to the rucking workout, and my legs were doing a slow burn after navigating a few of the hills. It does slow down your pace but at the same time, just like rucking in soft sand, it will better prepare you for what is bound to come once you get to Selection.

In Special Operations especially if you are a candidate to get in, there are no days off and it is a good mindset to get in whether you are waiting to get to Selection or an old fart like yours truly. It will serve you well. And I encourage you to test the waters and try different things. Don’t always do your rucking on nicely manicured trails or roads. As we all know…at some time the weather will turn to crap. And once you have the pleasure of rucking in lovely Camp Mackall in SFAS when the trails turn to a muddy mess, you’ll be glad you did.

My Bulldog was actually eager to head out with me this morning…good deal. Although I love the solitude of rucking alone, she doesn’t say much and is generally good company. I popped my iPod in and being in the Christmas spirit, I put on AC-DC “Back in Black” and off we went on another adventure.

As always with my ruck, and as yours should be, the 45-pound sandbag is packed up high between the shoulder blades as much as possible, in my case, inside the radio pouch of my ruck. As I was humming along and probably singing a bit out loud with “Back in Black”, I got a glimpse by my workout partner over her shoulder…as if to say that I was disturbing her solitude. Go figure.

I’ve found when rucking hills that it is beneficial to use the waist strap cinched so that, the weight rides more on your hips and not on your shoulders. This will allow you to loosen your shoulder straps up so that the weight isn’t all on them and your lower back, the weight will ride more on your hips. Ensure that the waist belt is snug but not too tight nor too loose. It requires a little bit of trial and error.

Everyone knows that I am an unpaid spokesman for Merrell boots and swear by them but today I was wearing an old pair of Belleview desert jungle boots that a buddy of mine gave me when he came home from Iraq with a bunch of brand new boots. I normally wear these just kicking around the house for yard work but I grabbed them and headed out with them today as they are super comfortable.

So, as this shows, you can never have too many boots broken in when you get ready to go to the course. Two pair that fit like a glove is the absolute minimum. Can’t state that enough.

After about a mile or two…“Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution…” and I’m getting that look again. Whatever dog, I’ll turn it off and we’ll walk in silence for a bit, so I’ll stop getting those looks. We paused briefly to let the dog do her business and back on the trail.

I had planned on picking up the pace on the second half of the journey but the ground is pretty broken up here and my partner is quite content to lope along at a leisurely pace. And the morning is nice enough to make her pant a bit. So we paused again and after I took a big long drink out of the Camelbak I gave her some as well. Although the temperature was only about 30, there was (for once) no wind and the sun felt pretty warm.

Giving my partner a breather and a drink. And yep I needed some water too.

And our frequent public service announcement when it comes to rucking. I decided to forego picking up the pace this morning…Age does have its perks. However, you must learn to increase your speed without resorting to running. It is like any other skill you acquire and hone, it requires practice, practice and more practice. But trust me, if I can learn how to do it, you can too.

Running with a rucksack puts an incredible amount of stress on your knees. But as always temper it with the reality of the situation at hand. Without trying to sound like a hypocrite, I did write this:

“They’ll be times in your Selection course or the Qualification course that you’ll have to make up time or want to pick your pace, especially on the downhill slopes. At those times, you’re going to have to do what you must.”

Remember the standard is a 15-minute mile pace to pass the course. That is the minimum. You should be aiming to go much lower than that. I used to keep about a 12-minute per mile pace. It is plenty fast enough for where you’ll finish a 12-mile ruck march with just over 30 minutes to spare and is a pace that you can keep up for an even longer distance.

As I mentioned I took a short break to hydrate and then I realized that I hadn’t been drinking as much as I should during the ruck. With the cooler and cold weather, sometimes your thirst reflex isn’t as strong as the summer. But it is a good habit to get into during training to continue to push water all the time. If you get into the habit now, you’ll keep it up during the course. When you are even a little bit dehydrated, it affects the cognitive aspects of the brain. It can adversely affect mood, energy levels and the ability to think clearly. And you’ll need all of those to be working overtime in the Selection course.

My partner senses we’re heading home and she picked up the pace. I didn’t even have to. Gotta love it. The last two miles flew by at a nice quick pace. I said the heck with it and turned the music back on. “Giving the Dog a Bone” …. Don’t stare at me pooch, those are their words, not mine.

Beautiful day to go rucking, Merry Christmas to all, I hope your day was a great one. Ready to go do it again? Me too. DOL

If anyone has any questions, feel free to send them along to [email protected] or at my Twitter page @SteveB7SFG and I’ll be glad to answer them.

Photos: DOD, Author

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 7, Day 1

It is time for our Sunday morning ruck march. We’ll do a six-mile course today over varied terrain, aim for a time better than the standard of 90 minutes. Do a quick warmup of pushups and sit-ups before heading out.

Stretch well both before and after the ruck march. Remember to drink plenty of water and stay hydrated out there. And wear your second pair of boots today.

Training:

Warm up

2 x 20 Pushups

2 x 20 Sit-ups

6-mile rucksack march over varied terrain, 90 minutes maximum. And mark your times in your workout log book. If your feet are hurting after completion, then that second pair of boots may need more break-in time. Don’t wait for Selection to get that done.

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 6, Day 5

Back to the gym on Thursday morning for a Chest and triceps workout to include some pushups, sit-ups. Then a 5-mile ruck march with 45-pounds minimum.

After some bitterly cold mornings around here, the weather is supposed to warm up a bit but still dress accordingly and despite the cold, remember to hydrate. And mark your progress down in your workout log book.

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

3 x 12 Bench Press

3 x 10 Dumbbell Flies

3 x 10 Dumbbell Incline press

3 x 20 Pushups

3 x 10 Kip Ups

3 x 20 Sit-ups

3 x 20 Cable Push Downs (rope)

3 x 20 Dips or until muscle failure

5-mile rucksack march (45-pound minimum, 75-minutes minimum) over varied terrain, note your time

Stretch well after completion

Gym Exercises to Improve Your Rucking Skills

We’re always talking about rucking here…it is one of our favorite subjects, a constant source of worry for Special Operations candidates and still one of our favorite activities. Anyone can do it, everyone can improve at it and it is a good way to get outside and get some exercise, whether you are an aspiring SOF operator, someone just looking to get outside for some exercise or an old FOG like myself who still enjoys toting the ruck a few times a week.

Here at SpecialOperations.com we incorporate rucking a couple of times a week in our physical prep articles for the aspiring SOF candidates. Because rucking is the basis around nearly everything you’ll do in training. In Special Forces, especially during the Selection course, candidates will be required to carry around a rucksack in all activities other than when they conduct timed runs or when they are conducting the SF Obstacle Course (Nasty Nick).

Which brings us to today’s subject…our favorite, Rucking. We always say that the only way to get better at rucking is to do it. That is very true. However, there are some exercises you can do and incorporate into your workout routine that will definitely help build your body that will help in rucking.

As we all know, rucking puts a lot of stress on your shoulders, lower back region, and your knees. And that is with just a 45-lb ruck. Add in what you’ll be toting around as an operator and that number will jump exponentially.

Here are some exercises that you can work into your workouts if you aren’t doing these already. For those of you who follow along with SOF Physical Preparation PT workouts, you’ll recognize these. If you aren’t utilizing these, it is probably time to do so.

Barbell Squats:

As we’ve said here many times, squats are one of the best overall exercises for building strength, explosion, and overall fitness. It not only will help with your rucking but believe it or not, helps with your speed too.

The following techniques are all from Bodybuilding.com – A barbell squat is a push-type, compound exercise which works primarily your quadriceps, but also trains your glutes, hamstrings, and calves, as well as muscles in your lower back. The following table lists general information about barbell squats and the muscles that you use when performing barbell squats.

Begin with the barbell supported on top of the traps. The chest should be up and the head facing forward. Adopt a hip-width stance with the feet turned out as needed.
Descend by flexing the knees, refraining from moving the hips back as much as possible. This requires that the knees travel forward. Ensure that they stay aligned with the feet. The goal is to keep the torso as upright as possible.
Continue all the way down, keeping the weight on the front of the heel. At the moment the upper legs contact the lower legs reverse the motion, driving the weight upward.

Walking Lunge/Kettlebell Swing:

Although two different exercises, I’m including these together because I usually superset them and do them together. I will conduct a walking lunge across the gym floor and have a kettlebell at each end and do the swings before heading back.

One area where most ruckers who are either new to it or not good at it are weak is in the glutes. Both of these exercises work the glute area which is great for building the strength and stability for your lower body. If you’ve ever met a professional hockey player, especially a defenseman, they use their glutes in the push off for their skating, which is why many of them have huge glutes. If your rucking is weak, this could be an area to look at.

The lunges can be done with just body weight or with dumbbells. I use light ones (25-lbs) but you can adjust accordingly. Lunges-

Begin standing with your feet shoulder width apart and your hands on your hips.
Step forward with one leg, flexing the knees to drop your hips. Descend until your rear knee nearly touches the ground. Your posture should remain upright, and your front knee should stay above the front foot.
Drive through the heel of your lead foot and extend both knees to raise yourself back up.
Step forward with your rear foot, repeating the lunge on the opposite leg.

Kettlebell swings-

Start tall, with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width. Hold a kettlebell between your legs with your chest up and shoulders back.
Initiate the swing by bending your hips and knees while bringing the kettlebell back and down. Keep your back neutral, like you’re performing a Romanian deadlift.
Use your hips to drive the kettlebell forward and up explosively. Clench your butt and abs, and don’t let your back extend backward too much.
Actively pull the kettlebell back down to begin another rep.

Tip: Keep your head and chest up, and control the kettlebell so you don’t lose your stance and positioning. Maintain a flat back throughout the movement, and focus on driving with your legs and core.

Deadlifts:

One of the harder exercises to do (form wise) are deadlifts. There are so many ways to do them (and injure yourself) incorrectly. It seems that of all of the exercises you’ll see people doing in a gym, the Deadlift is one that is often done with the worst form.

But it is a great one for building overall strength and explosion. I’d recommend that you do it with a trainer at least at first until you get the technique down if you’re not familiar with them.

Your feet should be spaced hip-width apart with your grip just outside your legs.
Use an overhand grip.
Your back should be flat—neutral spine—from start to finish.
Your shoulders should be back and down.
The bar should remain in contact with your legs for the entire range of motion.
Your hips and knees should move together to transfer the bar from the ground to an upper-thigh, locked position.

Shoulder Shrugs:

If you’ve ever toted a heavy ( I mean a really heavy ruck) when you finally do take it off, after a few seconds, it feels like your shoulders, and traps were springing back forward and a surge of soreness came it. It always helps to build some shoulder muscle in there to help stabilize everything.

Stand erect with a dumbbell on each hand (palms facing your torso), arms extended on the sides.
Lift the dumbbells by elevating the shoulders as high as possible while you exhale. Hold the contraction at the top for a second. Tip: The arms should remain extended at all times. Refrain from using the biceps to help lift the dumbbells. Only the shoulders should be moving up and down.
Lower the dumbbells back to the original position.
Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Variations: You can perform this exercise with bands, barbells or cables. You can also use a single handle and work one side at a time.

So, if you are experiencing any issues with rucking, these exercises can and do help. Use them to build up your body to increase your strength and explosion and to minimize as much as possible the wear and tear on your joints.

I use these in my workouts with my trainer at least three times a week but I always check in with Bodybuilding.com for any of the latest updates on the exercises.

Photos: DOD, Bodybuilding.com

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 6, Day 4

Happy Hump Day, it is back and shoulders day at the gym. Then a 5-miler rucksack march. Ensure that your second pair of boots are well broken in and wear them today.

Remember to stay hydrated while on the march, especially so now that there is a heatwave blanketing the East Coast and mark your progress in the workout log book.

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

3 x 12 Lat Pulldowns, behind the neck (go as heavy as possible)

3 x 12 Lat Pulldowns, front

3 x 10 Deadlift

3 x 10 Dumbbell Side Raises

3 x 10 Dumbbell Front Raises

3 x 10 Dumbbell Arnold Press

3 x 8 Shoulder Shrugs

5-mile Rucksack march (45-lb minimum, 75-minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 6, Day 1

Sunday Morning Ruck March. Rucking is on the agenda for today after a quick warmup of pushups and sit-ups. Stretch well both before and after the ruck march.

Remember to drink plenty of water and stay hydrated out there, despite the bitter cold weather. And ensure that you have at least two pairs of boots broken in for the course.

UBRR Training:

Warm up

2 x 20 Pushups

2 x 20 Sit-ups

Rucksack march over varied terrain. Go as hard and as fast as you can in one direction alongside a road for one hour. Mark your distance. Then head back to the start point. This will be good practice for the selection course where you won’t know the route or the distance. And mark your times in your workout log book.

Stretch well after completion