Editor’s note: Before beginning any new exercise program, consult your doctor. Stop immediately if you experience pain. If you enjoy walking for exercise, there’s a simple way to maximize your efforts — change your walk into a ruck. Rucking is walking with weight on your back, and it’s an increasingly popular form of exercise.
Adding weight is going to put more stress on your ankles, knees, hips and back, so do it gradually.” Another option is to start with a weighted vest instead of a backpack. This distributes the weight between your front and back. Once you’re accustomed to the vest, you can switch to a backpack. But you shouldn’t use any old pack. Rucksacks should have wide, padded shoulder straps. “Don’t put weight in a string bag,” Smith said.