Emma Discovered Rucking and Lost 12kg Without Running a Single Mile

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I have a confession: I hate running. I’ve tried to be a runner at least six or seven times in my life. Couch to 5K, running clubs, signing up for 10Ks thinking the deadline would motivate me. Every single time I’d last about three weeks before finding an excuse to stop. My knees hurt, my shins ached, and honestly, I just found it miserable.

The problem was that I’d convinced myself running was the only “real” form of cardio. If I couldn’t run, I couldn’t lose weight. That was the story I told myself for years.

Finding rucking by accident

I was scrolling through the PT Tracker blog one evening — I’d downloaded the app for the strength programmes — and came across an article about rucking. Walking with a weighted backpack. That was it. No jumping, no impact, no gasping for air at the side of the road while old ladies power-walk past you.

The article explained that rucking burns two to three times more calories than regular walking, builds core and leg strength, and is gentle on your joints. I was sceptical but intrigued. The barrier to entry was basically zero — I already had a school backpack and some heavy textbooks.

The first week

I loaded up my backpack with about 5kg of books and walked my usual 3km route to the park and back. It was harder than I expected. Not awful, not painful, just… more effort than a normal walk. My shoulders felt it. My legs felt it. But I wasn’t out of breath, my knees didn’t hurt, and I actually enjoyed being outside.

By the end of the first week I’d done four rucks. Four sessions of cardio in one week — that was more than I’d managed in any single week of any running attempt. Something was different this time.

Building up gradually

The app had a rucking progression guide that I followed loosely. Each week I’d add a little more weight or a little more distance. By month two I was carrying 10kg for 5km routes. By month three I’d invested in a proper rucking backpack with weight plates and was doing 8km routes through the countryside near my house.

I started tracking my rucks in the app — distance, weight carried, duration, elevation. Watching those numbers grow was addictive. My first ruck was 3km with 5kg in 40 minutes. Three months later I was doing 8km with 10kg in 90 minutes and feeling stronger at the end than I had at the start.

The weight started coming off almost immediately. I wasn’t even trying to diet aggressively — I was eating sensibly and tracking my meals in the app, aiming for a modest calorie deficit. But four rucks a week plus a couple of strength sessions was burning serious calories. I was losing about a kilo a fortnight consistently.

The social side changed everything

About two months in, I mentioned rucking to a couple of friends. They were curious and wanted to try it. We started going together on Saturday mornings — a 10km route through the local hills with our backpacks loaded up. It became our thing. No lycra, no gym, no intimidation. Just walking and talking with heavy bags on our backs.

Within a month our group had grown to eight people. We set up a group through the PT Tracker social features and started posting our routes and stats. There was a bit of friendly competition — who carried the most weight, who did the longest distance — but mostly it was just supportive and fun.

By month five we’d unofficially become a rucking club. We had a regular Saturday morning session, a Wednesday evening shorter ruck, and people were doing their own rucks during the week. The app made it easy to stay connected and share progress between meet-ups.

The results

Six months in, I’d lost 12kg. Down from 78kg to 66kg. But the scale doesn’t tell the whole story. My legs were noticeably stronger and more defined. My posture improved dramatically from carrying weight on my back regularly. My resting heart rate dropped from 78 to 62 bpm. I was sleeping better, my energy was through the roof, and I hadn’t forced myself to run a single mile.

My longest ruck to date is 22km carrying 15kg — a proper full-day hike with the group through the Peak District. We stopped for sandwiches at the top of a hill and I remember thinking, “Six months ago I was on the sofa watching telly on a Saturday.” The contrast was stark.

What rucking taught me

The biggest lesson was that fitness doesn’t have to look a certain way. For years I thought I needed to be a runner to be fit. I thought cardio meant suffering. Rucking showed me that the best form of exercise is the one you’ll actually do consistently. And for me, that’s loading up a backpack and going for a long walk. There’s no shame in that.

I also learned that the social element is everything. I’d always trained alone and hated it. Having a group of people who expected me to show up on Saturday morning made all the difference. The PT Tracker group features made that easy to organise and maintain.

What’s next

Our rucking club has grown to about 20 regular members now. We’re planning a charity ruck — 30km across the Pennines — to raise money for a local mental health charity. I’m also getting into weighted stair climbing as a complementary activity, and I’ve started a proper strength programme to build more muscle.

I genuinely never thought I’d be someone who exercises four or five times a week and enjoys it. Turns out I just hadn’t found the right activity. If you hate running, stop running. There’s a whole world of ways to move your body and rucking might just be the one that sticks.