Workouts | Everything You Need To Know

PATHFINDER Ruck Training accepts every kind of workout, in every style discipline, across all of our programming.

We highly encourage all rosters to consider their goals when training, and to read this post thoroughly to answer all your questions!

One of the core principles of of PATHFINDER workouts is varied modality training. We encourage all of our athletes to have a mixed weekly training schedule. Going "all hard all the time" sounds great in theory, but in application can actually make you weaker and more prone to injury. We highly recommend a moderate approach for the best possible performance gains.

• Sunday: Long, Slow, Distance (or LSD) miles. The mileage should build from week to week. For example, if your long ruck is 6 miles, the next week, it should move up to 7, then 8, then 9. Then drop back down to 7 miles the fifth week, and build back up again.

• Monday: Posted Beginner workout. Beginner doesn't mean easy. Instead, it gives you an opportunity for a lower-volume workout, which bodies need! If you want to add shorter miles afterwards, this would count towards your Pre/Post-Miles Challenge. You can find Beginner workouts linked from your log page, or from your small group or the main Class Facebook page.

• Tuesday: Shorter Interval Ruck. Check out our instructions for intervals or fartleks here. This is a day for ruck shuffling at a shorter distance, faster pace.

• Wednesday: Posted RUCK+ workout. If you are actively training for a GORUCK or other endurance Event, RUCK+ wods give you the best opportunity to practice the types of skills necessary to thrive. These workouts include carries, sandbags, other heavier implements, and miles. You can count your miles in RUCK+ workouts towards your total mileage.

• Thursday: REST DAY / ACTIVE RECOVERY DAY. Select a yoga video from our list of suggestions, but we always advise a live class first! Grab a friend if you're new to yoga, and go to a beginner or slow flow vinyasa class. Walking is a great active recovery activity, and we also have a limited amount of active recovery workouts in our library.

• Friday: Roster's Choice: Posted Intermediate/Advanced workout OR completing another Beginner or RUCK+ workout from our library. We suggest the choice specifically for athletes who are not currently training for an Event or for those who are still building their strength and endurance foundation. This is a great day to include mobility/yoga into your week.

• Saturday: Social Ruck / Challenges Friends + distance. This is a great day for Challenge requirement completion or just social rucking/hiking.

Where can I find PATHFINDER Ruck Training workouts?

PATHFINDER will always be a ruck training company, and we lead the field in creating incredible ruck workouts that challenge every fitness level. You can find our blog of workouts here: PATHFINDER Ruck Workouts. Be sure to bookmark that page! Workouts are being updated and added regularly, and it's a great resource when you need a workout, but aren't sure what to do. All of our workouts, as with all of our PATHFINDER programming, have been written or approved by PATHFINDER's experienced Certified Personal Trainer, so you know you're getting quality, well-written workouts.

(Our archived Team Spearhead workouts can be found here: http://www.teamspearhead.com/?s=pathfinder+wod)

Do I need a gym for PATHFINDER Ruck workouts?

Nope! If you've got a weighted ruck, you can do our workouts. While we occasionally include other items in our workouts, we explain what your alternatives are.

How should I plan my workouts?

Do you have a GORUCK or other ruck endurance Event coming up? Your training should reflect your goals and PATHFINDER Ruck Training workouts, (and workouts from our partners, Heavy Drop Training and Ruck Strong) should take priority.

Are you thinking about doing a GORUCK or other ruck endurance Event, but have not put it on your calendar yet? Your training should reflect a 50/50 balance of PATHFINDER Ruck Training workouts (located here) and other workouts that will continue to improve your base of fitness.

Are you a part of PATHFINDER Ruck Training to maintain your fitness level and to be a part of our incredible community? Taking an off-season with our Life programming? Training for another kind of event (ie: weight lifting, CrossFit, marathon, triathlon or other)? Do the workout that best suits your needs right now. It can be anything that suits your priorities, whether it's long distance runs or hot yoga, or anything in between.

How long should my workouts be?

PATHFINDER recommends a workout be :45 minutes in length, but that's just a recommendation. We also suggest that a roster should plan a minimum of 180 minutes, or roughly 3 hours a week, in workouts.

We know you can get a killer workout with PATHFINDER ruck workouts, and workouts from our partner programs, in less than :45 minutes. If you're training for an Event with our workouts, we know you're getting quality programming and kicking your own ass in the very best way.

Standard gym classes (and a lot of online/app workouts) are also :45 minutes, but you can definitely find great workouts for your needs from :20 minutes on up. Anything less than :20 minutes, we consider a "snack" workout. It papers over the cracks, but has a tendency to not create the real gains you get from a day-to-day workout. Some days, all you need is a snack. Most days, you need a meal.

We don't want any rosters selling themselves short and not getting the full benefit of their training and what PATHFINDER offers, but everyone here is an adult. PATHFINDER runs on an honor system, and our goal is to provide the highest quality program to get you prepared for ever-increasing-in-difficulty endurance Events. If you're not training for anything other than life (lower case), feel free to do whatever workouts work for you. But challenge yourself to make every workout count to the fullest. Leave in a sweat, and finish stronger than you started.

When evaluating a workout plan...

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• Is your workout sufficiently challenging for your fitness level?

• Are you adequately preparing yourself, through your workouts, to meet your goals? 

• What are your future fitness goals? Will the workouts you have planned ultimately get you there?

• How often can you realistically train? Sometimes its better to think of your workout time in minutes or hours. As we stated above, we suggest a roster devote a minimum of 180 minutes, or 3 hours a week to exercise. That number can be sliced however best works for you and your schedule and needs. Pick what you can sustain, enjoy, and gets you to where you want to be.

• Be flexible. (HA! That's also a yoga joke...lame.) But really. Being flexible with workouts that work for you and that can be placeholders for your bigger plans can help you achieve more in the long run. Don't throw out the workout, or the style, if you feel you can't achieve it. In other words, don't let perfectionism dictate what is and isn't worth doing. If you've had a crap day, picked up your kids from daycare, ran home to feed everyone, taking the dog and kids on a ruck/stroller/walk after dinner moves the line. Then, try again tomorrow with a harder workout that gets you closer to where you want to be. And if something isn't working, it's ok to stop, change directions, and look at your options differently.

• Find a buddy! If you're new to rucking, look for a local ruck club, or encourage a friend to join with you! We love our new rosters, and we always have a BUDDYRUCK000 class coupon of some sort to help financially motivate your friends to join in on the fun! (Email us or send us a FB DM for the current friends & family discount code.)

Can Miles be considered a Workout?

No. Ruck miles are only logged as miles and may not be logged as anything else. Workouts are in addition to your Miles, as are Challenges. The only time miles can be included is when they are performed within either a workout or PATHFINDER RUCK+ workouts.

Can I use a weight training vest for workouts instead of a ruck?

Yes, conditionally, rosters can wear training vests for workouts. Vests are useful for a variety of situations in exercise, and better/more comfortably distributes the weight you are wearing. When training, consider the following:

• I'm building fitness / maintaining fitness and I don't have an Event coming up: Wear it!

• I'm in the beginning to less than nine (9) week's out for an Endurance Event of a GORUCK Tough or less : Wear it!

• I'm nine (9) weeks out from an Endurance Event: WEAR YOUR RUCK

• I'm training for a Heavy+: WEAR YOUR RUCK

Make sure you carry water separately when wearing a weight training vest.

What does PATHFINDER think about workout generators?

While workout generators seem super appealing... "I just plug in a few things and it spits out a workout?" We highly recommend rosters avoid workout generators. Generators can be dangerous when they don't focus on the right movements, the right mix of movements, or their rep count might not be the right choice for your present fitness ability. With no real purpose to improve athletes,  they just aren't a suitable choice when you're training hard for an Event.

Challenge Restrictions

• Always carry a basic First Aid kit with you.

• Ruck safely. Communicate your route and estimated times to another individual/party who can alert

• YOU MUST COMPLY WITH ALL APPLICABLE LAWS AND RESTRICTIONS. DO NOT TRESPASS. If you are in doubt contact facility management for a clear understanding of access to and usage of any facility’s property. PATHFINDER assumes no liability whatsoever for any actions taken by a PATHFINDER roster.

PATHFINDER assumes no responsibility or liability for any injuries, damages or death. A roster assumes all risk associated with their participation in any and all PATHFINDER programming.

ALL PATHFINDER CHALLENGES ARE COPYRIGHT © PATHFINDER RUCK TRAINING.