BEGINNER | THE NEW KID

by Amy Petersen January 30, 2022

Everybody's been the new kid at least a few times in their lives, and if you're the new kid in PATHFINDER, this workout's for you!

All PATHFINDER workouts are different, because we train for constantly varied terrain, experiences and movements. Our training philosophy is to train for the unexpected. That way, you're prepared for anything. This workout is ideal if you're brand new, new to rucking, or are returning after injury or illness.

We do not list weights for most workouts - usually Beginners - intentionally. With the vast number, variety, and experience of exercisers in PATHFINDER programming, we can't possibly prescribe a recommended weight, either in a ruck or other implement. It is up to you, the PATHFINDER roster, to #CTHT Choose the Harder Thing for yourself. Most ruckers start with 12-15lbs and increase as needed, but that's only a suggestion, not a recommendation. For some PATHFINDER's, #CTHT may just be doing the workout. For others, it may include a 50lb ruck.

A LITTLE ADVICE:

It may be tempting to look at "The Standard," (if you even know what that is) but frankly, it's arbitrary for most recreational athletes. Keep your eyes focused on your prize, not anyone else's. In PATHFINDER programming, it's you vs. you.

1) What's your posture like?

We build postural strength before we beast things out. Why? Many reasons, but the one you need to know right now is that we build our foundation first. Foundational exercises are ones that are tried's-and-true's. Being able to execute exercises with proper form means you're less likely to get injured.

2) What's your current fitness level?

PATHFINDER is built for every athlete. Defining your own fitness level is important for you to objectively get the most out of our workouts and Challenges. Performing your Baseline Assessment (or the Life Fitness Assessment) is an important part of collecting that number, and it's one you should be excited to do. We can't measure what we don't manage.

3) Pay attention to how you feel

Notice where you feel strong or weak. Keep a record in your Notes (in your log, or personal calendar or spreadsheet) of what weights you used, and if you're really into numbers, how easy the workout, or even each individual exercise, was. This helps you notice when you experience improvements, and what to put an extra emphasis on as you workout.

Don't aim for soreness -- while it feels awesome and like a weird? prize for your hard work, too much soreness (aka DOMS) can take a while to diminish. If you think you're going to be sore - you likely will be. Increase your water, take a short walk or ruck to get the blood flowing when you're sore, and take a rest day if you need to. Trust your new-found discipline.

If you ever feel faint, dizzy or disoriented in any workout, stop and contact your physician immediately.

WORKOUT

This workout works on all postural muscles necessary for a strong rucking form. Scapular push-ups start don't look like much, but this is the #1 exercise to build muscle for push-ups. When I have elite athletes who don't/can't do good push-ups, it's because they failed to work the scaps and instead, learned to muscle it out. Do the scap work.

WARM UP: HALF MILE RUCK @ NORMAL PACE

2-3 x ROUNDS

*This workout is bodyweight only.

** If you are an experienced ruck athlete, this is a great Recovery Day workout.