EXERCISES YOU NEED TO KNOW:
RUCK BURPEES This is a perennial need-to-know when training for any GORUCK Event. Make sure your waist belt is cinched tightly. If you don't use a cut up pool noodle around the top of your ruck (that's pretty old school at this rate), ruck burpees are a great reason to use one to protect the back of your head. Learning how to effectively do these is a muscle memory, done-over-time thing, but the goal is to learn to do them slowly and with control first. It only takes one knock in the back of the head to slow down!
RUCK FRONT SQUATS Wearing your ruck on the front of your body, perform squats. Make sure to sit back into your squats, knee tracking over second toe.
RUCK FRONT LUNGES Wearing your ruck on the front of your body, perform stationary alternating leg lunges (so you'll actually complete 12 lunges total; 6 each side). Make sure the dropped knee is in alignment with your hip.
OVERHEAD SQUATS Holding your ruck in both hands, raise your ruck up overhead. In this position, it's ok to raise your shoulders/shoulder blades to help assist the hold. Your biceps/shoulders should be touching your ears. Sit down into your squat, keeping the ruck overhead. Focus on sitting BACK into your squat, rather than allowing the weight of the ruck to bring you forward or onto your toes. Squeeze your glutes as your drive up from the lowered squat position.
