Could Rucking Be The Key To Breaking Through a Performance Plateau?
Michael Easter
Last fall, I found myself standing on the Arctic Tundra, about 120 miles from civilization, with an 80-pound pack strapped to my back. It contained everything I needed to survive. I was up there for 33 days while reporting my new book,
The Comfort Crisis. I didn’t run while I was up there. I didn’t lift. But I was always carrying weight. The backpack, of course—but also items like jugs of water from a faraway stream for cooking and wood for fires.
When I returned to my life back home, I noticed something surprising: I was running farther and faster—hammering up hills that once thwarted me—all without aches and pains. I shaved about a minute off my usual pace without even trying. Naturally, I needed to know why, so I dug into it.