Walk with Weight - The Definitive Guide to Rucking

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Comfort Crisis comes the definitive guide to the fast-growing sport of rucking—or walking with weight—as a daily practice that can change body and mind for the better with every step.
Humans have been carrying weight on our backs since the earliest stages of evolution. From ancient hunter gatherers hauling animals back to camp, to women carrying children in backpacks, we were literally born to carry. The military has been using rucking, walking or hiking with a weighted backpack, to train soldiers for decades. And, in recent years this effective form of fitness has exploded in popularity due to its multifaceted benefits including improved fitness, strength, and mental well-being
Born to Carry, by bestselling author Michael Easter, the avid rucker the New York Times credits with ushering in the trend, is the definitive guide to weighted walking. You don’t need expensive gear or to be at a peak fitness level to start; in fact, if you can walk, you can ruck. Despite its simplicity, the benefits of walking with weight (via a backpack or weighted vest) are immense, from effectively burning more fat than walking, running, or lifting weights, and building muscle as a risk-free, full-body workout, to improving metabolic health, reducing stress and anxiety, and preventing chronic diseases and depression.
Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned rucker, Born to Carry offers valuable advice at any level. You’ll learn how to start your journey or optimize your current weighted walking regimen, choose the right equipment, enhance your technique, overcome common hurdles, and discover training plans and challenges that will help you optimize your physical and mental wellbeing. The result: You’ll get more from every step—with the easiest and most effective way to boost your strength inside and out. 

About the author

Michael Easter is the New York Times bestselling author of The Comfort Crisis and Scarcity Brain. He writes the Two Percent with Michael Easter newsletter, Substack’s #1 newsletter in the health and wellness category, and his writing has appeared in Men’s Health, where he’s a Contributing Editor; Outside; Men’s Journal; Cosmopolitan; Vice; Esquire; Scientific American; and Women’s Health. He’s also a former professor of journalism at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), where he co-directed the Public Communications Institute. He lives in Las Vegas on the edge of the desert with his wife and their two dogs.

Summary

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Comfort Crisis comes the definitive guide to the fast-growing sport of rucking—or walking with weight—as a daily practice that can change body and mind for the better with every step.
Humans have been carrying weight on our backs since the earliest stages of evolution. From ancient hunter gatherers hauling animals back to camp, to women carrying children in backpacks, we were literally born to carry. The military has been using rucking, walking or hiking with a weighted backpack, to train soldiers for decades. And, in recent years this effective form of fitness has exploded in popularity due to its multifaceted benefits including improved fitness, strength, and mental well-being
Born to Carry, by bestselling author Michael Easter, the avid rucker the New York Times credits with ushering in the trend, is the definitive guide to weighted walking. You don’t need expensive gear or to be at a peak fitness level to start; in fact, if you can walk, you can ruck. Despite its simplicity, the benefits of walking with weight (via a backpack or weighted vest) are immense, from effectively burning more fat than walking, running, or lifting weights, and building muscle as a risk-free, full-body workout, to improving metabolic health, reducing stress and anxiety, and preventing chronic diseases and depression.
Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned rucker, Born to Carry offers valuable advice at any level. You’ll learn how to start your journey or optimize your current weighted walking regimen, choose the right equipment, enhance your technique, overcome common hurdles, and discover training plans and challenges that will help you optimize your physical and mental wellbeing. The result: You’ll get more from every step—with the easiest and most effective way to boost your strength inside and out. 

Product details

• Authors: Michael Easter
• Publisher: Harper Collins (US)
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 28.01.2026
• EAN: 9780063452534
• ISBN: 978-0-06-345253-4
• No. of pages: 208
• Subjects: Guides > Health; SELF-HELP: Personal Growth / General, HEALTH & FITNESS: Healthy Living, HEALTH & FITNESS: Exercise / General, HEALTH & FITNESS: Healing, SPORTS & RECREATION: Hiking