Health & safety
Deutsche Fassung: Gesundheit & Sicherheit.
Rucksteady is a training app, not a medical service. Read this before your first loaded ruck.
Rucking carries real risk
Marching with a loaded pack strains your feet, shins, knees, hips, back, shoulders and heart more than walking or running without one. Typical problems are:
- Blisters and foot pain. They are common and can get infected. Treat a hot spot when you first feel it.
- Stress fractures in the foot, shin or hip. Pain that grows with each ruck and sits on one spot of a bone is a warning sign.
- Back, hip and knee pain from load and posture.
- Rucksack palsy. Shoulder straps can press on the nerves of your shoulder and arm. Numbness, tingling or weakness in an arm or hand means: stop, take the pack off, and use the hip belt.
Heat and cold
A pack traps heat. In heat, ruck early or late, cut the load or the distance, and stop at the first sign of heat illness: headache, nausea, confusion, stumbling, chills, or skin that stops sweating. Heat illness can kill. In cold, wet or wind, watch for shivering, numb fingers or toes, and clumsy hands.
Water
Drink before, during and after a ruck, guided by thirst and the conditions. Drinking far more than you sweat can be dangerous too. On long rucks take salt or food as well as water.
Stop at once and get help if you notice
- pain, pressure or tightness in your chest, arm, neck or jaw
- unusual shortness of breath, dizziness or fainting
- confusion, slurred speech, or signs of heat illness
- numbness, tingling or weakness in an arm or hand
- sharp pain in a bone or joint, or pain that makes you limp
- very dark urine or severe muscle pain after a ruck
In an emergency, call the local emergency number (911 in the US, 112 in the EU, 999 in the UK).
Talk to a doctor before you start
… if you have a heart, lung, metabolic or joint condition, high blood pressure, past fractures or back problems, take regular medication, are returning from injury or illness, or have not exercised for a long time. If you are unsure, ask.
Pregnancy
Do not start or continue loaded rucking during pregnancy or in the months after birth without your doctor's or midwife's approval.
Under 18
Rucksteady is made for adults. Bodies that are still growing react differently to heavy loads. The plans are not designed for people under 18.
How the plans work
The plans follow fixed training rules: one step at a time, easier weeks, a taper before the test. The app does not ask about pain. It does not know why something hurts and cannot tell you whether it is harmless. If pain is sharp, lasts more than two days or keeps coming back, have it checked by a doctor or physiotherapist before you ruck with load again. Never raise your load faster than the plan shows, and drop back whenever your body tells you to, even if the plan says otherwise.
Calories are an estimate
The calorie figure comes from a load-carriage model using your body weight, pack weight, speed and gradient. Your real energy use can differ a lot. Do not use it for medical or dietary decisions. The same estimate is what Rucksteady writes to Apple Health or Health Connect.
GPS has limits
Distance, pace and the test-day pacer depend on your phone's GPS. In forests, between buildings, in tunnels or when the phone stops the app, the figures can be off. The projected finish is a projection, not a result. On test day, only the official route and the examiner's clock count.
You decide
You choose when, how far and with how much weight you ruck. Watch your route, traffic and the weather, and stay within your limits.