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With our archives now 3,500+ articles deep, we\u2019ve decided to republish a classic piece each Friday to help our newer readers discover some of the best, evergreen gems from the past. This article was originally published in October 2017.<\/em><\/p>\n I hate cardio.<\/p>\n Like some men who feel similarly, my hatred for cardio goes back to my sports playing days where running and sprinting were used by coaches as a form of tough love, i.e., punishment.<\/p>\n Mess up a play? Go run a lap. No, make that three.<\/p>\n Didn\u2019t go hard enough during practice? 50 burpees<\/a> for you.<\/p>\n Simply did something to irritate the coach? 40 gassers after practice.<\/p>\n While I respect men who can run long distances or who enjoy HIIT sessions, they\u2019re like aliens from another planet to me. I just don\u2019t understand the sadistic pleasure they take in cardio \u2014 \u201crunner\u2019s high\u201d be damned.<\/p>\n Despite my aversion to cardio, I still made it a part of my workout routine because I knew it was good for me. But I usually bellyached about it. That is until I discovered a type of cardio work that I don\u2019t despise and actually enjoy and look forward to doing. A type of cardio that has a bunch of other benefits besides heart health, to boot.<\/p>\n What is this wonder exercise?<\/p>\n Why rucking, of course.<\/p>\n Never heard of it or considered doing it? Take a seat, my brother in the hatred-of-running lodge. You\u2019ll want to read this.<\/p>\n Rucking is simple. So simple, it\u2019s stupid.<\/p>\n Get a backpack.<\/p>\n Put some weight in said backpack.<\/p>\n Put on the backpack.<\/p>\n Start walking.<\/p>\n That\u2019s it.<\/p>\n Rucking has its origins in the military, where soldiers wear a rucksack (another word for backpack) filled with provisions and equipment and then march with it for hours or even days on end. Roman legionaries rucked. Spartans rucked. WWII GIs rucked.<\/p>\n Modern soldiers ruck with packs that can weigh 100 pounds or more. As Jason McCarthy, a former Green Beret and the founder of GoRuck told me in my podcast with him<\/a>, \u201crucking is the foundation of all special forces training.\u201d<\/p>\n Thanks to GoRuck<\/a> \u2014 a company that manufactures rucksacks and puts on rucking-centered challenges<\/a> \u2014 rucking has become a popular fitness activity amongst civilians. Their events have introduced thousands of people to the idea of walking around with a heavy backpack while doing hard things like carrying logs and doing push-ups.<\/p>\n While GoRuck events are designed to push people physically and mentally in order to show participants they\u2019re stronger than they think, you can ruck on your own without pummeling yourself into pulp, and while still accruing a significant boost to the health of your body and psyche.<\/p>\n Listen to our podcast with Josh Bryant all about the benefits of rucking, as well as how to get started:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nWhat Is Rucking?<\/h3>\n