Are You Willing To Be Bad?

Challenges and the relentless pursuit of improvement have always driven me, personally and professionally. To truly excel in all areas of life, you must be willing to continue to step outside your comfort zone and be bad when learning new skills or pursuing a challenging feat. It's a humbling but crucial part of embracing a growth mindset.

I am not a “cross-fitter,” yet I’ve long appreciated the functional training and competitive atmosphere to drive results and create their supportive community - they have gamified exercise. Don’t get me wrong, CrossFit is a great workout; it's just not for everyone. I am a highly competitive person, yet I’ve never been drawn to commit to the CrossFit way of training. However, I’ve recently been curious about rucking, which is not CrossFit-specific but is heavily incorporated into their training methodology. Several friends have added rucking into their daily routines with great results.

Rucking, at its core, is simple yet incredibly mentally and physically challenging. It involves walking or marching with a weighted backpack, combining endurance, strength, and mental grit. The rucking community is incredibly welcoming and full of people excited to share what they know with newcomers. I was referred to ‘The Beginners Guide to Rucking’ on the GORUCK website, which is a phenomenal Veteran-owned American company. I kept it simple and bought myself a ruck plate carrier and a 20# weight plate.