Family Rucking: The Best Boxing Day Tradition You Aren't Doing

Introduction to Boxing Day Rucking

Turn your traditional Boxing Day walk into a “ruck” by having each family member wear a backpack with a bit of added weight. Rucking—simply walking with weight—turns a casual stroll into a strength, cardio, and bonding session all at once.[Source: By Land]

Rucking can burn up to about three times more calories than walking at the same speed, thanks to the extra resistance from the backpack, giving you many of the fitness benefits of running with much less impact on joints.[Source: SugarWOD] It builds leg, core, and back strength, supports cardiovascular health, and may even help bone density—important benefits for adults and growing kids alike.[Source: Novant Health] Rucking outdoors also encourages time in nature and sunlight, which has been linked to better mood and stress relief after the holiday rush.[Source: MDLinx]

For families new to rucking, start with light loads—around 10 pounds for adults or roughly 10% of body weight, and even less for kids—using soft items like towels, water bottles, or a blanket and a book in any sturdy backpack.[Source: Novant Health] Focus on standing tall, tightening your core, and walking at a comfortable pace on flat, familiar routes before adding hills or distance.[Source: By Land] Let kids decorate their packs, turn your route into a scavenger hunt, or add “rucking checkpoints” for stretching or photos to make it a fun family tradition.

Once you’ve tried a first festive ruck, it helps to understand why this simple practice is so effective for health at every age.

Why Rucking? The Benefits Explained

Rucking is simply walking with a weighted backpack—and for families, it’s a way to turn an everyday activity into a shared workout that supports heart health, strength, and long‑term mobility. It raises your heart rate more than regular walking, improving cardiovascular fitness and endurance without requiring you to run or jog.[Source: Cleveland Clinic] [Source: UW Medicine]

Because you’re carrying weight, rucking strengthens the legs, hips, and core muscles that keep you moving well as you age. Load‑bearing activities like rucking can help maintain bone density—especially in adults and older adults—because bones adapt to gradual, safe increases in load.[Source: WebMD] [Source: GORUCK / Dr. Stuart McGill]

Adding weight also increases calorie burn compared with normal walking and can approach jogging in energy expenditure, depending on weight and pace.[Source: Cleveland Clinic] [Source: NIH – Physiological Impact of Load Carriage] Because you’re still walking, it’s generally lower impact than running and can be friendlier on knees, hips, and backs, provided you progress gradually and use a well‑fitted backpack.[Source: UW Medicine]

For families, basic best practices include starting with 5–10% of an adult’s body weight, keeping kids’ loads very light, beginning with 20–30 minutes on flat routes, and increasing either time or weight slowly, not both.[Source: Cleveland Clinic] [Source: WebMD] With these guidelines, rucking can turn a simple family walk into shared time that builds strength and resilience across generations.

Knowing the “why” behind rucking, the next step is setting everyone up with safe loads, comfortable gear, and smart progression.

Preparing for Your Family Ruck

Preparing for a family ruck starts with choosing safe, comfortable pack weights and building up slowly. For adults new to rucking, many coaches suggest starting with about 10% of your body weight and only increasing after a few weeks, focusing first on walking distance and consistency rather than load.[Source: TwoPct] Popular GORUCK‑style programs often recommend around 20 lb if you weigh under 150 lb and 30 lb if you’re over 150 lb, but that’s better once you already have some ruck experience.[Source: XO, MU by Melissa Urban]

For kids, keep loads much lighter and focus on participation, not performance. Many hiking educators suggest keeping a child’s pack at no more than 10–15% of body weight, and closer to 10% for younger kids, to limit strain on growing joints and backs. These guidelines are borrowed from youth hiking and school‑backpack recommendations.

Good fit matters as much as weight. The hip belt should rest on the bony tops of the hips, shoulder straps should be snug but not digging in, and the pack should sit close to the back, not sagging low. Place heavier items high and close to the spine, padding hard edges with soft layers.[Source: BodySpec] Organize with small stuff sacks or pouches so weight doesn’t shift mid‑walk.[Source: MudGear]

Start with short, flat routes and increase time or distance by about 10% per week, adding only 2–5 lb at a time for adults.[Source: Dr. Frank Lipman] Make hydration easy, plan for sun and weather, and schedule check‑ins to adjust straps or lighten loads—frequent, moderate rucks tend to be more beneficial than occasional heavy ones.[Source: Outside]

Once everyone’s packed and comfortable, you can follow simple, age‑friendly plans to make rucking a sustainable family habit.

Sample Rucking Plans for Families

Rucking turns an ordinary family walk into a simple strength and cardio workout by adding a light backpack. It increases calorie burn and cardiovascular demand more than regular walking while staying lower impact than running, and it helps build strength in the legs, hips, core, and back—all with minimal equipment.[Source: GoodRx] Families also appreciate that you can talk, explore, and be outside together while you move.[Source: Force Fit]

A simple beginner plan for all ages is to ruck 1–2 times per week for 2–3 weeks. Adults might start with about 5–7% of bodyweight (for many, 8–12 lb).[Source: GORUCK] Teens can carry roughly 5% if already active, school‑age kids 3–5 lb or about 5% bodyweight, and young kids can wear an almost‑empty backpack with just a snack or light jacket.[Source: Bend Movement]

For a 25–30 minute flat‑route session, try 5 minutes of easy walking, 10–15 minutes at a “conversation pace” with packs on, then 5–10 minutes of cool‑down and stretching. Progress only when everyone finishes feeling pleasantly tired but not exhausted, and watch for posture changes such as leaning forward or limping.[Source: HJ Physical Therapy] As you gain experience, you can add light hills, brief “missions” like scavenger‑hunt stops, or simple body‑weight exercises to keep kids engaged while safely increasing challenge.[Source: SugarWOD][Source: Virta Health]

Sources

• Bend Movement – Elevate Your Walking Program with Rucking
• BodySpec – Rucking Backpacks Fit Guide
• By Land – Rucking for Fitness
• Cleveland Clinic – What Is Rucking?
• Dr. Frank Lipman – What Is Rucking? Tips to Getting Started
• Force Fit – Why Rucking Is the Perfect Functional Fitness Activity
• GoodRx – Rucking Workout Exercises
• GORUCK – Get Started Rucking
• GORUCK / Dr. Stuart McGill – Benefits to Rucking Your Back
• HJ Physical Therapy – What Is Rucking?
• MDLinx – Health Benefits of Rucking
• MudGear – Beginner’s Guide to Efficient Pack Packing
• NIH – Physiological Impact of Load Carriage
• Novant Health – Is Rucking the New Walking?
• Outside – Rucking Guide
• Right as Rain (UW Medicine) – What Is Rucking?
• SugarWOD – Benefits of Rucking
• TwoPct – How Much Weight You Should Ruck With
• Virta Health – Ruck On: The Health Benefits of Rucking
• WebMD – Rucking: Ultimate Guide
• Youth & Family Progression Guidelines (via Bend Movement)
• XO, MU by Melissa Urban – How to Ruck