RuckPacks

Ruck weight calculator

Tell us three things and get a starting weight you can carry this week, a target to build toward, and how long the build takes. No account, no email.

Build my ruck plan

How this calculator works

Your ceiling is a share of your body weight, and the share depends on how much load you have already carried: 33 percent if you have never rucked, 33 percent as a beginner, 40 percent once you ruck regularly, and 50 percent when years of load are behind you. That is the number to never exceed, not a target.

If you have never rucked, or you are a beginner, your first week is deliberately light: the lower of 15 lbs and 10 percent of your body weight. Nobody was ever injured by a first ruck that felt too easy, and everybody has been injured by one that did not. If you already ruck regularly, the starting weight above is not a first week from zero - it assumes you can carry about that much today, and your plan ramps from the current ruck weight you enter rather than from this number.

Your goal then decides how much of that ceiling to aim at. Event prep aims at the top of it. General fitness sits a little under. Weight loss and endurance sit lower still, because those goals are bought with time on feet rather than with load, so for an experienced rucker they can already be met at the starting weight. The military standard is the one fixed number on this page: 35 lbs of dry weight, whatever you weigh, because that is what the service standard asks for - and if you already carry more than that, this page says so rather than inventing a heavier target.

From there the load rises at most 10 percent or 5 lbs a week, whichever is smaller, and every week number 4 is a deload: volume drops by 40 percent and the load is held where it is.

No recommendation here goes above 150 lbs, because that is the heaviest load the plan builder will accept.

These are the same ceilings the plan generator clamps to, so no weight on this page can be heavier than the plan builder will allow. The starting weight is where to aim rather than a promise about week one: your plan ramps from the current ruck weight you tell it about, and if that is well below the start above, the first weeks close the gap before they get there.

Starting and ceiling weights at a glance

Starting weight and ceiling in pounds, for the general fitness goal. Pick your row, then your column.

Ruck weight by body weight and experience, general fitness goal
Body weight Never rucked Beginner Intermediate Experienced
120 lbs 12 to 40 lbs 12 to 40 lbs 24 to 48 lbs 36 to 60 lbs
140 lbs 14 to 46 lbs 14 to 46 lbs 28 to 56 lbs 42 to 70 lbs
160 lbs 15 to 53 lbs 15 to 53 lbs 32 to 64 lbs 48 to 80 lbs
180 lbs 15 to 60 lbs 15 to 60 lbs 36 to 72 lbs 54 to 90 lbs
200 lbs 15 to 66 lbs 15 to 66 lbs 40 to 80 lbs 60 to 100 lbs
220 lbs 15 to 73 lbs 15 to 73 lbs 44 to 88 lbs 66 to 110 lbs
240 lbs 15 to 80 lbs 15 to 80 lbs 48 to 96 lbs 72 to 120 lbs
260 lbs 15 to 86 lbs 15 to 86 lbs 52 to 104 lbs 78 to 130 lbs
280 lbs 15 to 93 lbs 15 to 93 lbs 56 to 112 lbs 84 to 140 lbs
300 lbs 15 to 100 lbs 15 to 100 lbs 60 to 120 lbs 90 to 150 lbs

Common questions

How much weight should I ruck with?
It depends on your body weight and on how much rucking you have already done. A rucker with no load history should stay under 33 percent of body weight and start far below that; an experienced rucker can work up to 50 percent. The calculator above turns those limits into two numbers: one to start with and one to build toward.
What is a safe starting weight for a beginner?
The lower of 15 lbs and 10 percent of your body weight, for the first week, every time. It will feel light. That is the point: the first few weeks are about your feet, your shoulders and your habit, not about the load. If you already ruck regularly the calculator starts you higher, and it assumes you are already carrying about that much today.
How fast can I add ruck weight?
No more than 10 percent or 5 lbs a week, whichever is smaller, and hold the load steady on deload weeks. That is slower than most people want. It also means a long build can take more weeks than one plan covers, so your first plan gets you part of the way and the next one carries on from where you finished.
What weight do military ruck standards use?
Service ruck marches are set at a fixed dry weight rather than a share of the athlete, and 35 lbs is the common one. If you pick the military standard goal, the calculator aims at that number instead of at a fraction of your body weight. If you already carry more than it, the calculator tells you so rather than inventing a heavier target.
Do I need an account to use this?
No. The calculator runs in your browser and stores nothing. You only need an account when you want the answer turned into a week by week plan.