A Veteran Fitness Coach Shares the Military-Style Workout That Builds Muscle and Sheds Fat For Men Over 40

AOL/Men's Journal ^ | Feb 2, 2026 | Kelsey Kryger

[RoosterRedux]

Shedding pounds while building strength can feel like a delicate balancing act. Forget high-intensity training sessions that leave you drained for days (despite a high calorie burn). There’s a smarter approach: rucking. Walking with a weighted backpack burns calories, builds muscle, and boosts endurance all at once, bridging the gap between cardio and strength training. Low-impact and easy to scale, it’s an ideal way for men to stay lean and strong as they age.

Rucking has long been a pillar of military training, moving heavy loads efficiently to build both physical and mental endurance. But you don’t have to be a soldier to see results from rucking. With just a backpack or weighted vest, men over 40 can transform their bodies while improving strength, stamina, and everyday fitness. Below, military fitness coach Dan Fahey shares the benefits of rucking and how to get started safely.

Rucking Benefits for Men Over 40

Low-Impact Calorie Burn

High-intensity training sessions can be tempting for the sweat factor and calorie burn, but rucking can provide the same results without the joint stress and exhaustion that follows.

"Rucking burns significantly more calories than normal walking—or even running in some cases—without the high-impact joint stress," Fahey says. "The added load increases energy demand while keeping movement controlled and repeatable. That means you can train harder, more often, and recover better."

Builds Functional, Full-Body Strength

Unlike isolated exercises you might do at the gym, rucking engages your entire body at once, building functional fitness that translates into daily life. Every step is powered by your legs, while your core stays braced to stabilize your spine. Your upper back, shoulders, and grip work constantly to support the weight.

This type of training enhances real-world strength, making everyday tasks like carrying groceries, moving furniture...

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TOPICS: Health/Medicine; Hobbies; Military/Veterans; Outdoors
KEYWORDS: aging; exercise; fitness; health; rucking; workout

[faithhopecharity]

I know better but I stopped reading at the word “workout”

[Mariner]

The vast majority of men (and women) over 40 would be greatly improving their fitness by just walking a mile a day.

Just a mile.

You’d be surprised how many cannot.

[RoosterRedux]

I bought a GoRuck pack about 3 months ago with a 20lb weight plate (got a 30 lb plate on order) and have been rucking at my local state park for about 3 months now.

Many changes.

I used to be a runner (4-5 miles a day and 8 miles on one day on the weekend).

Rucking delivers a better level of fitness without the risk of injury that was inherent in running.

I was already fit from mountain biking when I started rucking, but rucking is, I think, better than mountain biking. It is tougher.

[RoosterRedux]

Your sofa is calling your name.

[RoosterRedux]

Absolutely. Rucking is just an extension of walking.

[Veto!]

I just did that walk. Nice day or I couldn’t because my vision sucks. Gotta see those dups nd turns and curbs or I’d fall on my ladylike @ss.i

Will be 90 next month. Weigh 112. My heavy friends can’r do that, no matter how old they are.

[Red Badger]

Rucking? I thought you said f........................

[faithhopecharity]

https://www.facebook.com/groups/picklescomiclifestory/posts/1964736520937587/

[BipolarBob]

When i say “ruck you”, I’m just encouraging you to go exercise and stay healthy because I love you.

[Cold Heart]

My 70 year old wife has advanced heart failure. Her cardiologist completely changed her protocol when I mentioned we had hiked a mile together.

[roving]

Boot camp exercises sucked. The worst was the butterfly kick.

[Mean Daddy]

I walk my dog in most weather a 1 1/2 per day. On days we can’t get out, I do 2 1/2 on a treadmill. About 5 days a week I do 40 minutes on a rowing machine. Helped a lot with back pain and being in my 60s, trying to stay low impact.

[Nervous Tick]

>> When i say “ruck you”, I’m just encouraging you to go exercise and stay healthy because I love you.

Well thank you! Go ruck, yourself! 😜

[ProtectOurFreedom]

That's exactly what I do. I started adding more weight to my hiking backpack around February, now I carry 22-24 pounds up from 10-12 pounds. It's water, photography gear, snack, folding knife, glucose tablets, and a bit of survival gear. Need to buy a rucking plate to get the next bump. 3-5 miles, 600 - 1,500 feet. Usually 2X/week, sometimes 3X. I wear a Wahoo heart rate monitor to log HR to see time in HR zones.

The rewards are wonderful. There's a bench up on Rhus Ridge after 3.5 miles / 700 feet and I actually get excellent 5G reception there. Talked to my sister for an hour while sitting on the bench and enjoying the view. Behind me, over the ridge and down in the valley are 6 million people in the San Fran Bay Area. Yet I saw only one other soul on the hike!

It's mid-May and all the NorCal hills are turning brown. There were abundant wildflowers this spring, but all the blooms are nearly gone now.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

I worked with Claude and Grok to write a program in Python to analyze my hikes. I did that because the calorie estimates in the commercial tracking tools were ridiculously inflated. Here's the output from yesterday's hike:

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Activity : Rhus Ridge - Stonebrook Quarry Loop 02
Start : 2026-05-13 16:09
Age on activity date : 74 years, 9 months
RMR (Omron) : 1,579 kcal/day
Terrain mix (normalized) : Good Trail 56% | Sidewalk 39% | Rocky 5%

Summary:
Total elapsed time : 3:01:57
Moving time : 1:43:13
Stopped time : 1:18:44
Moving pace, avg : 24:59 per mile

Stops Table:
Seg Start Start End Dur.
No. Dist Time Time
-------------------------------------------
33 3.20 05:32 PM 06:51 PM1:18:44

Timed Stop Corroboration:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Timed Stop Dur. Detected Stop Cov. Start Δ End Δ Status
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5:33:11–6:49:39 PM 1:16:28 5:32–6:51 PM 100% -0:31 +1:45 MATCHED

4.23 mi • 848 ft gain • 590 kcal Net (above basal) • 139 kcal/mi • 343 kcal/hr • 5.1 MET • 6.3 MET uphill
Moderate intensity • Strong climbing

Performance summary (moving-only):
Best sustained 5-seg climb : 1,687 ft/hr (2.10 → 2.60 mi)
Average uphill rate : 930 ft/hr
Fatigue index (late/early) : 70% (1,512 → 1,064 ft/hr, Δ -448)
Avg uphill efficiency : 9.1 [ft/hr]/bpm

Weights:
Total system wt : 177.3 lb
Body weight : 167.0 lb
Clothes weight : 6.2 lb
Pack weight : 4.1 lb

Poles : 95% use → + 5.7% metabolic

Metabolic Model Results:
(calories calculated only for moving time; stop time excluded)
Calories (ACSM):
Gross : 735 kcal
Resting : 113 kcal
Net (above basal) : 622 kcal
Net kcal/hour (move) : 361
Net kcal/mile (move) : 147

Calories (LCDA):
Gross : 680 kcal
Resting : 113 kcal
Net (above basal) : 567 kcal
Net kcal/hour (move) : 330
Net kcal/mile (move) : 134

Calories (METS):
Gross : 740 kcal
Resting : 113 kcal
Net (above basal) : 627 kcal
Net kcal/hour (move) : 365
Net kcal/mile (move) : 148

Calories (Blended):
Blend weights : ACSM 22% MET 22% LCDA 56% (per-segment grade-adaptive, overall 205 ft/mile — hilly)
Gross : 703 kcal
Resting : 113 kcal
Net (above basal) : 590 kcal
Net kcal/hour (move) : 343
Net kcal/mile (move) : 139

Heart Rate Analysis Summary:
Avg BPM (Overall) 81
Avg BPM (Moving) 92
Avg BPM (Stopped) 67
Avg BPM (Stopped, Rec.) 66
Max BPM 122

Zone Name Beats Per Minute Time In Zone % In Zone
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Z1 Active Recovery 73–86 42:44 42.3% ██████████
Z2 Endurance 87–101 28:13 27.9% ███████
Z3 Tempo 102–115 22:44 22.5% █████
Z4 Race Pace 116–130 7:19 7.2% ██
Z5 High Intensity 131–145 0:00 0.0%

Segments Table:

Seg | End | Duration | Pace | Gain | Avg Grade | Vert Rate | HR | Climb CC
| (miles) | (mins) | (min/mi) | (ft) | (%) | (ft/hr) | (bpm) | (beats/kft)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
01 | 0.10 | 2:54 | 28:13 | +18 | +3 | +374 | 104 |
02 | 0.20 | 2:47 | 27:47 | +18 | +3 | +386 | 82 |
03 | 0.30 | 2:23 | 23:53 | -27 | -5 | -674 | 72 |
04 | 0.40 | 2:23 | 23:48 | +6 | +1 | +140 | 86 |
05 | 0.50 | 2:39 | 26:27 | +46 | +9 | +1,051 | 98 |
06 | 0.60 | 2:31 | 25:06 | -3 | -1 | -82 | 93 |
07 | 0.70 | 2:20 | 23:24 | -25 | -5 | -634 | 78 |
08 | 0.80 | 2:29 | 24:52 | +8 | +2 | +195 | 81 |
09 | 0.90 | 2:25 | 24:08 | -13 | -2 | -318 | 77 |
10 | 1.00 | 2:27 | 24:27 | -19 | -4 | -456 | 77 |
11 | 1.10 | 2:16 | 22:39 | -25 | -5 | -655 | 74 |
12 | 1.20 | 2:23 | 23:53 | -27 | -5 | -686 | 76 |
13 | 1.30 | 2:24 | 24:01 | -55 | -10 | -1,374 | 74 |
14 | 1.40 | 2:29 | 24:50 | -25 | -5 | -610 | 74 |
15 | 1.50 | 2:24 | 23:58 | -21 | -4 | -530 | 72 |
16 | 1.60 | 2:43 | 27:14 | +61 | +12 | +1,354 | 89 | 3,899
17 | 1.70 | 2:57 | 29:27 | +41 | +8 | +826 | 102 |
18 | 1.80 | 3:18 | 33:01 | +90 | +17 | +1,637 | 106 | 3,883
19 | 1.90 | 3:14 | 32:19 | +129 | +24 | +2,400 | 119 | 2,832
20 | 2.00 | 3:08 | 31:18 | +65 | +12 | +1,245 | 117 | 3,563
21 | 2.10 | 2:44 | 27:25 | +62 | +12 | +1,361 | 115 | 4,420
22 | 2.20 | 3:25 | 34:11 | +99 | +19 | +1,729 | 113 | 3,554
23 | 2.30 | 2:39 | 26:31 | +7 | +1 | +170 | 114 |
24 | 2.40 | 2:35 | 25:46 | +39 | +7 | +910 | 112 |
25 | 2.50 | 2:48 | 28:04 | +83 | +16 | +1,786 | 104 | 3,604
26 | 2.60 | 2:25 | 24:05 | +17 | +3 | +422 | 94 |
27 | 2.70 | 2:22 | 23:41 | -28 | -5 | -696 | 85 |
28 | 2.80 | 2:52 | 28:43 | +10 | +2 | +203 | 98 |
29 | 2.90 | 2:22 | 23:38 | +19 | +4 | +480 | 99 |
30 | 3.00 | 2:17 | 22:44 | -2 | -0 | -49 | 81 |
31 | 3.10 | 2:04 | 20:41 | +10 | +2 | +292 | 104 |
32 | 3.20 | 2:17 | 22:53 | +20 | +4 | +516 | 106 |
33† | 3.30 | 1:18:10 | | -15 | -3 | -11 | 80 |
34 | 3.40 | 3:01 | 30:10 | -20 | -4 | -403 | 76 |
35 | 3.50 | 2:23 | 23:47 | -72 | -14 | -1,807 | 84 |
36 | 3.60 | 1:59 | 19:49 | -22 | -4 | -680 | 81 |
37 | 3.70 | 2:18 | 22:59 | -26 | -5 | -688 | 86 |
38 | 3.80 | 2:14 | 22:17 | -116 | -22 | -3,102 | 84 |
39 | 3.90 | 2:06 | 21:07 | -89 | -17 | -2,534 | 93 |
40 | 4.00 | 2:17 | 22:49 | -90 | -17 | -2,369 | 91 |
41 | 4.10 | 1:54 | 18:59 | -80 | -15 | -2,538 | 89 |
42 | 4.20 | 1:39 | 16:28 | -36 | -7 | -1,300 | 100 |
43* | 4.23 | 0:33 | 17:00 | -14 | -8 | -1,461 | 96 |
* partial segment
† rest stop (pace and climb CC suppressed)

Reference: Vertical Rate and Interpretation
--------------------------------------------
Vertical rate (ft/hr) reflects uphill climbing capacity.
Typical sustained ranges:
<500 : Very easy walking
500–800 : Easy hiking
800–1,200 : Moderate fitness
1,200–1,600 : Good hiking fitness
1,600–2,000 : Very good hiking fitness
2,000–2,500 : Excellent sustained climbing
>2,500 : Elite short-duration climbing

Reference: Cardiac Cost (beats per 1,000 ft)
---------------------------------------------
Cardiac cost is the number of heartbeats required
to climb 1,000 vertical feet.

Lower values indicate better climbing efficiency.
Typical ranges for uninterrupted uphill segments:
<3,000 : Exceptional climbing efficiency
3,000–4,000 : Strong climbing efficiency
4,000–5,000 : Moderate climbing efficiency
5,000–6,500 : High cardiac cost
>6,500 : Very inefficient or interrupted climbing

Note: values may be unreliable for short, shallow,
or interrupted segments.

Reference: Fatigue Index and Meaning
--------------------------------------------
Fatigue Index = late-climb vertical rate ÷ early-climb vertical rate
95–100% : Exceptional endurance
90–95% : Excellent endurance
85–90% : Very good endurance
80–85% : Good endurance
70–80% : Moderate fatigue
<70% : Significant fatigue

Reference: MET Intensity Interpretation
--------------------------------------------
A Metabolic Equivalent Task (MET) reflects overall exercise intensity relative to rest
1 : Resting metabolic rate.

Average MET (moving-only):
<3.0 : Very easy walking
3.0–4.0 : Easy hiking
4.0–5.5 : Moderate hiking
5.5–7.0 : Hard hiking
7.0–8.5 : Very high overall intensity
>8.5 : Near-maximal sustained effort

Uphill MET (climbing-only):
<4.0 : Easy climbing
4.0–5.5 : Moderate climbing
5.5–7.0 : Strong climbing
7.0–8.5 : Very strong climbing
>8.5 : Elite climbing performance

[Thrownatbirth]

I learned Plebe Summer that running made me tired. At 71, I’m expected at the EOS gym (it’s free) at 0500 every day or they come looking for me. Sorta lucky for slacker like me.

[Varsity Flight]

🏌️, we carry, or walking cart only
No motorized cart, and will not allow them to tag along.

[joshua c]

Like to walk

Gonna give it a try

Thanks for posting

[Thunder 6]

I’d add Rifle Drills to that.