GORUCK Tough Training Guide – Week 1

Week One Recommended Reading:

 Top 10 Training Tips for GORUCK.

Monday – 1/2 Mile Ruck with 60# Sandbag

It should go without saying that this is with your ruck and the sandbag. Take as few breaks as
possible. Go a little further if you’re feeling good after the half mile.

Tuesday – PT

20 8-count Man Makers

20 Sit-ups
20 Thrusters
20 4-count Flutter Kicks
Complete the above TWO times through.

Wednesday – 3 Mile Ruck

Wednesdays are a mid-range ruck. We’ll add more miles in the weeks to come. Use Wednesdays
to try and push your pace a little bit.

Thursday – Rest Day

Stretch. Foam Roll. Eat. Rest. Recover.

Friday – Bear With Me

Complete the Tough version of “Bear With Me.”

Saturday – 6 Mile Ruck

Time to start getting those miles.

Sunday – Rest Day

Stretch. Foam Roll. Eat. Rest. Recover.

GORUCK Tough Training Guide – Week 2

Week Two Recommended Reading:

 The Best Shoes for GORUCK, The Best Socks for GORUCK, The Best Pants for
GORUCK.
Monday – 1/2 Mile Ruck with a Log

Take your log for a walk (and, yes, you’re supposed to wear your ruck too). Take as few breaks
as possible. Go a little further if you’re feeling good after the half mile.

Tuesday – PT

20 Squats with ruck over head

20 4-count Flutter Kicks
20 Ruck High Pulls
20 4-count Mountain Climbers
Complete the above FOUR times through.

Wednesday – 4 Mile Ruck

Use Wednesdays to try and push your pace a little bit. An easy way to shave off some seconds is
to shuffle over any roads you cross. Cross a lot of roads, shave a lot of time.

Thursday – Rest Day

Stretch. Foam Roll. Eat. Rest. Recover.

Friday – PT

50 Push-ups
50 Sit-ups
Complete the above TWO times through.

Saturday – Ruck 8 Miles

Nothing fancy. Just strap on your ruck and go.

Sunday – Rest Day

Stretch. Foam Roll. Eat. Rest. Recover.

GORUCK Tough Training Guide – Week 3

Week Three Recommended Reading:

 While a GORUCK Tough is difficult, it is wayyyy easier than GORUCK Selection.

Check out this interview with Mark Klemm, who finished GORUCK Selection in 2016.
This particular interview discusses how he trained for the event (hint: It is crazy).

Monday – .5 Mile Ruck with a Jerry Can

Jerry cans suck, but they are standard fare at GORUCK events. Take time to get used to it and
try to find a way to carry it that works for you. Take as few breaks as possible. Go a little further
if you’re feeling good after the half mile.

Tuesday – PT plus 1 Mile Ruck

Do 40 “Get up. Get down.”

Accumulate 3 minutes of a 6″ hold (while holding your ruck overhead)
After you finish the above, go for a 1-mile ruck.

For the “Get up. Get down.” imagine you are at an event and the cadre has you on your belly.
He then yells, “get up.” About the time you get all the way up he yells, “get back down.” So, you
go back to your belly. He then yells, “get up.” You get the picture. It is kind of like a crappy
burpee.

The 6″ hold is on your back with your legs straight and feet together. Raise your legs till your
heels are 6″ off the ground. Hold it. As stated above, you should be holding your ruck over head
while doing this.

Wednesday – WET 4 Mile Ruck

Jump in a pool. Jump in a lake. Use your hose and soak yourself to the bone. Now, go for a 4-
mile ruck. I’m serious. In your event, you WILL get wet. YOu gotta know how your body will
react to rucking while wet. So, do it.

Note: Do not do this if the weather is super cold. Use your common sense and be safe.

Thursday – Rest Day

Stretch. Foam Roll. Eat. Rest. Recover.

Friday – Sandbag 1/2 Mile

Do the Sandbag mile (with a 60# sandbag, of course).

Saturday – Ruck 8 Miles

Nothing fancy. Just strap on your ruck and go.

Sunday – Rest Day

Stretch. Foam Roll. Eat. Rest. Recover.

GORUCK Tough Training Guide – Week 4

Week Four Recommended Reading:

  Here are some more thoughts on what to wear at a GORUCK event.

Monday – 1.5 Mile Ruck with a Sandbag

Take as few breaks as possible.

Tuesday – PT 

20 4-count Flutter Kicks

20 8-count Man Makers
20 Monkey F’ers
20 seconds holding ruck overhead
Complete the above THREE times through.

Wednesday – 5 Mile Ruck with a “Buy in”

Before you go on your 5-mile ruck you must complete 40 push-ups and 40 sit-ups.

Thursday – Rest Day

Stretch. Foam Roll. Eat. Rest. Recover.

Friday – 200 4-count Flutter Kicks

Do 200 4-count Flutter Kicks

Saturday – Ruck 9 Miles

More miles. Be sure to bring the smiles.

Sunday – Rest Day

Stretch. Foam Roll. Eat. Rest. Recover.

GORUCK Tough Training Guide – Week 5

Week Five Recommended Reading:

 GORUCK Packing video. A good look at what and how one guy packs for your event.

Monday – 1.5 Mile Ruck with a Log

Take your log for a 2-mile ruck. Take as few breaks as possible.

Tuesday – Ruck, PT, Ruck

 1. Ruck 1 mile
2. 60 push-ups
60 4-count flutter kicks
3. Ruck 1 mile

Wednesday – 6 Mile Ruck with a “Cash out”

Ruck 6 miles. At the end, perform 40 push-ups and 40 sit-ups

Thursday – Rest Day

Stretch. Foam Roll. Eat. Rest. Recover.

Friday – 100 4-count Mountain Climbers

Do 80 4-count Mountain Climbers.

Saturday – GORUCK Heavy 12-Mile Timed Ruck + PT Test

Perform the standard GORUCK Heavy 12-mile timed ruck. Upon completion, rest 10 minutes
and then perform a 2-minute max-rep push-up test. Rest 10 minutes. Perform a 2-minute max-rep
situp test.

While you’re not training for a Heavy, this is a fun test to see where you are in relation to the
GORUCK Heavy PT standards. If you were doing a GORUCK Heavy, you would be expected to
complete the ruck in under 3.5 hours and you would need to complete a minimum of 55 push-ups
and 55 situp-ups.

Sunday – Rest Day

Stretch. Foam Roll. Eat. Rest. Recover.

GORUCK Tough Training Guide – Week 6

Week SIX Recommended Reading:

 If you’re rucking with a GORUCK GR1, you may want to consider this ruck upgrade.
This is one of the best and cheapest upgrades around.

Monday – 1.5 Mile Ruck with a Jerry Can

Jerry sucks. Smile anyway. Take as few breaks as possible.

Tuesday – Bear Crawl around a Soccer Field

And don’t go looking for one of those tiny soccer fields. Bear crawl around a legit, full size,
soccer field.

Wednesday – 6 Mile Ruck with a “Buy in”

Before you begin your 6-mile ruck you must complete 40 push-ups and 40 sit-ups.

Thursday – Rest Day

Stretch. Foam Roll. Eat. Rest. Recover.

Friday – Super Sucky Sandbag Ruck

In an urban area with “blocks” go for a 40-minute ruck with a 60# sandbag.

 On block 1, carry sandbag in your left hand.

 On block 2, carry sandbag in your right hand.
 On block 3, carry sandbag in your arms like a baby.
 On block 4, carry sandbag on your back.
 Repete rotation until your 40 minutes are complete.

Note: If you don’t have an area with “blocks” then do 1 minute for each carry.

Saturday – Ruck 10 Miles and make the last one hard

Ruck 10 miles. The last mile must be completed with the addition of a sandbag.

Sunday – Rest Day

Stretch. Foam Roll. Eat. Rest. Recover.

GORUCK Tough Training Guide – Week 7

Week SEVEN Recommended Reading:

 Do your homework and read up on other people’s GORUCK experiences. Check out the
GORUCK AAR Directory.

Monday – 2 Mile Ruck with a Sandbag

Take a sandbag for a 2-mile ruck. Take as few breaks as possible. This will suck a bit.

Tuesday – PT + 2-mile Ruck

1. 5 Ruck-on Push-ups
10 4-count Flutter Kicks
 25 Squats
FOUR rounds.
2. Ruck 2 Miles

Wednesday – 7 Mile Ruck with a “Cash out”

Ruck 7 miles. At the end, perform 60 push-ups and 60 sit-ups

Thursday – Rest Day

Stretch. Foam Roll. Eat. Rest. Recover.

Friday – 14 Mile Night Ruck 

Ruck 14 miles at night.

Notes: You can start in the evening, but the majority of your ruck should be at night. Wear a
headlamp and reflectors. Would be ideal if you can have a buddy ruck with you. As always, be
smart and be safe.

Saturday – Take a nap.

Good job last night.

Sunday – Rest Day

Stretch. Foam Roll. Eat. Rest. Recover.

GORUCK Tough Training Guide – Week 8

Week EIGHT Recommended Reading:

 People that do GORUCK events can be weird. Make sure you know the people who are
likely to be on your team.

Monday – 2 Mile Ruck with a Log.

Take as few breaks as possible.

Tuesday – Duck With Me

Do the Tough version of “Bear With Me” BUT replace bear crawls with duck walks.

Wednesday – 7 Mile Ruck with a “Buy in”

Before you begin your 7-mile ruck you must complete 65 push-ups and 65 sit-ups.
Thursday – Rest Day

Stretch. Foam Roll. Eat. Rest. Recover.

Friday – Get Wet, Do PT, Ruck 1 Mile

Use a hose, pool, or whatever to get completely soaked. Then:

1. 20 Sit-ups
20 Thrusters
20 4-count Mountain Climbers
20 “Get up. Get down.”
Complete TWO rounds.
2. Ruck 1 mile.

Remember, don’t get wet if it is super cold. Be smart. Check “Week 3 – Tuesday” if you aren’t
sure what “Get up. Get down.” is.

Saturday – Ruck 12 Miles and make the first and last one hard.

Ruck 10 miles. The first and last mile must be completed with the addition of a sandbag.

Sunday – Rest Day

Stretch. Foam Roll. Eat. Rest. Recover.

GORUCK Heavy Training Guide – Week 9

Week NINE Recommended Reading:

 Here’s my experience with how to deal with cramps during a GORUCK event.

Monday – 2 Mile Ruck with a Jerry Can

Take a Jerry Can for a 2-mile ruck. Take as few breaks as possible. Your Jerry can is full, isn’t
it?

Tuesday – 1-mile Ruck, PT, 1-mile Ruck

1. Ruck 1 mile.
2. Do 50 “Get up. Get down.”
3. Ruck 1 Miles

Wednesday – 8 Mile Ruck with a “Cash out”

Ruck 8 miles. At the end, perform 60 push-ups and 60 sit-ups

Thursday – Rest Day

Stretch. Foam Roll. Eat. Rest. Recover.

Friday – Go for a Jog

No ruck. Just go for a jog. Make it as long or as short as you want.

Saturday – 13 mile Ruck

Go for a 13-mile ruck. That’s all. Smile 🙂

Sunday – Rest Day

Stretch. Foam Roll. Eat. Rest. Recover.

GORUCK Heavy Training Guide – Week 10

Week TEN Recommended Reading:

 Pretty much anything at Ruck.Beer.

Monday – 3 Mile Ruck with a Sandbag.

Take as few breaks as possible. This will suck.

Tuesday – Deck of Death

Using a full deck of playing cards you will pull a card. The value will be the number of reps
you’ll do. The suit will determine the movement (see below). Perform the movement for the
number of the reps. Pull another card and repeat. Do this until you’ve gone through the entire
deck. Face cards are 10.

 Heart = Push-up
 Spade = Ruck-Over-Head Squat
 Club = 4-count Flutter Kick
 Diamond = 4-count Mountain Climber

Wednesday – 8 Mile Ruck with a “Buy in”

Before you begin your 9-mile ruck you must complete 60 push-ups and 60 sit-ups.

Thursday – Rest Day

Stretch. Foam Roll. Eat. Rest. Recover.

Friday – PT + 1 mile Ruck + 1 mile Heavy

1. 20 Thrusters
20 4-count Flutter Kicks
20 8-count Man Makers
20 Sit-ups
2. Ruck 1 Mile
3. Ruck 1 more mile with a 60# sandbag

Saturday – Ruck 14 miles

Just some more miles.

Sunday – Rest Day

Stretch. Foam Roll. Eat. Rest. Recover.

Then end.

Now… go earn that patch!