Question 1

How many calories does rucking burn?

Accepted Answer

It depends on your body weight, ruck weight, pace, and terrain, but rucking typically burns 2–3 times the calories of unloaded walking at the same speed. A 180 lb person carrying 35 lb at a brisk 3.5 mph on flat ground burns roughly 500–600 calories per hour.

Question 2

What is the Pandolf equation?

Accepted Answer

The Pandolf equation is a military metabolic model published in 1977 that predicts the energy cost of walking while carrying a load. It accounts for body weight, load weight, walking speed, grade, and a terrain coefficient. It is the standard formula behind most rucking calorie estimates.

Question 3

Is the Pandolf equation accurate for heavy loads?

Accepted Answer

It is a good estimate for moderate loads but tends to underpredict energy cost at very heavy loads and slow speeds. Looney et al. (2019) found the classic equation can underestimate metabolic cost by 12–33% with heavy backpacks, so treat the output as a floor, not a ceiling.

Rucking Calorie Calculator