- Garmin could soon add support for rucking workouts
- A rumor says the feature could arrive by the end of year, possibly alongside a new Instinct 3
- Rucking is a new fitness trend that involves walking with a weighted backpack.
A new leak claims that some of the best Garmin smartwatches on the market could soon add support for rucking, one of the hottest new trends in fitness.
The news comes by way of leaker @Jw, reported by the5krunner. According to the report, Garmin is "about" to add a new Rucking sport profile that will let users track dedicated rucking sessions, with options to add the weight of their pack manually. Once you're off, your Garmin will reportedly track distance and pace, as well as the impact of the exercise on overall fitness stats including VO2 Max.
As the report points out, it would make Garmin the first smartwatch manufacturer to offer dedicated rucking tracking. According to the report, the feature could arrive by the end of the year, and may debut alongside a rumored new Instinct 3, although the report notes that there's "no new intel on that" and files it as speculation.
What on earth is rucking?
If you've never heard of rucking and don't know what it is, then don't worry, you're not alone. Not to be confused with the ferocious contest for the ball at the breakdown in a game of rugby, rucking is a trendy new form of exercise that involves walking with a weighted rucksack (hence the name) in the pursuit of better fitness.
Rucking puts lower impacts on your knees and ankles compared to running, but the increase in weight you're carrying means it's almost as effective at burning fat. This makes it ideal for really anyone, but especially people who might struggle with the demands running can place on their joints.
It's a technique used by the military for training, and Garmin's rumored adoption of tracking for the trend could signal that it's about to go mainstream.
