Are there any benefits to walking with an extra 20 to 40 pounds in a backpack?

by Therese Iknoian

Dear Coach,

I understand the reasoning behind not using ankle or hand weights, but what about a full weight like something in a backpack? Are there any benefits to walking with, say, an extra 20-40 pounds or more in a (well-designed) backpack?

Hey Hugh,

Great follow-up question. There are two ways to answer this. And the difference in the answer is based on WHY you want to carry the weight.

If you are carrying extra weight – anywhere on your body, including in packs or on vests – to burn more calories or for weight loss, the same answer applies as in the question about wearing wrist and ankle weights: You may gain an extra 5 percent in calorie burn, but that’s it. So the risks really outweigh the few extra calories you’d burn.  As an example, on average, a person either running or walking will chow through about 50-100 calories per mile, depending on terrain, speed, body weight, muscle composition, etc. So if you are covering, say, four miles and your body uses 320 calories in that time, you may use about 15-20 more calories if you carry added weight. Like I said, not really worth it.

However, carrying extra weight, like in a backpack or with a weighted vest, can serve a purpose … if it is for activity-specific training. Maybe you are going to take a backpacking trip and need to train your body to carry extra weight. Maybe you’re an adventure racer (like Team No Limits who recently finished second in Mark Burnett’s Expedition Impossible adventure race and pictured right) who must get used to carrying weight while running. Maybe you’re doing a distance run and wearing weight can simulate the difficulty in later stages of the race when you’re going up hills. Maybe you’ll be running or walking in sand or something soft that increases resistance so you need to add more resistance in training to build muscle.

Whatever the case, if there is a sport-specific training reason to carry extra weight for strength building, it’s worth considering, but be sure you check in with your doctor or trainer first. The only other caveat is, start slowly. You can’t just pile on a bunch of weight and expect your soft tissues and joints to smile. They aren’t used to it. So add just a few pounds – perhaps only 4-5 to start – then, depending on your training reason, you can add another one or two each week. But don’t go beyond about 25-30 percent of your body weight. For most people, that will be way too much anyway unless you really need to train to carry that much weight.

If along the way you start to feel any aches or pains, stop carrying any weight and, as needed, consult a medical professional. And if you have any injuries or prior weaknesses, such as in your back or hips, consult with a medical professional before you try to carry any additional weight.