Is carrying a heavy backpack good exercise?

Carrying a backpack is an essential task for both students and professionals. Many people become astonished after learning that carrying a backpack is also a way to build muscles and develop this health condition. Sometimes, a heavyweight backpack does the task that a gymnasium does.

Caution: Carrying a heavy backpack can be helpful for our health if the weight of the backpack is limited. However, carrying a heavy backpack may cause shoulder, neck, and back pain.

How carrying a heavy backpack can be good exercise?

The answer is yes. The weight of a heavy backpack puts pressure on our back and abdominal muscles. So when a heavy load is on your back, you are exercising well. If the backpack has an extensive size and load, it may require energy to carry it. There are several reasons why carrying a backpack is good exercise, and we are going to discuss them.

Burn calories

Carrying a rucksack is associated with burning 10 to 20% more calories than walking without one. It is possible if a person walks for thirty minutes per day. However, regular walking cannot provide such health benefits.

Save time

If you want to do some physical exercises, you should devote a lot of time. However, when traveling with a large backpack, you can reach the destination by performing good exercise without spending more time. This task is accomplished by carrying the backpack’s weight on your back.

Evenly spread weight

If you carry a handbag with one hand, there is a risk of imbalanced pressure from the bag on a single part of your body. So, if the weight of the bag becomes too much, you should change hands frequently to hold it; otherwise, you may feel pain in your hand.

But the pressure of holding a backpack is good for our body because it spreads the pressure evenly throughout our body. When you put the two shoulder straps on your shoulders at the same time, your body can easily balance the entire weight of the bag.

Increase strength and stamina

When a person works hard and performs his daily physical exercises on time, his body condition remains good. These exercises keep us fit and increase our body’s stamina. Moreover, they are related to our body’s growth and increase our hunger. However, in our hectic and routine lives, completing the exercises on time is extremely difficult.

How to pack a backpack before a tour?

Every hiker and traveler should have the proper knowledge for a healthy journey. Traveling is always good for your health; carrying a hiking backpack can be good exercise. But there are several things to consider before starting the journey.

  1. Do not run fast during the journey. Your legs, waist, and knees will feel terrible pain if you do that. A medium walking speed is perfect because it can relax your body.
  2. You should wear a pair of comfortable hiking shoes and socks. These shoes are manufactured especially so that you do not feel any pain after several hours of hiking.
  3. You have to carry a sufficient amount of water on every journey. If you feel tired or dehydrated, you should drink some water in the meantime.
  4. Do not forget to keep extra clothes inside your backpack. Significantly, it is essential on winter or rainy nights; otherwise, you may fall into hypothermia.

Bottom lines

All of your hiking preparations may be for naught if your backpack is overloaded and uncomfortable to carry. So, carrying a backpack on the shoulders is good, but the weight limit must be maintained. Otherwise, you can experience back pain or other issues.

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