The 6 time fittest woman in the world is preparing to train for the 2024 CrossFit Games. She says it’s an easy way to stay in shape and improve your workouts.

• CrossFit legend Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr is training to reclaim the title of world’s fittest woman.

• The six-time CrossFit Games champion skipped the 2023 competition after giving birth.

• Rucking is a key part of her training both in the gym and on walks, she told Business Insider.

All eyes are on CrossFit legend Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr as she rebuilds her strength and fitness ahead of the sport’s Summer Games, where she hopes to be named the world’s fittest woman for the seventh time.

Toomey-Orr gave birth to her first child, Willow, in May 2023, and therefore missed last year’s CrossFit Games. But after wowing fans by placing second at the 2023 Rogue Invitationals, another big competition on the CrossFit calendar – only five months after giving birth – she is preparing to make her return.

His secret weapon? Rucking.

In its simplest form, rucking involves walking while carrying a weight in a backpack. Because it works the whole body, rucking develops strength, cardiovascular fitness and endurance.

Whether walking, hiking, or running, traveling on foot while carrying weight is an accessible way to workout, which is part of the reason it’s exploded in popularity in Silicon Valley these last years. But exercise has long been a key part of military training, and Toomey-Orr exclusively told Business Insider that it’s also been an important tool in his arsenal for years because it’s very effective at developing strength. strength and physical fitness.

As she chases her seventh title, Toomey-Orr, 30, spoke to BI about how she uses rucking to elevate her workouts – and how everyday people can too.

Toomey-Orr loves playing in the off-season

Toomey-Orr especially enjoys moving around during the offseason when she spends less time in the gym but wants to maintain her fitness.

“It’s nothing crazy compared to training,” Toomey-Orr said. “It’s actually pretty basic, but it still provides that level of challenge.”

She added: “I actually really liked rucking when I was pregnant.”

Parents can essentially struggle without even realizing it because it’s like carrying a baby on their stomach or back.

Toomey-Orr often wears a weighted backpack when she takes Willow for walks in the stroller alongside her husband and trainer, Shane Orr, she said.

“You work your upper body, which is so important for carrying a child,” Toomey-Orr said. “And then you’re also working on your fitness and the endurance of your legs. So you’re kind of hitting every facet of the body, and you don’t have to go to the gym and just do workouts. push-ups, strict presses, back squats, and all that.

Wearing a ruck is a simple way to make workouts more difficult

On Wednesday, Toomey-Orr was announced as a partner with rucking equipment brand Goruck, which became Crossfit’s new apparel and footwear sponsor earlier this year. With that in mind, Toomey-Orr expects rucking to feature in some capacity in the CrossFit Games, but the workouts are not announced in advance and change each year.

It is in this spirit that she integrates rucking into her training.

Like a weighted vest, a ruck (a backpack specially designed to hold weight plates) can be worn during a variety of exercises, including gymnastic movements and high-intensity workouts.

“Being creative and thinking outside the box is very, very important,” Toomey-Orr said.

The Australian native, who now lives in Nashville, is experimenting and says she finds Goruck backpacks easy to wear while training.

“You don’t have to worry too much about chafing or anything like that because they reinforced the bags so well,” Toomey-Orr said.

Start light if you are new to rucking

Although rucking is generally an accessible way to train, Toomey-Orr recommends starting light, short, and gradual.

“As you gain confidence, as you feel stronger, then start increasing the distance, start increasing the weight, and before you know it you will be moving steadily and seeing progress ” she said.

While you can add some punch to your regular workouts, one of the best ways to reap the benefits, both physically and mentally, is to simply walk while carrying a weighted backpack.

“Pick a really nice trail and go out because it’s so beautiful, especially when the weather is nice,” Toomey-Orr said.

Read the original article on Business Insider