The 6x Fittest Woman on Earth is getting ready to train for the 2024 CrossFit Games. She says it’s an easy way to stay in shape and increase her workouts.

• CrossFit legend Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr is training to reclaim the title of Fittest Woman on Earth.

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

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

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

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

His secret weapon? Rucking.

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

Whether you’re walking, walking or running, weight walking is an accessible way to exercise, which is why it’s grown in popularity in Silicon Valley in recent 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 so effective at increasing strength and fitness.

As she chases her seventh title, Toomey-Orr, 30, told BI how she uses rucking to boost her training and how regular people can do it too.

Toomey-Orr loves to hit the ground running in the offseason

Toomey-Orr especially likes the course in 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 enjoyed the ruck when I was pregnant.”

Parents may find themselves basically unaware of this as it is similar to carrying a baby on their front or back.

Toomey-Orr often carries a heavy backpack while taking Willow for walks in the stroller alongside her husband and trainer, Shane Orr, she said.

“You’re working your upper body, which is so important for carrying a child,” Toomey-Orr said. “And then you’re also working on your conditioning and leg endurance. So you’re hitting every facet of the body, and you don’t have to go to the gym and just do push-ups, bench presses, squats, and all of that just you’re hitting at the same time.”

Carrying a ruck is an easy way to make workouts more challenging

On Wednesday, Toomey-Orr was announced as a partner with ruck gear brand Goruck, which became Crossfit’s new apparel and footwear sponsor earlier this year. With that in mind, Toomey-Orr expects rucking to appear at the CrossFit Games in some form, but the workouts aren’t announced in advance and change every year.

With that in mind, he is incorporating rucking into his training.

Like a weight vest, a ruck (a backpack specifically designed to hold weight plates) can be worn while doing various exercises, including gymnastic movements and high-intensity workouts.

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

The Australian, who now lives in Nashville, is experimenting and said he finds the Goruck backpacks easy to carry while training.

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

Start light if you are new to rucking

While rucking is generally an accessible way to exercise, Toomey-Orr recommends starting light, short and building up.

“As you get more confident, as you feel stronger, you start increasing the distance, you start increasing the weight, and before you know it, you’re going to be consistently on course and you’re going to see progress,” he said.

While you can add a ruck to your regular workouts, one of the best ways to reap the benefits, both physical and mental, is to simply walk while carrying a heavy backpack.

“Pick a really nice track and go outside because it’s really nice, especially when the weather’s nice,” Toomey-Orr said.

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