One Mile, 105 Pounds, and the Real Measure of Power: My Journey to 3rd Place in Rogue Fitness’ ‘The Heavy’ Challenge

When most people think about power, they think about money. Some think about influence or fame. But real power? Real, measurable, thermodynamic work? That’s something else entirely but easy to measure and actually important!

I just finished a rucking challenge called “The Heavy” from Rogue Fitness, a well-known strength and conditioning equipment company that also hosts physical challenges to test raw athleticism—a brutal test of carrying 100 pounds over one mile, for time. My time? 14:03. And my load was 105 lbs, filmed on my Gopro Max 360. That time currently places me **3rd in the world for 2025 ** , but I’ll save at least a couple minutes off of this soon 😉 . And if you’re wondering, yes—this video is featured below. My sweat and tears blur the camera haha!

What Is Rucking—and Why Does It Matter?

Rucking is as simple as it gets: throw weight on your back and move. Maybe it’s food for a journey, maybe it’s rocks. That’s it. But the effects are anything but simple. Rucking combines endurance, strength, posture correction, and real-world functionality. It’s the perfect blend of heart, muscle, and discipline. Unlike most weight training(I’m a Certified Personal Trainer now too ❤️ – 📲 )—which spike and drop your heart rate in short bursts—rucking keeps you in the zone. For weight loss, the fat burning zone (65% of your max HR)  You don’t just build strength; you build work capacity and muscular endurance.

And work is power. Not metaphorically. I mean literally:

Work = Force x Distance
Power = Work / Time

So when someone asks how powerful a person is—well, this leaderboard is a better answer rooted in reality than most others. 

From Overweight to Under 10% Body Fat

At one point, I was nearly 90 pounds heavier than I am now. I lost it all by walking(on the farm, beach, desert, state park) , not drinking, and counting calories before ever stepping back in the gym.  Eventually I instinctively started adding weight to my walks to combat poor  posture, pain and improve circulation. Then more weight to shred the last and hardest bit of body fat around my stomach. Eventually that plus magical Facebook algorithms and a lot of anger led to this challenge.

The last bit of fat I dropped—getting to sub-10% body fat—was thanks to walking with 35 lbs or more in the CamelBak Motherlode backpack, shirtless (do it) , under the sun. No gimmicks. Just work and UVP.  

The Gear I Used (And Why It Matters)

This challenge was legit. Every ounce mattered. And every piece of gear had a role:

🎒 CamelBak Motherlode (~55 lbs total)

• CamelBak Motherlode
• 2x 15 lb rubber plate weights
• 1x 15 lb Wolf Tactical plate
• 1x 5 lb BCG leg weight

🦺 Wolf Tactical Weighted Vest (~50 lbs total)

• Wolf Tactical Vest
• 2x 23.75 lb custom steel plates (F&F steel)

🎥 Tech + Support

• GoPro 360 Max (with object tracking and overlays)
• Apple Watch Ultra 2 (heart rate logged at an average of 181 bpm)
• My shirt: SHAWTAYYYY.COM
• Supplements: FreeBuckedUp.com (free samples + 20% off sitewide — my affiliate link)

The Calorie Burn (And Why It’s Unreal)

Let’s talk numbers. According to standard MET-based estimates, someone my size doing a 105 lb ruck for one mile at that pace would burn 350–400+ calories—in just 14 minutes. 352 calories being the exact number calculated. That’s 25–30 calories per minute, rivaling elite endurance athletes at VO₂ max. IDK lol .

In my case, my Apple Watch Ultra 2 logged an average heart rate of 181 bpm, with a max of 186. That’s above-max heart rate for a 37-year-old. I also exported my heart rate and calorie data as overlays directly into the video so you can see it live.

Why does this matter? Because most people burn fewer calories in an entire hour at the gym than I burned in 14 minutes. Most fitness watches underestimate rucking because they don’t account for load and placement.

I have a special calculator. Cough.

If you’ve ever felt discouraged because your watch said you only burned 100 calories rucking, just know—it was probably wrong. Weight matters. Terrain matters. Effort matters.

Why This Challenge Matters

This wasn’t just about beating other people. This was about proving to myself—and anyone watching—that you can reclaim your body, your health, and your power. One ruck at a time.

Because we’ve lost the script. Somewhere along the way, we forgot what real effort looks like—and how reclaiming our health through hard, honest work is one of the most powerful things we can do. Today, we can actually measure work and power more easily than ever. This reconnects us to reality, to our bodies, and to a kind of labor that always pays off. Not in dollars, but in years added to your life, in clarity, in confidence and ability. Every opportunity in life requires movement. Walking is universal. And this kind of work—real, physical, self-directed effort—always has positive expected value. In a world filled with shortcuts, stimulants, filters, and algorithms that don’t pay off…  there’s something honest about loading up your spine with weight and seeing what your body can do.

I’ve got more videos coming. More gear to test. And a lot more people to inspire. But for now? This is the one that counts.

This is the one that gets my foot in the door. I know I can do better, and I will. But we’ve been working with the MVP mindset—get something real done, now, ship it, then iterate. And this got done.

Watch the full video below. Judge it with your own eyes. Then ask yourself:

Could you do this?
Could you train to do it?

If the answer is yes, then welcome to the real world of work thanks for coming in today :).

Because anything I can do… you can do.

Watch the Challenge:

Affiliate Gear Links Recap:
🎒 CamelBak Motherlode
🏋️ Wolf Tactical Vest
📷 GoPro 360 Max
⌚ Apple Watch Ultra 2
🥤 Free Bucked Up Sampler + 20% Off
💪 23.75 lb Steel Plates
🏋️‍♂️ 15 lb Rubber Plates
🏋️‍♀️ 15 lb Tactical Plate
🏃‍♂️ 5 lb BCG Leg Weight

This wasn’t a perfectly optimized run. Not even close.

By the time I started the challenge, I’d dropped my earbuds, my heart rate was already up, and I hadn’t eaten much more than a Clif Bar and a handful of jerky all day. My body was running hot — borderline fasted — and I was still cleaning a pool an hour beforehand, burning calories like crazy. Add in a Florida afternoon with near 90-degree heat, and yeah… this was a furnace test.

And still: 14:03 with 105 lbs on my body, and 3rd place on the leaderboard for 2025.

If anything, this just proves how much room there is to improve. With better prep, more fuel, a little salt, and a tighter setup, I know I can shave off 2 minutes — maybe more.

I’m coming back for that #1 spot. Maybe during the Gator Bowl. Maybe sooner.

PrestonShamblen.com isn’t just a gym — it’s a proving ground. And we’re just getting started

Stay tuned for future breakdowns, gear reviews, and app updates at PrestonShamblen.com