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A ‘How To’ Guide on Wearing A Rucksack
Now this is going to blow your mind…but your rucksack, also known as a backpack, is supposed to be worn on your back! Whilst I’m assured it is supper cool to wear your bags so that they bounce off your legs, I can assure you, your posture will not thank you for it next year.
The correct way to wear your rucksack is with it sitting against your back, roughly 2 inches above your waist, so that the load can be evenly distributed across shoulders and torso. When the bag straps are too loose, it causes the bag to hang away from the back, resulting in a compensation in posture to manage the load better. This means that the wearer will develop a forward lean with their torso, an upward head tilt (so that eyes can still look forward), rounded shoulders and a strained neck. This posture results in increased pressure on shoulders and lower back, increasing the risk of injury and causing unnecessary tightness in muscles.
The same is said for single strap bags or bags carried on one shoulder. To deal with an increased load on one side of the body, you will compensate by leaning to the other side, as a way to make the weight distribution more even. If you prefer a one-strap situation, it is advised for a cross-body bag (shoulder to hip). This, whilst still not ideal, will provide a better solution to carrying weight on one shoulder alone.
With shoulder and back injuries among the most common in swimmers, adding to this strain with an incorrectly positioned bag seems like an unnecessary risk to take. So how do we improve this?
Reduce The Load
Carrying heavy bags is sometimes unavoidable, especially if you are packing for school, swim and land, and ensuring effective provision for nutrition and hydration around all of this. Where possible, school lockers should be utilised to drop off books, PE kit, food and water that can be collected when necessary for class, snacks and lunch. Similarly, I am sure most people carry unnecessary things to training everyday simply because it fits in the bag. Try to make your bag as light as possible by removing things you do not need.
Pack Your Bag Correctly
If you are having a day where your bag is full, make sure you spend some time placing items in a good order. Heavy items should always be packed closest to your back. This reduces the amount of load placed further out from your centre of gravity, hopefully minimising the need for a forward lean.
Water bottles
Having a reuseable water bottle is a must in Dubai, both to help the planet but more so as the days are hot. Whilst most bags now have a dedicated side pocket to store bottles, placing a full, heavy bottle on one side of the bag can cause a compensatory lean to the opposite side. Try to avoid this by either packing something similarly heavy on the other side, or simply by carrying the bottle in hand. The latter will also subconsciously make you drink more as the hydration method is more visible!
So, with all this said, will you make the change from being a ‘cool’ kid who walks around with a low backpack, or ‘cool’ athlete who is injury free and fast?