Today (I wrote this text on the 11th of May, 2025), while walking, doing street photography, and rucking, I wondered what the best sport for me was: rucking or swimming?
Undoubtedly, these two sports help increase muscle mass. How do I know it? I had been regularly swimming between 2011 and 2018. I started with swimming for 30 minutes and finished with 1 hour and 40 minutes of pure swimming (with only short breaks for pee). During that time, my muscles were truly built up. However, the struggle to balance work, personal interests, and fitness was a constant challenge. I recall days between 2015 and 2018 when I would swim and do street photography on the same day. After coming home, I was exhausted and did not have the energy to do anything, so I had to sleep for one or two hours.
That’s why I was slowly breaking up with swimming, because I wanted to go outside and enjoy the magnificent mundane reality.
If you read my blog regularly, my Dear Friend, you know I’ve been doing street photography regularly since that time. Still, a year ago, I began to think about adding something to my walks. I was considering returning to swimming, going to the gym, or training in Muay-Thai (the so-called Thai Boxing). I was thinking that my muscles needed more effort. Still, I did not know how to cope with the lack of time (remember, my Dear Friend, I work in a broadly defined finance world) to work, walk, and take pictures on Warsaw’s streets, and do the additional workout.
Then, one day, I was coming back home with an extra 4 kg of pistachios in my rucksack.
A few days later, the blessed YouTube algorithm recommended a film about rucking to me. When I saw it, I knew I had found the best solution for me. That’s why, for today, I undoubtedly prefer rucking because it can save me a lot of time. Still, I also recommend swimming to all the people who want to gain muscle and feel alive. The relief of finding a solution to my time management issue was immense, and it gave me hope that I could continue to pursue my fitness goals alongside my other passions. In the battle between rucking and swimming, there is no winner.
