Rucking meetings, the hot new business trend, combine networking with a popular fat-burning workout [Video]

Forget about a working lunch, grabbing a coffee, or hitting up a happy hour. These days, executives are throwing on a weighted backpack and trekking a few miles with colleagues and new contacts.

Rucking — walking while carrying weight, typically in a wearable pack — has skyrocketed in popularity in the fitness world as a way to enhance longevity, build muscle, and burn fat.

Now, the workout is replacing Zoom calls and desksides as the face-to-face activity of choice for sharing ideas, developing relationships, and creating career opportunities. Welcome to the era of the rucking meeting.

Former NFL player turned entrepreneur Jeff Byers told Business Insider he rucks on a treadmill desk during meetings and invites guests to join him in the exercise during one-on-ones.

Lee Heisman, an Atlanta-based entrepreneur and CEO of several businesses, including Exit Stage Left Advisors, has been rucking for years. For Heisman, the unique features of rucking make it an ideal activity for …