We recently connected with Charles Rucker and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Charles thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

I grew up in a family that was very sports-driven. My dad was a running back for GA tech. He played football and ran track. I had an uncle that played for the University of TN and later went to coach at the University of GA and TX. So sports has always been a big part of my life. I started playing football at the age of 5.

And growing up, based on me being raised by a single mother, on disability, me getting a scholarship would be the opportunity that I needed to be able to make something out of myself and get out of my hometown. Working out was always a passion. Even though playing football I always found the gym as my escape. So even in high school, I was always the first one in the weight room and the last one out. I got that football scholarship and went and played for the University of the Cumberlands of KY. In my freshman year of college, I ended up being in a life-changing obstacle. I and two other football players were driving home one night and hydroplaned and lost control of my car.

My car slid into the median into oncoming traffic and we hit a tractor-trailer head one which ejected all three of us out of the car. We were life-flighted to Knoxville where I suffered from multiple fractures in my face, broke my jaw, lost teeth, and broke my hand. I had to learn how to eat and talk again. I was in and out of surgeries for a year. Through this time I fell into a state of depression and the God gave me a second chance to have the opportunity to play football again for MTSU. I had lost over 100lb in the wreck so once again, the gym became my sanctuary to regain my strength and focus to be able to get back on the field.

I got to MTSU and failed the physical because of the injuries from the wreck. My work ethic and training didn’t stop though. I wasn’t going to let them deter me from getting back on the field. In 2008, I got invited to go to the ATL combine where I got the opportunity to play for the Nashville Storm where we ended up winning the National Championship in 2010. After this, I walked away from football and started a new passion which was competing in bodybuilding.

After my first show, I decided this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. In the fitness world. After my first year, I signed my first contract as a fitness model with a supplement company called Lonestar. It was a 3-year contract where I moved to ATL. Through that time in my life, I learned a lot about the supplement industry. Traveling around the country with a supplement company sparked an interest in a different side of the bodybuilding industry which was sports and nutrition.

After my contract was over, I moved back to middle TN and signed with a new company, Concrete, and started my own training business called True Discipline which was a personal training company. In 2018, instead of resigning with Concrete, I decided to start my own supplement company called Ruck Nutrition. I decided that I wanted to start a supplement company not only to create quality products but also to give back and create opportunities like I was once given to athletes and those who love fitness as much as I do. The first product we created was called PreRuck, it was a pre-workout.

The reason I designed It was because, with my background of being an athlete, a lot of my workouts were still geared towards high-intensity functional training. My problem was that a lot of pre-workouts that I had been taking would upset my stomach with workouts at that intensity. So I wanted to create a pre-workout that wasn’t only good for all types of athletes, but anyone. The same year I started Ruck Nutrition was also the first year that I competed in the Arnold Classic in Men’s Physique. That year, I placed 9th. And honestly, I was just thankful to have even been placed at the largest sports festival in the world.

As the company continues to grow, I have continued to pursue my career in bodybuilding. I placed 4th at the Arnold in 2019, and 2nd in 2020. Throughout 2020, as challenging as it was for everyone, dealing with the pandemic and everything that was going on in society, I was dealing with my own personal struggles and loss. I lost 16 people that year. One is my grandmother that basically raised me and one is my best friend. On top of the losses, my mom was sick as well. I took the same focus that pushed me through the car wreck and other obstacles in my past to give everything I had to make it to the Arnold in 2020 where I took home 2nd place, losing by one point.

Now as devastating as that sounds, I look at it as a year of growth and maturity that has led up to this moment of right now. Walking into 2022. I feel more mentally focused and my vision is clearer. . I’m in a good relationship, my team is stronger than it’s ever been, my faith is stronger than it’s ever been as I am currently 9 weeks out from stepping back on stage at the Arnold classic. This one is special to me not just because I’m going back for redemption after losing by one point but this is also the first time we will have a RUCK NUTRITION booth at the largest sports festival in the world!

We have grown so much as a company. Not only do we have Pre Ruck 2.0, but we also have a fat burner called RuckCutz, a full body detox called Total Cleanse, delta8 gummies called RuckOut, and EEAs that are good for recovery and hydration. We have collagen to support healthy joints, hair, skin, and nails and we are launching RuckPro (protein) before the Arnold as well. AND I’m in the process of writing my first book.

My journey has been far from easy but I’m so thankful for God’s faithfulness that’s gotten me to this point. We’ve done a lot to give back to our community and we’re looking forward to being able to do more and keep inspiring people to not give up and keep reaching for their goals. That’s what keeps me motivated.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Ruck Nutrition is a supplement company that was created for everyone. Whether that be on the field, on stage, or to replace your daily coffee. We started with pre-workout and have only grown from there. We now offer a full line of different flavors and pre-workout, EEAs, Collagen, fat burners, full-body detox, sleep/recovery aids, and are launching 2 new flavors of protein before March.

What sets Ruck Nutrition apart from other companies in the design and science behind our products. Our research and developer and I spend months, sometimes years critiquing formulas that are powerful and efficient for any level of fitness or activities that the person taking them is involved in. In fact, the fat burners and detox that you see online today were tested and tweaked by me for an entire year, and throughout my prep for the Arnold, before making them available for everyone else.

I can’t specifically name one thing I’m most proud of. I’m just proud of our company as a whole and how much it has grown. We not only offer supplements though, but rucknutrition.com also offers resources for mental health, personal training by our top certified trainers, RuckTV which is where you’ll find all things nutrition and workouts by yours truly, and a blog to show you some behind the scenes of what we do and who we are able to reach with our platform.

If you have multiple revenue streams in your business, would you mind opening up about what those streams are and how they fit together?

Our company is more then just a supplement company we also have a fitness app called Ruck Academy that you can download on apple and goole. Our app has a virtual training to go through each exercise with you it also allows you to track your progress. There are many different meal plans, mental heath programs and more. im also in the process of writing my first book with my wife.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Being an entrepreneur, I think one of the biggest and most important keys is absolutely loving what you do but at the same time, always being willing to learn and grow. I feel like being in the space that you’re in, no matter what ally you are going down, watch the people that you look up to, the successful ones that you want to be like one day, ask questions.

Always stay curious. Use your resources. Don’t burn bridges you don’t have to. You may come to a point you need the people you’ve met in your past but didn’t know they’d be able to help you at the time.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://rucknutrition.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamcharlesrucker/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000469161835
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Rucker1021
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCuQrUpDgQHZYK7qoZAyDSHQ

Image Credits
nick davenport