It seems that there are a fair number of questions about how to physically prepare for a long distance hike, yet no article about it as of yet. Although there are lots of threads about it, and plenty of good information, these threads get buried quickly and can be hard to find. There are also several different opinions about it. So, how about an article?

I'll be happy to write something about this, but because I have a particular viewpoint, I need others to contribute, much like the photography article. I haven't written anything yet, but have some time on my hands here at the start of the quarter and it shouldn't take me too long to write something.

So, chime in with suggestions and comments and, if the consensus is that this is a good idea, I'll start writing.

I agree that this is a missing topic ripe for an article. I'd be willing to contribute and help edit.

I have been walking,running steps and using a exercise bike but i know its really only helps to maintain some strength,really most time I just hit the trail and in a week or two I am back at my usual hiking pace:D ky

Which I find reasonable. He takes the position that up to five miles a day in training, not to put on a training pack, but to do so on your training walks when you start being able to do more than 5 miles at a time. I use two 1-gallon jugs of water for packweight at first (just over 16.5 pounds). Eventually, I go up to about 40 pounds training pack weight. This is reached for me by using one of those 2.5 gallon jugs that discount laundry detergent comes in, an orange juice bottle of 3 or 4 quarts, plus a bunch of drinking water bottles (the usual kind people are always walking around with, NOT hiker Nalgene bottles). These fit in a medium-sized pack pretty well; I use a high-end type of backpack like college kids wear on school days (30.00 or less at Big Lots).

I have found that for the first several weeks of training that it works out best to do one day on, one day off. Then, I go to two days on, two days off. I try NOT to walk on an oval running track much, even if it is padded. Instead, walking/running trails in parks and colleges works OK, but it HAS to have some extended hills (gentle is fine). I don't care for step work, as steps IMO are less like what I have seen of the AT (just GA and NC so far) than are ramps, given how I hold my feet on each of those. I take the training pack with me even when flying for work, so I can use it on my off shift.

I'm back up to walking for about 1H 45 M right now (nonstop, with training pack). When I get to 2.5H+, I'll be reasonably prepared for at least walking from one shelter to the next closest one (the minimum I feel I should be able to do on most of the AT).

I eventually go to walking two days on, one day off. Sorry!

CALVES! I feel those must be the strongest part of your body when backpacking. For a good month before I go out I walk on my tiptoes. Not like a ballerina where you're constantly on them, but more like I am taking a regular step and then go to my toes and back down. I usually do it when not too many people are around because you look kind of funny.
That work for me.

Backpacker Magazine had a conditioning plan in one of their issues last summer (2005). It included circuits with various exercises, and an 8 week training plan.

If you are writing an article, you might dig that out.

The best way to get ready for a backpacking trip that is going to take five months is to go backpacking for five months. :)

In all seriousness, find here is what works for me to stay in decent shape:

1) I enjoy trail running. Trail running is more forgiving of the body than road running and more closely approxiamates what your body will be going through. Trail running, esp. on steep trails, involves a lot of powerhiking on the uphills. Trail running is a good compromise between getting the body in good cardio shape and stengthening muscles used for hiking

2) Go hiking! While running will get you in good cardio shape, a different set of muscles is used than running. Try to get some long day hikes in. Get those muscles used to the hiking stride.When I attemped Leadville, I actually went up the hill faster than most of the runners. Why? Because all but the elite runners have to walk the uphills. Having a hiking background let me go faster when it came to switch to granny gear (Of course, not eating or drinking enough did me in..but that's another story! :D)

3) As the weather warms up, esp. as I am about to do a long backpacking trip, I like to get my body used to hauling weight again. Take a weekend or two (at least). This also works to get the kinks out of your gear system.

4) Take a day of rest! I like using Mondays to do nothing. The body needs to heal. You'll get more out of exercise if you take a day of rest and chill a bit.

5) Have fun! Exercise should be part of your daily life Try to make it something you like doing. During the winter do some backcountry skiing, snowshoeing, etc. If you don't like running, do some biking. Cardio work is very good for overall shape. But, if you aren't enjoying it you are less likely to do it. So find something cardio you enjoy doing. If you don't like hiking (which you should be doing) then you are probably on the wrong BBS. :)

to sum this all up:

1) Get in good cardio shape. I suggest trail running, but whatever works for you
2) Do some hiking! Again, a different set of muscles is used than with running. You need to work them.
3) Do some backpacking trips as the weather warms up/trip gets closer. Get used to hauling the gear. Also helps to get the kinks out of your gear system
4) Rest a day here and there. You need it!
5) Have fun! Exercise you don't enjoy probably means you won't exercise. Find some exercise that works for getting you in shape and is enjoyable.

Just my .05 worth....

a Step machine is probably the best exercise you could do instead of actually going out there and hiking some hills. of course a pack on your back would add to the experience.
My niece wanted to do GA one spring so i told her to work out on one. We were doing 20+ mpd (her decision) by the time we got to Franklin. She had a great time. me too!

Since I'm headed out to the PCT later this spring, I figured I should do something to get into a better shape than my current fat, lazy one. Workout plan, eat alot better, etc, etc. A great idea but I've met me and it ain't going to happen. My new and brilliant plan - Springer to Erwin or Damascus.

What Peaks says is true. I did do that plan and I think it really works. I also think its alot to do with your head, 70% mental. If you tell yourself I CAN DO THIS and mean it you can. just have fun thats what were here for.

a Step machine is probably the best exercise you could do instead of actually going out there and hiking some hills. of course a pack on your back would add to the experience.


Personally, I hate exercising inside.

Luckily I have an amazing gym in my backyard called the Rocky Mountains. :D

i had no mountains to train on for my 05 hike so i tried to duplicate them in a gym and by carrying a heavier pack. i ran up to 25k with a 27lb pack in 2hours, uping the intensity, walking 50k in 7 hours with a 50lb pack on the flat, lots of reps with light wieghts........... i got injured 3 days in. the bottom line is if you want to train for hiking, then hike. no matter what you do you cant replicate hiking up and down hills/mountains with a pack.

i'm in the kcmo area of the country and hike all i can and have been for quite some time also was in the marine corps 7 years and am familiar with fairly long hikes. it has been a life long dream to hike the AT. My question is once one feels comfortable with the hike physically and mentaly is it best to have a partner or is it feasible to hike alone. i prefer a partner but no of no one willing. is there a venue for this, i mean location of a hiking partner or partners

~~~is it best to have a partner or is it feasible to hike alone. i prefer a partner but no of no one willing. is there a venue for this, i mean location of a hiking partner or partners
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=73

Most would advise that it's not necessary to have a partner. You will find companionship on the trail. Good luck.

If it's any consolation to those of you who may be on the lazy side...I read an article prior to my hike that said after 3 weeks of "daily" hiking (one zero a week), there is no measurable difference in the fitness of those who were in marathon athletic shape prior to starting, and those who were relatively sedentary prior to hiking.

If it's any consolation to those of you who may be on the lazy side...I read an article prior to my hike that said after 3 weeks of "daily" hiking (one zero a week), there is no measurable difference in the fitness of those who were in marathon athletic shape prior to starting, and those who were relatively sedentary prior to hiking.

I'll agree with that article. However, unless you are in reasonable shape, those first 3 weeks will be tough! Not only very tired muscles, but also more blisters and such, even if you do short days. It will be discouraging.

If it's any consolation to those of you who may be on the lazy side...I read an article prior to my hike that said after 3 weeks of "daily" hiking (one zero a week), there is no measurable difference in the fitness of those who were in marathon athletic shape prior to starting, and those who were relatively sedentary prior to hiking.

I would suspect that that would be true only for thru-hikers who hit Springer already approximately proportional height and weight. Heavier guys like me will likely take more like 2-3 months to drop all the excess poundage and start halfway keeping up with the "Pony Express" guys (trail name of a speed hiker who thrued a few years ago), I expect.

You're right, Smith. I call BS on that article. 4-5 weeks might be more appropriate. Particularly if you compare the unfit hiker to the hiker of average fitness, rather than to the uberfit. But remember too that speed and fitness are different things. You may gain the latter and never get much of the former.

I weight lift almost daily and play basketball once or twice a week.

I thought a lot about getting into shape prior to my thru in 2003 ...but that's about as far as it got.

'Slogger

Don't overtrain before your hike. If you injure yourself before your hike, you might not be able to hike at all, so be reasonable.

I live in SE WI. It's pretty darn flat around here. I spent some time in Cleveland in the months leading up to my hike and it was flat there too. Flat doesn't matter. Basic fitness matters.

I got myself into reasonable shape. Reasonable shape as far as I'm concerned is averaging at least 5mi/day of moderate walking. Some longer moderate training walks up to maybe a half marathon (13mi) would be a good idea. Work up to this. A good rule of thumb would be to try to get at least 1.5-2hrs of moderate walking in each day (6-8mi) and perhaps longer walks on the weekends. A "zero day" each week isn't a bad idea to let your body heal and build up. DONT OVERTRAIN

Start out slow. In my first month on the trail, I hiked to Erwin, TN. This is just over 11mi/day and this let my body adjust. I did some longer days and some shorter days. I could have brought the average up to 12mi/day if I hadn't gone up to Trail Days, but it really isn't that big a deal. There are plenty of miles on the trail and after a month or so you can easily make up any time (yes, really)

Don't over do it when you hit the trail. People jump the gun and hurt themselves. Don't try to walk marathons from the beginning. If you walk the Approach Trail (recommended, as it's nice trail and pretty) go to Springer Mtn Shelter or Stover Creek Shelter. I took 3.25 days to hike to Neels Gap (Stover Creek, Gooch Mtn, Woods Hole, and then shared the outfitter's cabin option with four others that I met on the trail.) I took 2.5 days to get to Hiawassee (and I should have taken 3 and taken it a bit easier).

At the time, my body was adjusting to trail life. I didn't spend a lot of time in camp, but it was still getting dark fairly early (mid April). I would get up with the sun, start hiking first, get passed by everybody and leap frog most of the day. I took nice breaks for snacks, lunch, etc. but I spent most of the day hiking. I'd get into the shelter, cook dinner, and chat with people for an hour or two before calling it a night.

During the first month, I did hold back. I didn't want to over do it. I didn't want stress fractures, and I wanted to give my body a chance to get used to hiking. I ended up starting to do closer to 15mi/day after Trail Days with some longer days as well. Many people do their first marathon heading into Damascus (but by no means everyone). Listen to your body.

Fast forward another month and I was really starting to hit my stride. I was hiking somewhere around 16-20mi a day with a fun group of people. Breakfast, 2mphx3hrs=6mi lunch (say 11:00). 2mphx6hrs=12mi (say 6pm with some breaks) is 18mi. Not a killer pace by any means. We were having fun, not killing ourselves with huge miles and catching or at least keeping up with some of the early big mileage people (big miles + lots of zeros = pain without much more gain).

I took a week of the trail from Waynesboro (Rockfish Gap) to be in a wedding and this happened to match up with my 2mo mark. When I got back on the trail, I did marathon days through SNP etc. I was in good trail shape at this point and it was a lot of fun. The first month had most of the pain at least until the Whites! I finished the trail in just under five months. This was really about 4.5mo of walking time. I added about a week due to taking some zeros and taking it easy in NH and ME because my knees started to bug me a bit again and I needed to time things to meet up with my wife.

I did not carry any weight during my pre-hike walking. I walked at a pace of about 4mph (15min miles) on pavement, sidewalks, and bike path surfaces while getting into basic shape. I rode my bike on an 8mi loop as some cross training. Thru hiking is 90% mental. Concentrate on what it is going to take mentally to do the hike.

Being in moderate shape allowed me to enjoy my walk a bit more from the beginning, but boy oh boy were my knees killing me from day 1 as I overdid it going up the Approach Trail. Shoes are critical. I had shoes that ended up being too small and had bad blisters because of it. Get shoes that are long enough and _wide_ enough. Take care of hot spots before they become blisters. Carry something to deal with chafe. Read gear lists and start with the right gear not 100lbs of stuff.

Outliers:
So, you're in elite athlete shape. You are on the bike team. You run marathons all the time. You worked in the White Mtns at the huts. You have already hiked a long distance trail and are in trail shape. You may start off faster. Many people still over do it, but these are the types that may be able to do a super fast hike. People like Suge and Pony Express are serious long distance hikers in excellent shape. The people that start off doing seriously crazy marathon (26mi) plus days constantly are typically either long distance hikers in tail shape or college age elite athletes.

Normal People:
It's all about getting up (almost) every day and hiking a reasonable distance. It's not a race. I started out with an expectation of completing in a six month window (mid April to mid October) and I finished in early/mid September. In NH and ME most people were choosing their approx finish date and slowing down on purpose. There is no need on hiking through the winter (Feb/March/even Early April) unless you really want to.

I'm planning on doing the PCT this year. I'm walking 6mi a day (flat) with my wife in the evenings and no pack. I'm probably going to hit the AT for the month of April to get into trail shape, to have fun on the AT, and because I can. I'll start the PCT somewhere in early May. I will probably average about the same mileage on the AT as I did last year. I may or may not end up finishing the PCT this year, but physical fitness isn't a worry to me. My wife and I plan on hiking the AT together next year. We'll start in mid-April and probably do about the same plan.

Well, that's my take on the whole fitness thing. I didn't start out to write a book, so I'm sorry for rambling on a bit. New thru hikers seem to obsess on the fitness side of things and basically if you're in "10,000 steps a day (5 miles)" shape you should be fine. You don't need to be in marathon shape, you don't need to be in double marathon shape, and you don't need to be anywhere close to superhuman shape to successfully start out and complete a thru hike. Obviously, it doesn't hurt if you are in great shape, but even if you can only fit in an hour or so worth of walking each day you can get into good enough shape to prep for the trail.

I think you're way overoptimistic as to how fast most hikers walk.

"A good rule of thumb would be to try to get at least 1.5-2hrs of moderate walking in each day (6-8mi) and perhaps longer walks on the weekends"

Even Jardine in his book figures he was doing (if memory serves) considerably slower than that on the PCT, an easier trail on a per-mile basis than the AT.

I don't know for sure about everyone else, but in an hour and a half of easy walking, I only do close to 3 miles. Since I'm currently doing 90-110 minutes of walking primarily on measured light-hill cross-country trails (and occasionally on a rubber track, just to check my time/distance), I know what distance I'm doing.

well its easy to come up with figures on miles per hr.untell you actually start hiking real mountians that talk back at you:rolleyes: like some hrs vary because of terrain,some days are harder do to the hiking blues ect ect,You can train all you want but carrying a backpack and hiking is much different than just walking tracks.

Run for 40 minutes 3-4 times/week or walk for 60 min 3-4 times/week - rain or shine. The latter will help you prepare mentally for the challenges you are certain to encounter on your thru-hike.

In my opinion, stay off treadmills - they're boring and unrealistic; unless you live in an area that has absoulutely no where to run/walk. Work out your upper body either in the gym or at home 3 times/week. This is what my wife and I did to prepare for our thru hike. In fact, it's still our routine.

Surf Whiteblaze, Trailjournals, and other AT related websites daily to keep your drive pumping. Sleep outside on your deck or yard under the stars to when you can. Try to incorporate camping/thru-hiking ideals into your everyday life; i.e., cook everything in one pot and eat out of it. Stow away your dishes, etc. Live it!

I realize that the aforementioned tactics may not work for everyone, however, they did for us. Given another oppurtunity to thru-hike, we would jump at the chance.

two or three paragraphs on mental and spiritual preparation and maintaining it over the long haul. I know from personal experience, at least for me, that I can be in excellent physical condition and still come off the AT in less than a 100 miles after preparing for months. A good positive 'attitude' is difficult to maintain day after day, especially in the rain. I am attempting to be better prepared this time by reading more articles by and about thru-hikers and most importantly remembering why I want to do this anyway. I just really enjoy walking in the woods, but sheese it's hard to remember that after two or three days of hiking in the cold rain !!

Good luck with your article. I will look forward to reading it.

I have been walking,running steps and using a exercise bike but i know its really only helps to maintain some strength,really most time I just hit the trail and in a week or two I am back at my usual hiking pace:D ky

Of all the responses, this one most closely matches my experience. I've always said the most important thing is to get in shape aerobically (I do eliptical & stationary bike at the fitness center) to make the uphills more enjoyable. This is followed by knee and quad strengthening for the downhills.

I'm fortunate to have strong leg and calf muscles. But I have virtually no upper body strength. Someone mentioned upper body conditioning. In my opinion and experience, this is overrated for long-distance backpacking. I still work out some with the weights at the fitness center because it is beneficial but I can't recall a single instance where I felt that more/stronger muscles on top would help my hiking conditioning. Not justifying my scrawny physique, just saying it hasn't hampered my backpacking.

It was killing my knees. I was doing it right, too; thick New Balances, on the softest sod I could find, going slowly, carrying no weight besides minimal clothing when I ran, etc. I suspect it's just BC I haven't been running in a long time, and I'm also on the heavy side. I ran long distance competitively in school, and on my own for years after, so I'm not unfamiliar with how to do it. It's back to just multihour walks, along with some stretches, situps for my back, leg lifts, etc.
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Edit: that's "I was doing some running to prepare for my thruhike, and stopped..."

But I have virtually no upper body strength. Someone mentioned upper body conditioning. In my opinion and experience, this is overrated for long-distance backpacking. I still work out some with the weights at the fitness center because it is beneficial but I can't recall a single instance where I felt that more/stronger muscles on top would help my hiking conditioning. Not justifying my scrawny physique, just saying it hasn't hampered my backpacking.

Here's my reasons for upper body training:

You can get an extra kick from your trekking poles. Dig those tips - pun intended.
It's much more comfortable to have your pack rest on muscle as opposed to bone.
Believe it or not, having a strong upperbody helps your speed and endurance.
It's nice to break up the monotony of your legs/cardio training.
Who want's to be all legs?

Maybe it's been mentioned on here and I didn't see it, but here it goes in case it hasn't: training for a long distance trek does not necessarily mean you have to walk/run long distances to build endurance. Cardiovascular endurance is built quicker by short, repetitive bursts while exercising. True, running three miles a day over a long period of time will eventually make running three miles a day easier and build your endurance. But, training in intervals with short bursts incorporated will build your endurance much quicker.

This doctrine is not really a new thing. Marathoners and track stars have trained like this for years. To incorporate this in to your workout, just try doing what you already do, but alter the pace. Start out a little slower on your run (5 min.) increase your speed to about 75%-85% for 1-2 min. and drop back to about 50% for 3-5 min. Then just repeat this over and over until you run for 30 min. or so.

Rest a day if you need it. And one day a week, run sprints. Run, at top speed, about 4 x 100 yds, 4 x 40 yds, and at the end 2-3 x 200 yds. Rest in between each sprint until you are able to run the next. I guarantee you will build your endurance much quicker if you do that once a week. Our track coach made us long distance guys run like this once a week and we saw great gains in our endurance by doing so.

I think you're way overoptimistic as to how fast most hikers walk.

"A good rule of thumb would be to try to get at least 1.5-2hrs of moderate walking in each day (6-8mi) and perhaps longer walks on the weekends"

Even Jardine in his book figures he was doing (if memory serves) considerably slower than that on the PCT, an easier trail on a per-mile basis than the AT.


As stated in my post that 1.5-2hrs of _moderate_ walking is on FLAT pavement/streets/bike paths (gravel) surfaces. 2mph is a fairly safe number to use when actually hiking and is the one I use when talking about trail miles.

I can only speak of my experiences on the AT in '05, but I didn't come even close to falling into the speed demon category, and I usually ended up bringing up the rear, so I believe that I have a fairly good idea of how fast the typical hiker hikes. In terms of 15min/mi on flat surfaces while training, I just typed average fitness walking speed into google and the "Walking FAQ" at http://www.thewalkingsite.com/faq.html is the first site returned and "An average fitness walking pace is close to a 15 minute mile."

Happy Hiking!

For this years thru-hike this is how I trained. First off I need to state that before undertaking any training program, make sure to get a check-up (and that's coming from someone who hates drs.). Also, in August of 04 I weighed in at a hefty 267 pds. Which isn't bad, but considering that I'm only 5'3", that wasn't very good for me.
I started in March of 05. First was my diet. I really didn't have one. I just made a normal portion of my regular meals and ate only 2/3rds of it.
For exercise I started walking, two miles, every other day. I would walk from my house to the Wall of Mart a mile down the road, then turn around and come back. After about three weeks of this I started to increase the distance by a mile every week until I got to six miles a day. I would break that up in three walks a day. About June I started my trail training by hiking the back trails around a local pond. There are about a total of 20 miles of trails there, ranging from a relatively dirt road type trail to a back side type trail. Around the middle of June I again weighed myself and found that I was around 164. I had lost over a hundred pounds. Let me put it this way, a twenty year friend saw a pic of me at 267 and said that it look like I swallowed another person. when he saw me in June he said it now looked like I only swallowed a half a person.
Around the middle of July I found an old schwinn ten speed out on one of the back trails, took it home, repaired it and started to ride. I would get up around 7 am, be riding by 8 and take a ten minute break in a two hour ride time. I would either ride to the town of Portsmouth, 30 mi away, or I would ride to rochester, about 15, depending on the weather and my level of tiredness. I also continues to train on the hiking trails at the pond.
Now, I am 140 lbs, the weight I was since I was 16 y.o. until 40 when I was put on medication to control seziures I was having. The funny thing is, the seziures got worse on the meds, I gained all that weight, my health went to ****, and once I got off them, the seziures stopped and I', better than I was when I was 16.
I hopefully will be at Ami on the 9th or 10th of Feb. All I am waiting for is an exchange of sleeping bags with Campmor and I'm there. So if you see this short hiker walking by in a tan Taaz hat remember this, If someone like me can do this, anyone can, all it takes is determination and perserverance.
Happy Trails,
Belgarion

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and to see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." Thoreau

After spending 20 years in the infantry carryin huge amounts of stuff just to carry it in a back breaking army ruck in horrible boots my comfy hikers an internal frame pack are heaven. And if it rains i dont have to leave my hammock unless i have to answer the ole call of nature lol. Also no one shooting at me some of the time is a big plus.

After spending 20 years in the infantry carryin huge amounts of stuff just to carry it in a back breaking army ruck in horrible boots my comfy hikers an internal frame pack are heaven. And if it rains i dont have to leave my hammock unless i have to answer the ole call of nature lol. Also no one shooting at me some of the time is a big plus.

amen to all of the above quote... safe, alive, dry, fed, and warm beats the alternative any day... and thank god for real boots, packs, and gear...

as far as a previous comment about folks being equal physically after 3 weeks hiking, i'd beg to differ. army basic training is 9 weeks long. the shortest follow-on training is also about 8-9 weeks. yet despite a fairly grueling physical routine, some soldiers are STILL unable to meet minimum standards of fitness, and require more conditioning once they arrive at their final assignment. i would tend to agree with yet another poster who suggested that level of equality comes at the 4-6 week mark, at least at the level required for daily hiking.

I just wanted people to know that I am still working on the article, but it is taking some serious time. It looks like the article is going to be quite a bit longer than the photography article I wrote back in the fall. There is still time to add something! If only I could get that bastard Suge to write something.