whats a good pre workout for the trail?

[jdc5294]

Pre workout for the trail?

The trail.

This. I work construction so I didn't do any specific preparation, but I definitely ran into some people with more sedentary lifestyles and they were hanging with everyone else just fine. If you want to do it deep in your gut and you actually enjoy hiking for what it is, not for the finish line, you'll get into shape just fine, just maybe take it a bit easier in the beginning.

[QiWiz]

Backpacking trips would be the best preparation for backpacking, but I did find that using a stairstepper helped me.

[fredmugs]

All I do is cardio but it's pretty intense cardio. Either 60 minutes on an upright bike at work or, if I'm home on my recumbent, I ride until I burn 1000 calories. No stair stepping machines, no hills, no packs, no weighted anything. I can still knock out 20 miles on Day 1 and elevation doesn't bother me until I get well over 10,000. I seem to adjust to the pack weight about 30 minutes into the first day so I don't train for that.

[AkaMirage]

Pre workout? Well, you can do some cardiovascular. But the best work out is the mental part. Once you get on the trail, that is what keeps you going day after day, in which the conditioning follows.

+1... I wished someone would have told me this before I went on the AT the first time! (and mine wasn't even a thru)

[jdc5294]

I really don't mean it as an insult to anyone but it just takes a certain kind of person to do the AT. Forget how much preconditioning you do or don't do, if you don't enjoy hiking it's not for you. And part of enjoying hiking is being able to get past being really tired and dirty and smelly relatively easily. No matter how much work you do beforehand you'll end up as all of those things, most of the time all at once, for 5-6 months. And getting past that,do you know how many Rangers and Marines I saw drop off the trail? Those guys had a job to be dirty and tired and they still thought it sucked. They thought it would be easy because of what they'd been through. Nope.

Unless you have a completely sedentary lifestyle any preconditioning won't do too too much compared to the first 14 days of the trail. Those first 2 weeks will get you into pretty good shape and also allow you to see if it's really for you.

[gollwoods]

whatever conditioning you want, but try to up the endurance leve.l with hiking of course walking long distances would be a good way to up endurance. plus you will train your body to use energy from reserves more efficiently. fat converts more quickly if you raise aerobic activity for longer periods and the more you do the better your body will convert fat, after the stored quick energy is depleted.

[marti038]

I like running and increase mileage a bit before a section hike.

If I were doing a thru-hike, I would just start off slow and work my way up to longer days.

Of course, any sort of exercise leading up to a hike will probably make the trip more enjoyable.

[hikerboy57]

I really don't mean it as an insult to anyone but it just takes a certain kind of person to do the AT. Forget how much preconditioning you do or don't do, if you don't enjoy hiking it's not for you. And part of enjoying hiking is being able to get past being really tired and dirty and smelly relatively easily. No matter how much work you do beforehand you'll end up as all of those things, most of the time all at once, for 5-6 months. And getting past that,do you know how many Rangers and Marines I saw drop off the trail? Those guys had a job to be dirty and tired and they still thought it sucked. They thought it would be easy because of what they'd been through. Nope.

Unless you have a completely sedentary lifestyle any preconditioning won't do too too much compared to the first 14 days of the trail. Those first 2 weeks will get you into pretty good shape and also allow you to see if it's really for you.

thats a great point.the mental is definitely tougher than the physical.
however, many people dont even make it through those first two weeks, because they are dreadfully out of shape.

[Deadeye]

The trail is a wonderful trainer if you have the opportunity to hike before you hit the trail, or if you're in good shape already. Otherwise, why spend the first few days or weeks suffering because you're in lousy shape? If you're a couch potato, or have a desk job, any decent exercise program (Insanity, P90series, Body-for-Life, the trainer at your local Y, etc.) will benefit you.

Don't waste good tea on your feet.

[peakbagger]

I used to carry a day pack with bricks in it for a daily walk for a couple of weeks prior to a hike. The day pack didn't have a hip belt so it loaded up my shoulders.

[Rocket Jones]

Any kind of aerobic exercise will help, but like someone mentioned above, hiking is NOT low-impact. Any weight lifting you do can help. I like to do "Farmer's Walks" as a semi-regular part of my routine. Planks, squats, lunges. Yoga - Warrior Pose - for your IL band (google it). Try standing on one leg for your ankles and general balance. Little things help.

[Foresight]

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/prima...#axzz2pf41Fesh

[Odd Man Out]

Don't buy a snowblower
IMG_3946.JPG

[jdc5294]

Don't buy a snowblower
IMG_3946.JPG

*and live in Michigan

[Foresight]

Or Indianapolis. I've been waiting on a sizable check to come from Indy and now it's apparently the snow's fault, lol

[Seatbelt]

Or Indianapolis. I've been waiting on a sizable check to come from Indy and now it's apparently the snow's fault, lol

Yep, we(central Indiana) got a foot of snow Sunday, -15 temps and most things are still closed.......

[louisb]

A lot of great ideas here but be sure you don't over do it either. Remember to take rest days and keep up with your nutrition.

--louis

[Cookerhiker]

The first and singlemost important priority: aerobic fitness. You won't even get to any other issues (feet, quads, hips, etc) if you're huffing and puffing such that you can't make it on a one-mile uphill of 700' elevation gain without stopping every 5 minutes. Many hikers dismiss Bill Bryson but he does present a good, albeit negative role model: read his account of that first day hiking up the Approach Trail and swear to yourself "that's not what I want to experience."

And when you attain the level of fitness that enables you to start with 17 mile days out-of-the-box, don't. In other words, start with 11-12 mile days and work up to the bigger mileage. Your body will adjust.

[Malto]

The first and singlemost important priority: aerobic fitness. You won't even get to any other issues (feet, quads, hips, etc) if you're huffing and puffing such that you can't make it on a one-mile uphill of 700' elevation gain without stopping every 5 minutes. Many hikers dismiss Bill Bryson but he does present a good, albeit negative role model: read his account of that first day hiking up the Approach Trail and swear to yourself "that's not what I want to experience."

And when you attain the level of fitness that enables you to start with 17 mile days out-of-the-box, don't. In other words, start with 11-12 mile days and work up to the bigger mileage. Your body will adjust.

Agree with this bolded statement though I would word it. "Train to do 150% of your desired daily mileage prehike as a day hike." Said another way, if you want to average 20mpd starting off then you should be able to do a single 30 mile day in equivalent conditions. Your numbers given above match this perfectly.

[lonehiker]

I started out in pretty good condition but intentionally kept my mileage low for the first couple of weeks. My body seemed to hit a new gear (so to speak) at 3 weeks and then again at 5 weeks. So when you hear that it takes 4-6 weeks to get in "trail shape", that is pretty close to my experience. A lot of good advice above that may or may not help you. For sure the better shape you are in will make the first few weeks more enjoyable mentally. If I were to target a single aspect of pre-hike conditioning, it would be to get your feet in shape. Walk, hike, hike with weight on uneven terrain.

As an experiment for a core workout, I am currently using a hula hoop 3 times a week for 15 minutes. Nothing fancy just hula. Results to be posted at a later date