Suggestions - Getting Fit?

[carouselambra]

I use a combination of strength and conditioning at the fitness facility and walking with a fully loaded pack (most weight from a 3-gallon jug of water) on trails. The walking gets my body conditioned to walking across rocks and roots, toughening my feet, and carrying a load that is hard to emulate within a fitness facility. For me personally, an early mistake I made was not including a stretching component to my program.

[egilbe]

Loose does not equal lose. Loose is the opposite of tight, while lose means something is lost. Your pants feel loose when you lose weight. Two different words, two different meanings.

[OCDave]

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Dont listen to anyone that doesnt look like Attachment 35575

Getting fit doesn't require getting ripped. Infact, guys like above live an unsustainable lifestyle targeting one day every six months they PEAK for competition or photographs. Real fitness is quite different. I would suggest DON"T listen to anyone that looks like that.

[Hangfire]

While ahead of a trip with heavy backpack I like to do some pushups/pullups to teach my traditionally weak upper-body that soon there will be more work to do, IMHO the very best training for hiking is hiking.

Regarding calories and weight, I hardly can put in as many calories as I'm loosing daily. So I'm loosing weight, kind of 1/2 kg per week. Have to try hard to fill up during town days.

There is a huge difference between a diet done in civilisation, and hiking.
Making a diet is a constant mental struggle against all the alluring goodies, and most likely you feel weak and will not work too hard, move to much and such shell out not too many calories.
Hiking means, being out in the weather day&night working very hard full-time. Just regulating the body temp alone is quite a consuming task - which has to be done 24hrs and to a much bigger extent than sitting back home.
Its inevitable to loose weight on LD hiking.
Some heavy-built people will not loose weight for some time, as the body tends to store water to fill the "gaps" the gone fat will leave.
After 2-3 weeks the truth will come out for sure - weight is lost and strength is gained.

That's an important point, if you can survive the first month on the trail you most probably will start to see big changes as pounds start to melt away. I had a couple of guys in my bubble, mid 50's, well built I'd call them but not big heavy set guys by any means, both of them had lost over 50 pounds by PA. The only drawback you may encounter is that you will have to buy new pants/shorts and possibly a new backpack as your hip belt will be at the end of it's adjust-ability. I guess that's something you will have to proudly tackle when you get there.

[sylzpace]

Thank you so, so much everyone.
So much information to take into account. I have read all of your comments, and am really, really grateful for the advice and help.
Off to amend my workout program a bit, and look around the forum some more.

Thank you again!!!

[Leo L.]

Loose does not equal lose. Loose is the opposite of tight, while lose means something is lost. Your pants feel loose when you lose weight. Two different words, two different meanings.

Sorry for this one, usually I take more care about my English.
Was sitting on edge while waiting for a package to arrive, to complete my rain equipment and get outdoors ASAP.

[CalebJ]

Long distance runners look emaciated, starved. Sprinters, on the other hand, are well muscled. The difference is the type of training they do. Both are runners. Your body adapts to the stresses placed on it. In distance running muscle is detrimental. Its extra weight. Its a useless burden. Your body gets rid of it. Sprinters need the muscle to be more powerful and stronger, hence faster. Since their cardio is in brief spurts, the muscle is retained.

For what it's worth, this seems to be less true in the really long events. While those winning world class marathons have trained themselves to be hyperefficient at running for 2 hours, you see a very different body type in 50-100 mile ultra events. Runners do have fat on their bodies (albeit in small percentages) because they need to be able to sustain a run for 10-30 hours. These athletes tend to have a body that looks more like a traditional all around fit person, but with very toned legs.

[RockDoc]

It seems fashionable to knock long distance running these days, but a new study suggests that endurance running grows new brain neurons. Get them while you can. This is an essential biomarker.

[Hangfire]

It seems fashionable to knock long distance running these days, but a new study suggests that endurance running grows new brain neurons. Get them while you can. This is an essential biomarker.

I sure wish I could still run but my knees won't let me. I can walk 2200 miles with no knee problems but if I have to run 200 yards to my car my knees hurt for weeks. Everywhere I walk I see runners cruising along and I'm so damn jealous of them, nothing like it really. I still remember when I was on my thru seeing the Virginia Tech cross country team training near the dragons tooth, I spent the rest of the day day-dreaming about all of my races from highschool through college...I guess i should be thankful that I can still walk, though with walking it takes a lot longer to get the endorphins to kick:-)

[colorado_rob]

I sure wish I could still run but my knees won't let me. I can walk 2200 miles with no knee problems but if I have to run 200 yards to my car my knees hurt for weeks. Everywhere I walk I see runners cruising along and I'm so damn jealous of them, nothing like it really. I still remember when I was on my thru seeing the Virginia Tech cross country team training near the dragons tooth, I spent the rest of the day day-dreaming about all of my races from highschool through college...I guess i should be thankful that I can still walk, though with walking it takes a lot longer to get the endorphins to kick:-)

I hear ya! Same situation here, exactly. I miss my running days (HS and college x-country), big time, and get this longing feeling seeing others running, and it's so hard to get those endorphins flowing doing anything else. The only way I can do it now is a big, fast swim. Cest la vie!

But: since stopping running pretty much cold turkey about a decade ago, my hiking endurance hasn't faltered a bit, hence why I don't think running-training is necessary for strong hiking.

[amk]

I have not seen the shape the OP is in, and the starting shape defines how quickly one can get a desired fit. But for everybody who is generally healthy, do not have a hormonal or cardio disease, regardless of gender or age, getting in shape is the matter of changing the life style, personal discipline and determination. ( The last two are the most fun, if a person is self disciplined and determined, how the hell he has got out of shape?)


Anyway, the shape and fitness are the functions of every day life, I mean every singe day. The less one devours and guzzles, sits and lays, the more one moves the better shape one is in.


Keep out of restaurants, consume only self cooked food, check out and follow Atkinson's diet for a year.


As for exercises matter it is generally know the longevity and endurance sports work the best, run, walk, ski, swim, whatever. Twice a day, about 40 minutes at a time, up to 70 - 80% of your personal maximum pulse rate, whatever it is.


What I "discovered" a year ago, and I have known that all my life, the power/force oriented sports do mean a great deal in running, skiing, cycling etc. For my it is kettlebell sport, but YMMV.
Just try a day of run, and the next day gym with lifting weights etc, the progress WILL speed up.

[OCDave]

It seems fashionable to knock long distance running these days, but a new study suggests that endurance running grows new brain neurons. Get them while you can. This is an essential biomarker.

RockDoc,

You seem to be reading a LOT into the linked study. Given your "knock long distance running" reference the "new study" is a non sequitur.

Perhaps I am over vigilant against bad science or the improper use of good science.

Good Day

[Sir-Packs-Alot]

Hiking on progressively harder trails to build yourself up - and accompanying that with a solid baseline of cardio fitness that you can establish in a gym is great. If you do not have real trail available always - training in an old school "Rocky" type manner (loading your pack up with progressively more weight until it equals what you will carry on the trail) going up and down REAL STAIRCASES (ie hospital or parking structure stairwells or bleacher seats in your local high school football field - or more boring - up and down your own home's stairs) is VERY effective.