View Full Version : Training for the uphills
Stone1984
04-01-2017, 16:48
Everyday at work I try to go up these steps 2 times in a row. The problem is I struggle on the second set. There are 174 steps total. Am I setting an unrealistic expectation to do these stairs twice without stopping?
Night Train
04-01-2017, 16:53
Fire academy training tower?
Stone1984
04-01-2017, 16:57
No just a building here at work. Got a few tall ones. great views from the top as well.
Night Train
04-01-2017, 16:57
Unrealistic? Only if you perceive it as such. Keep up the hard work, it matters.
Night Train
04-01-2017, 17:00
Looks exactly like the training tower where I attended my fire academy, did many highrise fire evolutions on those stairwells.
You can damn well be sure someone somewhere said all this was unrealistic too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rj-Yk7MUdGc
It was believed, so strongly, that it was impossible to thru-hike the AT. So much so that Earl was questioned/interrogated by the ATC when he said he did it.
A blind man thru-hiking the AT with a dog was deemed unrealistic until Bill Irwin did it.
It was unrealistic to assume or think one could conquer death at one time too. To this day some seek to explain away the 100's of eye witness accounts of this as unscientific mythology.
It should be VERY REALISTIC to go up what looks like 4-5 stories of stairs twice.
Get yourself way from doubt and doubters.
ScareBear
04-01-2017, 18:10
How can you be an eyewitness to your own death, yet come back in your same corporeal being to tell us about it? Seems like...maybe you weren't dead, after all? How about you get back to me after...oh...rigor mortis?
OP, I heartily recommend stairs as a training tool. The scenery might be nicer at a gym on a stairmaster...just sayin...
It's more important what you believe not what we believe. REMEMBER, believing is an action verb.
Want some diversity in your ascent training and to see how realistic the consequences of your fire tower efforts have been do some loops at Paris Mt, Jones Gap, Caesars Head, or Table Rock SP's near you.
Step on brother. :banana
Or the scenery might be better at one of those SP's. However, how about not always rating experiences by best, better, or terrible and appreciating and embracing all of them? Might be a GREAT foundation for actually accomplishing a 2200 mile 14 state hike rather than supposing about it?
At some point you are going to be able to do them twice, then three times, then four times. Stop if you need to. Dont stop trying, it will come.
Question :
How old are you?
Height and weight?
Total height of the stairs?
Time to make one round trip?
Late December 2016. I was 70.75 years old, 5'-8" and 150 pounds. Residence Inn in Chattanooga for the evening. 5 1/2 floors of stairs. 1 hour. Non-stop. Steady comfortable pace. Nothing special just something to do after driving all day.
Wayne
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Ps:
Nice stair tower. Brings back memories.
Wayne
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MuddyWaters
04-01-2017, 19:05
I used to work on 19th floor of 21 story building.
We would race the stairs sometimes after lunch, one person on each side of floor . (There are two sets of stairs). Be drenched in sweat and have to sit at desk for hour and cool down and dry up, wearing dress clothes.
People compete to set record from bottom all way to top. Records and names for men and women are painted at base of stairs.
Record is 1 min 38 sec. For 21 floors. Avg 4.6 sec per flor, each floor is two stairs and intermediate landing.
I work on 14th floor now. Its enough. Dont know how i ever did it all racing up, but I was 25 yrs younger.
Schools had a climb-a-thon to raise money once, some kids did it a lot of times
Feral Bill
04-01-2017, 19:08
Do what you can now, then add flights one by one.
Do what you can now, then add flights one by one.
...and if you have been going up these stairs every day for a week or more and still have trouble on the second round trip you don't seem to be making progress. That seems odd to me.
Are you starting too fast? Try doing the first round trip slower perhaps?
Maybe there is more to this than we know.
Progress! That's the goal!
Wayne
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One Half
04-01-2017, 20:26
Everyday at work I try to go up these steps 2 times in a row. The problem is I struggle on the second set. There are 174 steps total. Am I setting an unrealistic expectation to do these stairs twice without stopping?
Why? you are allowed to pause and rest while hiking. I have a parking garage I "train" at. The ttal number of stairs is 75 going up on the largest flight. I started out by doing 11 rounds (up and down), no pack. I took a break and did a 12th round and my legs were jelly. I called it a day. Today I did 30 rounds with a full pack with water (about 23#). After the first 10 rounds I took a break, then every 5 I would stop for water and a 3-5 minute break at 20 rounds. I would also occassionally pause at the top and take a look around and a breather. Somewhere about halfway in I started using the rest step and occassionally just taking a full pause/stop in th emiddle of the flight. I did this all in 1.5 hours. I really don't care how long it takes, the journey is what matters. Oh yeah, this was after backpacking 9 miles with my pack cause there really is no "good elevations" here.
fiddlehead
04-01-2017, 21:13
Everyday at work I try to go up these steps 2 times in a row. The problem is I struggle on the second set. There are 174 steps total. Am I setting an unrealistic expectation to do these stairs twice without stopping?
You are doing the right thing in trying to do it 2, 3, 4 times.
It will help you immensely on a thru-hike.
Personally, I consider myself in good shape, as I'm training for a long hike this summer and have been walking 10-15 kms every morning.
I recently climbed the 1,237 step Tiger Temple in Krabi Thailand and found out I wasn't in the great shape I thought I was.
It was tougher than I remembered when I did it 8 years ago.
So, I've added steep hill climbs to my training and can see it getting better.
Don't forget the downhills require some technique also.
Bend your knees slightly (never lock them) and lean back slightly.
Keep doing it.
You'll be up to 3 and 4 in a month!
Good luck.
importman77
04-01-2017, 22:09
I wish I had that to train on. I have a single flight that I just go up and down on at my job. You'll probably notice that you can just gradually keep doing more and more. At least that's how it's worked for me. If you want a really quick workout that'll really get your heart racing you should try what I did this weekend. I was up near your neck of the woods in Greenville for a conference at the TD Convention Center. That building is two story but I'd guess the height from the first to the second floor to be 16-18 ft. Anyway, I got on the down escalator and just climbed in place for about a minute then I decided to try to make it to the top. I had done it a few years ago but I wasn't sure I could still do it. I made it to the top but it took about ten minutes for my heartbeat to get back to normal. For anyone who decides to try this I have one word of caution. It's better to just stop on the top tread and ride back down. If you try to step off of the escalator onto the stationary part at the top it's really tricky.But it's definitely a good quick aerobic workout.
The way Stone1984 worded the original post we don't know if they had trouble finishing the first attempt or after several days of trying.
Naturally hiking involves rest stops. The hiking should exceed the resting.
Downhill is definitely faster but also harder on joints and feet. 3 miles downhill for sure.
Wayne
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Why? you are allowed to pause and rest while hiking. I have a parking garage I "train" at. The ttal number of stairs is 75 going up on the largest flight. I started out by doing 11 rounds (up and down), no pack. I took a break and did a 12th round and my legs were jelly. I called it a day. Today I did 30 rounds with a full pack with water (about 23#). After the first 10 rounds I took a break, then every 5 I would stop for water and a 3-5 minute break at 20 rounds. I would also occassionally pause at the top and take a look around and a breather. Somewhere about halfway in I started using the rest step and occassionally just taking a full pause/stop in th emiddle of the flight. I did this all in 1.5 hours. I really don't care how long it takes, the journey is what matters. Oh yeah, this was after backpacking 9 miles with my pack cause there really is no "good elevations" here.
Well said.
Reminds me of the phrase fast and light as if they are inseparable can't have one without the other as if everyone who is an ULer or seeking to lighten their kit HAS TO go fast. How about an ULer that does so to reduce injuries, extend endurance, eat better trail food, and simplify what one "needs?"
"Everything old is new again."
I guess each generation has to learn for themselves.
Back to Stone1984.
Are you making progress? Is it getting easier to finish the second round trip? Have you added more trips?
Wayne
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You are doing the right thing in trying to do it 2, 3, 4 times.
It will help you immensely on a thru-hike.
Don't forget the downhills require some technique also.
Bend your knees slightly (never lock them) and lean back slightly...
This^^^. You're not in a race. Backpacking is not normally a race.
Think of this not just as training for the uphills but training for the downhills too! For me, after almost having to retire from two LD hikes in the final stretch because of a bone headed gung ho go go go I'm invincible attitude resulting in over use debilitating shin splint and knee tendon injuries, I have learned to lower impact going downhill. I'm seeking to go with my momentum under control flowing with my body having an energy efficiency awareness being mindful of and using the least impacting least fatiguing techniques. Most days I work more on this form and these techniques and balance and footwork than cardio or speed.
LD backpacking is an endurance event even if it's perceived in chunked down segments. Can't stress enough to practice lowering impact going downhill for a LD hike with 25+ lbs on your back. Injuries take many off their hikes. I will assert many of these injuries could have been prevented through better mindfulness of and practicing of these techniques combined with mindfulness of your individual situation and adapting as acknowledged rather than succumbing to competition with others or always against yourself. This is very important for hikers attempting AT thrus as these folks tend to overwhelmingly be NEWBS in need of learning who they individually are as LD hikers and experiencing thru-hiking trail life.
fiddlehead
04-02-2017, 00:53
Just to expand on Dogwood and my replies above, also, I believe it is a good idea to take small steps.
When coming down, don't take a big step.
That will jar knees.
When practicing on stairs, even try both feet descending on only one step at a time, instead of one foot each step.
And don't ever take 2 steps (skipping one) going downhill.
That's how you wreck knees.
Just my opinion, but at 66 and hiking on the AT since 1963 and still have some knees left to attempt a 1240km trail this coming summer, I believe I might be doing something right.
garlic08
04-02-2017, 01:17
I think stair descents are harder than ascents, and both are harder than hiking a trail. I'll second the above, be careful on the stairs.
My stair story: When I was a firefighter, I would participate in an annual 9/11 memorial stair climb of the 56-story Republic Tower in Denver. We'd climb the interior staircase twice to approximate the 110-story WTC, wearing bunker gear, air tank and mask, and carrying a tool or hose pack. It was an excellent memorial service, as well as a commitment to fitness. But we took the elevators down.
Stone1984
04-02-2017, 06:29
Question :
How old are you?
Height and weight?
Total height of the stairs?
Time to make one round trip?
Late December 2016. I was 70.75 years old, 5'-8" and 150 pounds. Residence Inn in Chattanooga for the evening. 5 1/2 floors of stairs. 1 hour. Non-stop. Steady comfortable pace. Nothing special just something to do after driving all day.
Wayne
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I am 33 years old
5'6 140lbs
Total height is 93ft according to the building drawings
One trip I have never timed. I go fast not run but a fast climb. I Normally finish both times with one song on the phone.
I am sure if I went slower it wouldn't be so hard, and maybe that is a better training for the trails. I like the burn of going fast though.
Stone1984
04-02-2017, 06:33
"Everything old is new again."
I guess each generation has to learn for themselves.
Back to Stone1984.
Are you making progress? Is it getting easier to finish the second round trip? Have you added more trips?
Wayne
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Yes I am making some progress, I started about a month ago when 1 climb to the top was a lot for me. I just feel like after I started doing 2 times a couple weeks ago it should be easier by now. I know i am making progress but seems like slower progress than I prefer. I might just try to change it up and walk up the stairs for a week or so and see if that helps.
orthofingers
04-02-2017, 07:35
Nah! Remember Rocky Balboa the first time he attempted to run up the stairs at the Philadelphia Art Museum?
cmoulder
04-02-2017, 07:41
Hike at a pace you can maintain all day... slightly aerobic at most. Let your natural speed, endurance and joint strength build up slowly. Rushing things invites frustration and injury.
Get out and do a couple of 5-6 hr hikes at least once a week, preferably more. Up and down those stairs 2 trips is not enough, IMHO. Forget about doing them fast, but doing them for at least 1/2 hour at a pace you can maintain, then working up to an hour or more.
I think it was Warren Doyle who said "you cant go slow enough, uphill"
Stone1984
04-02-2017, 08:39
Hike at a pace you can maintain all day... slightly aerobic at most. Let your natural speed, endurance and joint strength build up slowly. Rushing things invites frustration and injury.
Get out and do a couple of 5-6 hr hikes at least once a week, preferably more. Up and down those stairs 2 trips is not enough, IMHO. Forget about doing them fast, but doing them for at least 1/2 hour at a pace you can maintain, then working up to an hour or more.
I can work on more of that in my off time, but these steps I have to do at work so I can't go to slow. I do them when I have a break so its a rush out there and get them done kinda thing. And as soon as I can get my work schedule down a little I can do more 5-6 Hr hikes, haven't done one in a while due to this work stuff. Had 80hrs last week alone. Can't wait for the day I wake up on the AT roll out my sleeping bag and go to work heading to Katahdin.
Stone1984
04-02-2017, 09:07
So I had more free time today since were not running production. I was able to go up 3 times. This time I slowed it down as some of you suggested to my normal "hiking" speed. It was still a struggle the 3rd time up but not as bad as going up 2 times fast. I know the Iphone is a bit off because every time I do the stairs I check it and its anywhere from 9-12 flights climbed each time I do it. Today this is what it shows. 38915
So I had more free time today since were not running production. I was able to go up 3 times. This time I slowed it down as some of you suggested to my normal "hiking" speed. It was still a struggle the 3rd time up but not as bad as going up 2 times fast. I know the Iphone is a bit off because every time I do the stairs I check it and its anywhere from 9-12 flights climbed each time I do it. Today this is what it shows. 38915
Just to give you an idea, Katahdin is 418 floors...many days you will be doing that in ups and downs throughout the day. Routinely.
Stone1984
04-02-2017, 09:24
Thats what I am aiming for egilbe. I will start for knocking out 27-33 floors for now but by next year I would like to be able to hit 100 floors non stop without feeling like I am dieing. I know when I am out on the trail I can take breaks if I need to so I do these without one. I do seem to do better training in the woods. 38916
That trip was tough but much more enjoyable lunchtime hike Took the boys with me on that one and they loved it too. Wish I could train there in the north Georgia mountains all the time.
Much better with full info.
Add a daypack/book bag with 12-15 pounds. Heavier footwear than you plan to use on the trail.
I wear my 4 pound antique hiking boots and 15 pounds of daypack around my neighborhood.
Wayne
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I'm a ULer and on my trips I hike miles 20+ a day, I've done several +30 days. Granted, I'm a LASHer not a Thru (yet), so I'm not maintaing 20+ days for more than a few days at a time. The trick is not FASTER, it is LONGER. Just 2 miles per hour, but hiking more hours per day.
I go really slow up hill.
Stone1984
04-02-2017, 17:07
Much better with full info.
Add a daypack/book bag with 12-15 pounds. Heavier footwear than you plan to use on the trail.
I wear my 4 pound antique hiking boots and 15 pounds of daypack around my neighborhood.
Wayne
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I am not sure how heavy my footwear is doing this but they are steel toe boots I have to wear at work. I will add the daypack this week.
I am not sure how heavy my footwear is doing this but they are steel toe boots I have to wear at work. I will add the daypack this week.
Steel toe boots are perfect. I've done that before. Well done!
Wayne
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Longboysfan
04-04-2017, 13:31
I am not sure how heavy my footwear is doing this but they are steel toe boots I have to wear at work. I will add the daypack this week.
Great.
Then increase the weight as you go along and somewhere put on a full size pack.
Main thing is you are out there trying.
Your legs will love you when you hit the trail after doing this.
I am not sure how heavy my footwear is doing this but they are steel toe boots I have to wear at work. I will add the daypack this week.
Steel toe boots are perfect. I've done that before. Well done!
Wayne
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Great.
Then increase the weight as you go along and somewhere put on a full size pack.
Main thing is you are out there trying.
Your legs will love you when you hit the trail after doing this.
I'm cringing at this advice and approach. Since when is running in steel toed boots that are likely heavy up and down stairs now adding backpack wt not a recipe for fatigue and injury? Steel toed boots were meant for walking in not running!
With the many foot injuries in basic training even military branches have addressed different shoe choices FOR RUNNING than in the past.
FreeGoldRush
04-04-2017, 15:51
I am 33 years old
5'6 140lbs
Total height is 93ft according to the building drawings
One trip I have never timed. I go fast not run but a fast climb. I Normally finish both times with one song on the phone.
I am sure if I went slower it wouldn't be so hard, and maybe that is a better training for the trails. I like the burn of going fast though.
Just my opinion, and I am certainly not qualified to know about this stuff, but the length of time you spend training is far more important than how fast you do those steps. If you go up and down them continuously for two hours each day, at a speed that keeps your heart rate below your max, then that most resembles hiking the trail.
I start a thru hike playlist on YouTube, set the treadmill at 9% and 3.2 mph, and go at it for two hours.
I'm cringing at this advice and approach. Since when is running in steel toed boots that are likely heavy up and down stairs now adding backpack wt not a recipe for fatigue and injury? Steel toed boots were meant for walking in not running!
With the many foot injuries in basic training even military branches have addressed different shoe choices FOR RUNNING than in the past.
A. Who said anything about running? Climbing and descending stairs is where I joined the discussion.
B. Running in combat boots is something that any Vet should be familiar with. I know I am. Fort Polk, LA. Class of '68.
C. What's wrong with adding a lightly loaded day pack to the stair climbing routine? Increasing the work done is part of training.
All of this was explained in the text book.
Wayne
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Baby steps. Ball of foot knees bent back straight you want quick small steps not wide slower steps. You do not want to extend your leg when you climb. That kills your knees. Walk normal like on flat ground. But small quick steps is key. More on your toes not your heels. Do not heel strike or try to constantly step over things. Like steps on the trail try to time it where you just walk normal up them not reaching for them. Bend knees while time with head up like a string is pulling you up. That's what I learned recently and it helps me climb super fast. Need at least a pole sometimes if super steep. Downhill is another story.
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as if everyone who is an ULer or seeking to lighten their kit HAS TO go fast. "
somewhat this can be true - if you want to lighten up to three days food between 2 sources, it does become important to do that distance in 3 days - obviously if you are willing to carry extra food than you have more versatility in the schedule
cmoulder
05-04-2017, 08:45
It is not difficult to carry 5 days (call it 4.5 days... 5 days of "day" food, with 4 breakfasts and 4 dinners) and keep total pack weight 20lbs or less.
DownEaster
05-04-2017, 11:07
It is not difficult to carry 5 days (call it 4.5 days... 5 days of "day" food, with 4 breakfasts and 4 dinners) and keep total pack weight 20lbs or less.
It may not be difficult for you to keep your pack to 20 lbs. or less, but it may be difficult for other hikers to keep their packs to 20 lbs. or less. It depends on each hiker's priorities and constraints. Many through-hikers will have 5+ lbs. of photography gear, for instance, after reducing things to what they consider the bare minimum to adequately capture sights along the trail. Money plays a part, too; lighter gear costs quite a bit more, and "not difficult" assumes no financial difficulties.
Remember, everyone hikes their own hike.
cmoulder
05-04-2017, 14:57
I think that HYOH is well understood.
I was responding to the post immediately above mine where it was implied that UL means only 2-3 days of food can be carried, thereby forcing a faster pace. This is simply not the case.
It doesn't bother me that people carry all this electronic gadgetry for music, photo/video and blogging and reading because I'm not carrying it. I tend very strongly toward the Need end of the Need vs Want continuum, which is at the core of UL principles. Needs are few—Wants are virtually limitless.
However, there are many, many choices these days for UL gear that are quite often less expensive than some trad gear. Check out LightHeart Gear and TarpTent and Gossamer Gear. (But not Zpacks and HMG, lol.)
somewhat this can be true - if you want to lighten up to three days food between 2 sources, it does become important to do that distance in 3 days - obviously if you are willing to carry extra food than you have more versatility in the schedule
Ahh, I think most of us, including myself right now, can safely go a day without food. From what I've experienced and read it can actually be beneficial. Not being tethered to daily off trail food habits, umpteen food options and mega availability, and consumption is one of the things I look forward to on long hikes. Change can be good.
Hikers go fast for all sorts of reasons and haul heavy wt. Look at what Heather is doing on the CT going after a FKT. She's carrying 9 days chow and I'd say she goes long duration, with a no nonsense attitude, and fast.
Hikers go UL but not necessarily very fast because they can hike longer allowing for greater endurance or comfort or less strain. This is me! That's how I do my 30+ miles/day...long hrs at a very moderate let's looksie around pace but going 14 hrs. It also allows if desired to go at a faster pace. Hikers go UL but averaged pace or slow to allow for an injury to heal. Hikers go UL or minimalist to not be so tethered to gear but don't necessarily go fast.
It's that old GoLite company slogan - fast and light - that SO MANY habitually correlate as if going relatively fast absolutely means one has to go light/UL or going light/UL has to absolutely mean one is going fast is the context that I made that original comment.
Another Kevin
05-05-2017, 15:35
Keep it up. Do what you can. Don't quit over an apparent lack of progress.
I never manage to whip my body into trail shape, because some damn thing or other always seems to happen. I've been mostly off hiking for way, way too long because of a series of minor injuries and illnesses. Still hoping to restart.
I know from experience (I've come into hiking twice now after years pretty much on the couch) that I can do fine if I start slow. When I get going again, it might be 6-8 miles per day on my first few days out. That's fine. And I might be stopping to pant many times on the upgrades, or taking them at a ludicrously slow pace. That's fine, too. I'll get there. I'm not doing desert hiking, where I'd have to make miles to eke out my Ueah.water supply. The nearest I've come to that sort of management was a section where I planned a six-day food carry. It turned that the 8-10 miles per day that I'd planned was an underestimate, and 12-15 was comfortable. I did the planned six-day section in four. Starting out on that section, I was definitely having to remind myself that in a few days my pack would weigh half as much, because I'd have eaten the other half!
Dogwood would tell me I'm not challenging myself enough. (I'd tell him to shut up, it's none of his business, and he would. :) )
I get out. I have fun. In interesting places. So what if it took me three days to do the 25-mile Devil's Path? I had a great time doing it. So what if it took me two weeks to do the (138-mile) Northville-Placid? Just Bill urged me to plan to eschew town stops on that one and do it in half the time. I told him that he was planning his trip, not mine. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I had time to fish, to make a couple of little side jaunts, to photograph, and just to lallygag. What's the hurry?
OK, I know that in the unlikely event that I were to plan a traditional thru-hike (not bloody likely - I've never been able to walk away from my life for six months and don't ever expect to), I know that I'd need to fit it into a season. But with one zero a week, and an April start, an average 14-mile days on the days spent hiking will get to Maine before the trail shuts down. Since everyone, it seems, pulls 20's in the relatively easy middle section of the trail, the time deficit of a week or two of 8-12 mile days at the start wouldn't be an impossible thing to make up. Otherwise, there's always the leapfrog option.
Speed, in my arrogant opinion, is overrated.
I think that one thing that saves me is that I've managed to make carrying a pack (a big daypack, with a clunky laptop computer, a few books, a couple of water bottles, ... a heavier load than I'd take for a long weekend) part of my daily routine. Not a day goes by that I don't put in at least 45 minutes carrying that pack around town. Every blessed day, come rain, come shine. Even in a winter Up North. (I get strange looks when I show up at work with microspikes and poles.) At least I always come back into things with my body already used to carrying a pack.
Which reminds me, I see the discussion wandered off into carry weight. I'll say what I've said before:
My base weight isn't quite ultralight because I carry a few toys. That's fine with me. If I want to go ultralight, I know how, it's just a matter of leaving the toys behind. It just isn't my usual style. Dogwood and cmoulder are right that ultralight doesn't have to be expensive. An earlier post of mine on that subject, quoted in its entirety:
A cheap and ultralight gear list, that doesn't quite fit my personal style, but looks entirely workable:
http://www.gossamergear.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Ultracheap_Henley.pdf
Except that he's left out the trowel. Get one from Qi Wiz. Less than an ounce. $30-40. Or the plastic Fiskars trowel (https://www.constructiongear.com/fiskars-7978-reinforced-plastic-trowel.html?utm_source=googlepepla&utm_medium=adwords&id=94694142042&gclid=CjwKEAiArbrFBRDL4Oiz97GP2nISJAAmJMFa8b-Qr2hyMibOt1lzt9Uege9VWnexyppusX8dWtnihBoCDcvw_wcB) , a couple of ounces and $3. In any case, bring a trowel. Please.
As I said, my style is different (several pounds heavier, and more prepared for the weird weather Up North), but certainly that gear list would get you a long way if you know how to use it.
Going lightweight doesn't mean going faster, necessarily, but it can mean going farther. I was able to plan that six-day carry because my pack was at a manageable weight at the start of it. I think my ultraconservative mileage planning is also from earlier experience with much heavier loads. I don't go as light as cmoulder - he knows, we've hiked together. I think on one trip we made together he might have gone a little heavier, too, if he didn't have Cyrus to keep him warm in the night. :)
Cookerhiker
05-05-2017, 15:54
You've got the right approach - aerobic fitness. And climbing/walking upstairs is an excellent way to improve your trail fitness.
Keep the climbing - it will pay dividends.
cmoulder
05-06-2017, 09:38
AK, as I am pretty sure you know, I very much appreciate your perspective and am in full agreement over the pace issue and the approach to hills.
And although my approach to some things is different, I really do respect other people's choices. It is only when folks make some assumptions about UL that are not quite right (in my arrogant opinion and in my experience:)) that I am struck with the irresistible urge to wander off into the weeds... but I do try to keep it brief, especially in a general, non-UL forum.
But pack weight is such an integral factor in just about every other aspect of backpacking that it is bound to surface frequently in other discussions.
You are absolutely correct that Cyrus does indeed add a few degrees of warmth to my system! The only thing I slightly regret not bringing for the MLK trip was my down pants... I got a little jealous of rafe's when I saw him standing there wrapped in luxurious warmth.
One Half
05-06-2017, 10:09
Baby steps. Ball of foot knees bent back straight you want quick small steps not wide slower steps. You do not want to extend your leg when you climb. That kills your knees. Walk normal like on flat ground. But small quick steps is key. More on your toes not your heels. Do not heel strike or try to constantly step over things. Like steps on the trail try to time it where you just walk normal up them not reaching for them. Bend knees while time with head up like a string is pulling you up. That's what I learned recently and it helps me climb super fast. Need at least a pole sometimes if super steep. Downhill is another story.
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HYOH but I have to disagree. staying "on your toes" will overwork your calves and potentially lead to Plantar Fascitis or Achilles Tendonitis. Fully extending your legs will use your quadriceps - a much larger muscle designed to moved your full body weight all day. You can also integrate the "rest step." If fully extending your leg "kills your knees" you have a muscular imbalance that needs to be "corrected." But don't take my word for it, I've only been a personal trainer for almost 25 years. And yes, I have fixed this type of issue for people through corrective exercise.