Pre-Trail Exercise

[Kozmic Zian]

Yea......Curious about how many guys/girls have to do exercises and work-outs before they go Up The Trail. What kind of things you do? How often and long are walks and how do you do them? What kinds of exercises are beneficial for hiking over rough terrrain with a backpack? Any thoughts you may have reguarding diet and exercise before you leave for The Trail. Are stretching exercises beneficial? Anything Related?

[Peaks]

I think there have been other threads about getting in shape.

In summary, almost anything that you do that gets you outside helps. Look for activities that get your heart rate up and work the lower body. Backpacking is best. Other activities include biking, cross country skiing, running, and hiking.

Stetching is good also. But most of us don't do it often enougth.

[SGT Rock]

Heel raises, lunges, squats, running, rucking, shoulder shrugs, push ups, sit ups, pull ups, chin ups, crunches, military press, etc.

[Lone Wolf]

Lotsa beer, red meat and abstinence from sex.

[veteran]

Lotsa beer, red meat and abstinence from sex.

Ha!, That was a good one. :D

[Jaybird]

[QUOTE=Kozmic Zian]Yea......Curious about how many guys/girls have to do exercises and work-outs before they go Up The Trail. ..................../QUOTE]


Yo K.Z.:

pre-trail excercises are a good thang!
as i get older...i appreciate the idea of "prepping" for my section hikes.

i actually cut down on my eating...(portions) lose a few lbs before i hit the A.T. & i do 2 or 3 hikes, per month, to get my legs/knees in better shape...& build the stamina up a bit.

of course, i hit the treadmill several times a week with a 30lb pack on too.


good luck with your hike.... :p

(to L.W...."abstinance from sex?????????" r u kidding?)
...
seeya'll up the trail!

[SGT Rock]

Well Beer and Fried Chicken are a big part of the workout diet. Tobasco is what makes the chicken more nutritious.

But that "abstinence" thingy, not unlessed forced to by deployment.

[azchipka]

Lets see my pretrip prep includes a 5 mile a day morning jog at 5:00am and another at 7:00pm. I wear 2.5 lbs leg weights in the morning and 5lbs on my evening run. If you get to a point where the 5lbs seem like they are not making you work hard enough any more bump it up to 7.5 lbs. I also do an hour of 1/10 mile relay windsprints with my roommate and a friend. I also wear my fully loaded pack around the house for about 2 hours out of the day. If you have stairs near where you live (multi-level apartment building) make them part of your routine stop taking the elevator. I used to live on the 24th floor of an apartment building in NYC and when would start preping for my summer trips I would do the stairs a few times a day. You can always use a stair stepper at the gym but i personal find the real thing to be better. It gives you a set stopping point. As your start date gets closer I would switch into what ever shoes / boots you will be wearing on the trail instead of using running shoes. For the person who is truly insane and in the CA bay area there is the 14 mile loop trail. Get used to running that a few times a week and a 15 mile day of hiking seems like a walk in the park, as a note the bay area loop trail is in the wilderness and as such you get hills, rocks branchs, and all the other things that can infringe on your trail when on the AT.

You should note that I take my pre-trip work outs a bit to an extreme, but as such I have never ended up having problems with my shins, legs, knees, feet. And so on and so fourth. I mean when it comes right down to it the AT is my pre-trip warm up for the Tetons. Plus i do have tha advantage taht i have nothing to do except get ready for the trip until i leave.

My basic theory on the whole pre-trip work outs. If your not going to bed with burning calfs from your day, then your not doing enough. Push it till it hurts, and the hard days on the trail wont be nearly the challenge they are for others. My last note about your pre-trip work outs is if your hiking the AT with a partner make sure you are both doing the same thing, otherwise when you hit the trail one of you will find they are waiting for the other all the time. If your running 10 miles a day and your partner is running 1, youll be ready for 20 mile days on the trail while your partner wants to stop after 10.

[Chip]

I always try to stay to in good hiking condition. 45
minutes of vigorous walking on the treadmill first
thing in the morning. Target heart rate between 122 and 144. Every other day work out with weights to
keep tone, build some strength, not major muscle mass. Always warm up with stretching exercises before workouts and hikes to avoid the injuries common to this sport. Get out on weekends do a day hike at least 8 miles. Always maintain a good diet.
Plenty of vegetables, fruits, grains. I am not a big red meat person.I eat alot of fish and chicken.Keep away from junk food. Drink alot of water. If you keep fit and maintain then getting on the trail
is fun, feels good and takes less effort than trying to do a crash course to get ready. All of this is nothing new, just common sense ! Best Wishes and Happy Hiking!!!