View Full Version : Thru-Hike Physical Preparation
If all goes well I am planning to thru-hike next year. I have been dieting ,walking, and lifting weights for like 4 months now and the effort has paid off in over 10 pounds of lost weight. I was wondering if other's who are planning to thru-hike are also attempting to get in good shape for their hikes and if they are what type of workouts are they doing, and are their efforts paying off?
HikerRanky
10-10-2008, 23:13
There are several articles on WB that will help with your thru-hike planning and prep.... This one here (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?p=184425#post184425) deals with physical preparation....
Randy
take-a-knee
10-11-2008, 00:06
If you need to lose body fat check out the Zone Diet. If you incorporate its principals into your food plan for your hike it will help you avoid muscle loss.
ChinMusic
10-11-2008, 00:27
DapperD - I am not a thru-hiker so I have no direct knowledge on the rigors of a thru.
But, IMO the strength training is very important for someone in our age group. Strengthening the muscles of the legs will help you prevent injury. Stronger muscles help protect the joints and allows you to absorb the punishment of an uneven tread.
Cardio will make your first month more pleasurable but is not as important as the strength training IMO. I am NOT saying that coming in as a couch potato is a good idea.
sammysmithdrnker
10-11-2008, 00:59
i am doing three mile runs daily, lunges, and squats.
ChinMusic
10-11-2008, 01:13
i am doing three mile runs daily, lunges, and squats.
Nice. Lunges are a bitch. Vary the lunges to include walking lunges, front/backs, angled, etc. Hit those stabilizer muscles from different angles. If you have access to one of those half-ball platforms (can't think of the actual name), where you stand on this unstable platform, and have to maintain balance while doing curls/etc., it will strengthen the "little" muscles that support your ankles/knees/hips and improve balance.
Stretch, especially those calves to help prevent plantar fasciitis.
Tennessee Viking
10-11-2008, 02:01
I am not planning to thru for a long while. But one of the easiest things to do is to just go out and walk with your pack. Just add some bricks, water,... to get used to the weight.
take-a-knee
10-11-2008, 09:39
i am doing three mile runs daily, lunges, and squats.
I'd reccomend you stop running the same distance everyday, that is a good way to get an overuse injury. Start doing some intervals, IE 4 x 400m, or 3 x 800m with 2-3 min. rest between intervals. I used to have ailments from running a lot, no more. If you can find a Concept II rower, that thing will tax you like nothing else. If you can find a gym that has a Stairmaster Step Mill PT 7000, do that two days/week. If you can hold level 8-9 for 20min, you're getting there.
Stairmaster:
http://www.monsterfitnessdirect.com/stpt70st.html
Pedaling Fool
10-11-2008, 10:17
...
Stairmaster:
http://www.monsterfitnessdirect.com/stpt70st.html
The gym I go to on base has one of those; it's an outstanding machine. Like TAK says, don't do just running all the time, mix it up, certain parts of the body gets beaten up and other parts get soft when you just do a few thing(s). Chinmusic also had some good recommendations.
Here's what worked for me when preparing for my AT thru-hike:
1) I backpacked every name brand trail in Indiana, Ohio and lower Michigan, three out of every four weekends (and sometimes during vacation) during the spring/summer/fall prior to the year where I thru-hiked the AT (the difficulty of the 50 mile long Knobstone Trail in southern Indiana certainly was a wake-up call for me and made the AT in Georgia not seem so bad a few months later during my thru-hike). This regularly scheduled backpacking, by far, led to me being about as prepared as I was going to be for the riggors of the AT because I'd deliberately hiked rain or shine and I had lots of rain during my prep hikes. Plus, all that backpacking got my knees in relatively good shape prior to my AT thru-hike and it also clued me in to what it's like to be alone for extended period of time. During the wintertime just prior to my thru-hike I backpacked about one weekend per month in the snow, camping out most times for at least one night in the snow.
2) I also did treadmill work while wearing my backpack (with weight inside) during the winter months, doing the treadmill at 3.0+ miles per hour at 10% slope for at least 30 minutes per day, working my way up to 60 minutes per day.
I do think it's quite important to wear your loaded backpack during whatever training you choose to do prior to your AT thru-hike. I'd just happened to have a great hiking trail about a 30 minute drive from work and I'd backpacked that nearby trail probably a hundred times before my thru-hike.
You'll definitely want to choose to backpack for at least one week-long period prior to your thru-hike. That'll give you a much better idea about what it's like to be out in the woods for an extended period of time. I'd chosen to hike for a week on the AT north from Damascus, Virginia prior to my thru-hike and had also hiked the much easier Ocala Trail in Florida for a week or so during the winter. Those were both very valuable experiences in preparing me for my AT thru-hike.
Datto
Here's what worked for me when preparing for my AT thru-hike:
1) I backpacked every name brand trail in Indiana, Ohio and lower Michigan, three out of every four weekends (and sometimes during vacation) during the spring/summer/fall prior to the year where I thru-hiked the AT (the difficulty of the 50 mile long Knobstone Trail in southern Indiana certainly was a wake-up call for me and made the AT in Georgia not seem so bad a few months later during my thru-hike). This regularly scheduled backpacking, by far, led to me being about as prepared as I was going to be for the riggors of the AT because I'd deliberately hiked rain or shine and I had lots of rain during my prep hikes. Plus, all that backpacking got my knees in relatively good shape prior to my AT thru-hike and it also clued me in to what it's like to be alone for extended period of time. During the wintertime just prior to my thru-hike I backpacked about one weekend per month in the snow, camping out most times for at least one night in the snow.
2) I also did treadmill work while wearing my backpack (with weight inside) during the winter months, doing the treadmill at 3.0+ miles per hour at 10% slope for at least 30 minutes per day, working my way up to 60 minutes per day.
I do think it's quite important to wear your loaded backpack during whatever training you choose to do prior to your AT thru-hike. I'd just happened to have a great hiking trail about a 30 minute drive from work and I'd backpacked that nearby trail probably a hundred times before my thru-hike.
You'll definitely want to choose to backpack for at least one week-long period prior to your thru-hike. That'll give you a much better idea about what it's like to be out in the woods for an extended period of time. I'd chosen to hike for a week on the AT north from Damascus, Virginia prior to my thru-hike and had also hiked the much easier Ocala Trail in Florida for a week or so during the winter. Those were both very valuable experiences in preparing me for my AT thru-hike.
DattoThanks for the information Datto! This is great advice! I really do need to get out there beforehand, I don't think anything I could do would prepare me more for the challenges that I will experience.
trouthunter
10-11-2008, 23:10
Aside from weight training and stretching, I would second what Datto said about hiking all you can (with loaded pack), and I also used workout equipment with a full pack although I used an elliptical trainer instead of a treadmill. It is also good to vary the speed / difficulty of your workout if you use a machine to better prepare your body for real hiking IMO.
grumpypickle
10-12-2008, 08:36
I did and extensive amount of physical prep prior to my thru this year, working out 6 days a week for 4 months. I lost 10 lbs and put on a good deal of muscle. A few things that worked and did not work for me:
* I used the stairclimber mentioned previously extensively. It is a great cardio workout and gets you accustomed to sustained climbs. The thing I would do differently is spend time walking *down* the stairs. The biggest physical obstacle I faced was knee pain early on. Until you develop the muscles around you patella and knee joint, you could be subject to this as well.
* I thought having a stronger upper body would be beneficial for carrying my pack. Not so much. The extra muscle was just weight early on and I lost most of the muscle mass by Harpers anyway. You are better off dropping the 10 lbs.
* Someone mentioned lunges and such. Great idea, particularly 'step ups'. You can do them at home. Put your pack on and step up onto a 2 ft high bench. Repeat until tired and sore!
* The one thing I did do a great deal of that no one has mentioned is strengthening your core. Crunches, leg lifts etc. will help tremendously with your endurance.
have a great hike
Like Datto said, just go hiking. Do some cardio workouts between hikes
trouthunter
10-12-2008, 14:29
* Someone mentioned lunges and such. Great idea, particularly 'step ups'. You can do them at home. Put your pack on and step up onto a 2 ft high bench. Repeat until tired and sore!
* The one thing I did do a great deal of that no one has mentioned is strengthening your core. Crunches, leg lifts etc. will help tremendously with your endurance.
have a great hike
Good advise, especially the step ups in my case.
I have not done a complete thru of the AT, I have done several lesser thru's and have encountered many areas with 2 -3 foot step ups almost all the way to the summit, and then again on the descent, of course.
I found this especially true in the Blue Wall area around Rosman NC.
Some areas there you need a rope, HaHa :banana
I'd reccomend you stop running the same distance everyday, that is a good way to get an overuse injury.
Not a thru here, but this sounds like great advise to me. I'd think exercises that don't involve a lot of foot pounding would be the key. Biking, rowing, weights...those things that build fitness and leg strength without the wear and tear on your legs/lower joints.
That would be my thru-hike approach. If I had one. Which I don't.
TWS
Blissful
10-12-2008, 16:38
Walk and hike if you can with your backpack. But your best prep will just to get out there on your thru and hike day in and day out. My son went out with no prep whatsoever and finished. He was also overweight (lost 50 lbs on the hike). I did do prep but I also was overweight. It's more mental than physical.
ChinMusic
10-12-2008, 18:38
Walk and hike if you can with your backpack. But your best prep will just to get out there on your thru and hike day in and day out. My son went out with no prep whatsoever and finished. He was also overweight (lost 50 lbs on the hike). I did do prep but I also was overweight. It's more mental than physical.
This supports my take on it to a tee.
Cardio will make the first month more enjoyable but if you take it slow the trail itself will be your cardio.
The strength training is something that actually helps prevent injuries that could prematurely end you hike. IMO the strength training is more important.
take-a-knee
10-12-2008, 18:47
This supports my take on it to a tee.
Cardio will make the first month more enjoyable but if you take it slow the trail itself will be your cardio.
The strength training is something that actually helps prevent injuries that could prematurely end you hike. IMO the strength training is more important.
I agree, everyone should strength train. Why would a person choose to be weak?
From David Horton's remarks at The Gathering, during a seminar on speed hiking: You should prepare yourself physically for an AT hike (regular-speed as well as high-speed) by doing similar exercise for a duration as similar to the goal as you can make it. In other words, two miles of walking, four times a week, is not sufficient to prepare you to hike fifteen miles a day, six days a week. He suggested daily walking as strenuous as you can find, usually in the morning (because that's the easiest time of day for a busy person to secure inviolate daily personal time), accompanied by actual hiking on the weekend. He specifically said that treadmills and sidewalk and street walking are not great preparation for trail hiking or running.
He did NOT say you'll never make it unless you do this, but that doing this ahead of time increases your ability to do what you need to do when the time comes.
He also remarked (in a discussion of speed) that reducing pack weight and body weight are essential. He said the amount you can expect to slow down for every extra pound you carry is two seconds per mile per pound.
stranger
10-13-2008, 01:07
Nothing will prepare you adequately other than hiking on trails with a pack. Before I left for Springer this year, I was hiking a 3.6 mile trail, which was pretty difficult in some sections, about 4 times a week with a 30lb pack. Once in a while I would double it up (it was a loop) and I did not use trekking poles because I wanted to build up my knees - this worked well.
Also, I was hiking the 3.6 miles in 65 minutes. After a few weeks I noticed a big difference in my legs, I had lost some weight, and although I never got my time down to under one hour it just got easier and easier. I did this for about 6 weeks. The strain and recover method I implemented meant my body had time to rest, I remember not hiking for 4 days once due to knee pain, this is a great luxary with training, something you cannot do on the trail generally.
When I left Springer this year I averaged 17 miles per day through Georgia, other than the expected blisters I had no problems, and I smoke! I did something like 23 into Franklin and 21 out, and that's pretty early into the trip. I was very suprised how fit this got me, and it was only 3.6 miles per day.
I walked around with my pack a little, but probably didn't need it. You can lift weights, run, whatever, but hiking is the only thing that will get you in shape for hiking. I really don't think much prep is necessary as long as you don't kill yourself out of the gate. ~10 mile days at first are nothing to be ashamed of.
My dad is the same way - he has some issues with his knees, but nothing ibuprofen can't handle.
Jack Tarlin
10-14-2008, 13:18
Wow, what good advice above.
I'd agree with all the folks who've advised you to wear your pack as much as possible. You may get some funny looks at the gym, but once people hear about what you've got planned they'll think it's pretty cool.
I'd also agree that gyms and treadmills are fine, but there's no substitute to actually getting in some Trail miles with your full packload on your back. The more accustomed your body, your muscles, and your system are to hiking real terrain with real weight, the better off you'll be once you actually start hiking.
The single best way to prepare to spend a great deal of time being active in the outdoors is to spend as much time as possible being active in the outdoors.
Lone Wolf
10-14-2008, 13:21
I walked around with my pack a little, but probably didn't need it. You can lift weights, run, whatever, but hiking is the only thing that will get you in shape for hiking. I really don't think much prep is necessary as long as you don't kill yourself out of the gate. ~10 mile days at first are nothing to be ashamed of.
running is all i ever did to get in cardio-vascular shape. hiking is what gets you in hiking shape
Wow, what good advice above.
This thread got off to an exceptionally good start.
The strength training is something that actually helps prevent injuries that could prematurely end your hike. IMO the strength training is more important.
I agree, everyone should strength train. Why would a person choose to be weak?
I'd like to see more about strength training. Through hike prep should involve as much beneficial activity as time allows and avoiding injury early on is important.
At The Gathering, during the discussion of speed hiking, David Horton said some very interesting things about working through injuries. To summarize, he said he believes that one should generally continue to hike/run through most injuries, including shin splints, tendinitis, and minor stress fractures. He thinks (and has a fair amount of personal experience in this area) that they will heal in spite of being used.
For example, he said that if he rolls his ankle, he continues to walk. If you immediately get off the ankle it will generally swell and become quite stiff. If you continue to walk, you can usually "walk off" the injury.
He told another story about a fellow who was competing in the Run Across America. Very early on he had a small stress fracture in his foot. He continued to run, going just fast enough to avoid the cutoff time each day. By the end of the Run, he was pretty much back to normal and X-rays showed that the fracture had mostly healed.
But, to repeat something I said earlier, he also said he thinks it's foolish to think you are prepared to hike 75 miles a week by doing maybe 8 miles a week of walking leading up to the hike.
Pedaling Fool
10-14-2008, 15:43
At The Gathering, during the discussion of speed hiking, David Horton said some very interesting things about working through injuries. To summarize, he said he believes that one should generally continue to hike/run through most injuries, including shin splints, tendinitis, and minor stress fractures. He thinks (and has a fair amount of personal experience in this area) that they will heal in spite of being used.
For example, he said that if he rolls his ankle, he continues to walk. If you immediately get off the ankle it will generally swell and become quite stiff. If you continue to walk, you can usually "walk off" the injury.
He told another story about a fellow who was competing in the Run Across America. Very early on he had a small stress fracture in his foot. He continued to run, going just fast enough to avoid the cutoff time each day. By the end of the Run, he was pretty much back to normal and X-rays showed that the fracture had mostly healed.
But, to repeat something I said earlier, he also said he thinks it's foolish to think you are prepared to hike 75 miles a week by doing maybe 8 miles a week of walking leading up to the hike.
Sounds like good advice, I've walked thru a lot of injuries, but do take it easy - just don't stop unless it's really bad. One thing I would stress is your physical preparations should not be concentrated so much on getting ready for a hike, rather it should be a lifestyle, sort of like a war against nature:D
I've personally found that hiking with a pack at least three or four days a week for three to four weeks prior to a long hike sets me up fairly well for the initial part of the hike. Nothing simulates hiking with a pack very well other than actually doing it.
Silver Bear
10-14-2008, 15:55
I am planing on a possible thur in 2010. I just started hiking this year. So far I have hiked about 200 miles in the Smokies. This has greatly improved my physical condition.
Saturday 10/18 I will start my longest hike 104 miles from Davenport Gap to Ewing. My plan is to continue hiking the Smokies and increasing my miles & days out. This trip will give me a better ideal of what to expect. Also in my plan is to section hike up to half of the AT by 2010.
Sounds like good advice, I've walked thru a lot of injuries, but do take it easy - just don't stop unless it's really bad. One thing I would stress is your physical preparations should not be concentrated so much on getting ready for a hike, rather it should be a lifestyle, sort of like a war against nature:D
I completely agree.
"War against nature"--I like it. It might be futile, but I'm still gonna try.
Pedaling Fool
10-14-2008, 15:58
I completely agree.
"War against nature"--I like it. It might be futile, but I'm still gonna try.
True, but there's something to be said about the Last Great Act of Defiance (http://www.visualjokes.com/d/act.html)
Time To Fly 97
10-14-2008, 17:11
If you don't live close to trails, put on a backpack and hike around town, looking for the biggest hills you can find. Climb stairs in office buildings or stadiums. I would absolutely get some hiking poles, a headlamp, water too. Another thing you can do is use milk jugs filled with water for weight. Push yourself to carry a little more weight than you plan to carry ont he AT. If you get too tired, dump the water - or drink it.
As with the previous posts, simulate hiking with weight as closely as possible to maximize your efforts.
If you belong to a gym, check out the VersaClimber - it will give you a cadio workout and a half...and give you an idea of altitude. Your biggest climbs northbound are about 1000 footers. Train for 1500 with weight.
Happy hiking!
TTF
ChinMusic
10-14-2008, 17:20
Another thing you can do is use milk jugs filled with water for weight.
A big bag of dog food works well, fits in most packs, and has an even distribution.
I used 3 9# bags of charcoal for my practice walks this spring/summer. I found the gallon jugs to be too concentrated, weight wise. Also, if you have a sledding hill, walk over and back on that. I did where I live, which is very flat, over 500 times in a park near my house.
dessertrat
10-15-2008, 10:54
The best way to train for hauling a backpack up and down mountains is to haul a backpack up and down mountains.
Start doing some weekend backpacking trips with your planned thru-hike weight, if you have time, as well as some moderate exercise during the week. I would also, if I were you, start out slow on the thru, and work your way into shape. Some people say no matter what prep you do or do not do, you will get fit in 4-6 weeks of hiking, as fit as you will ever be.