View Full Version : Training to hike the AT
SiuWonfung
01-09-2005, 17:26
It is said that it is impossible to train, to be totally prepared to hike the AT. But with that said, what did you veteran thru-hikers do physically (or mentally or psychologically or geographically or metaphorically or haphazardly) in training to hike the AT?
Freighttrain
01-09-2005, 22:40
IMO a stairmaster would be great for prehike training..... any tall buildings around you? walk up and down the stairs for hours n hours at a time....... taking every other day off.
Almost anything that you do to get moving and gets your heart rate up is going to help condition your body for hiking.
Best conditioning is to go backpacking. But, other good choices include snow shoeing in winter, cross country skiing. Running in the warmer weather, or just plain day hiking. Some people hit the gym and use a stairmaster while carrying a loaded pack. Others climb stairs in buildings.
SGT Rock
01-10-2005, 21:30
Well I am not an accomplished thru-hiker yet, but I will tell you how I have successfully prepared for hikes: I hike. The best training to be on the trail is to get as much trail time as I can in. When I lived in Louisiana, I still did things like fast marching 12 miles with a 35 pound pack and it prepared me well to do 16+ mile days when I had all day to hike carrying the same weight. Sure there were not anything close to the mountains, but it is the effort and exertion that I was training too, not necessarily the exact same muscle groups. Of course I ran, did pushups, rifle PT, etc, but rucking is what I felt did the best preparation for me more than anything. Now I live in East Tennessee and hike as much as I can. I find that when I do that, it is easier to break in on the trail each time I go, the more I lay off of hiking, the harder it is to break in no matter what other PT I do.
Before I do my thru-hike, I plan to do weekend hikes every chance I get in the Smokies. I think that should work well, plus it is fun.
I'm training too. Tomorrow here in Virginia we should have two acceptable weather days in a row. I'm going to load my FULL pack and go hike an overnight south of Snicker's Gap on the trail. This is at the north end of the "roller Coaster". Prior to this every other day for two months I've been doing 4 to 6 miles a day with 25 pounds on my back on other local trails here in Fairfax County Virginia. Sgt Rock is a good NCO, listen to him. :) Train like you fight!
SalParadise
01-11-2005, 00:47
My theory is, if you can't hike to train, don't train at all. You shouldn't really do big mile days right away anyway, since your joints need to get conditioned, and being out of shape will certainly keep you from doing that. Plus then you have more time to enjoy putting on extra weight for the hike.
I am also a cross country and track runner, and I found that running helps alot. Hiking uses some different muscles, but your oxygen intake is greatly improved, and helps your muscles go longer or faster because they get more oxygen.
no need to train. don't start off doing big miles. i started off doing seven to ten mile days walking at a slow pace and taking a lot of breaks. people passed me all the time! after about a week, i felt better. after a month, i was a very strong hiker and was passing day hikers uphill like the wind. by virginia, if i really need to get some where fast, i could do 4 miles an hour. oh yeah, if your not going to train, i'd skip the approach trail. it nearly killed me. ;)
Pooja Blue
01-11-2005, 03:47
I put on my fully-loaded pack and went hiking. Lost 25 pounds before thruhiking and was much more accustomed to carrying my pack that most of the other thruhikers when we all began the trail.
NICKTHEGREEK
01-11-2005, 07:02
I'm training too. Tomorrow here in Virginia we should have two acceptable weather days in a row. I'm going to load my FULL pack and go hike an overnight south of Snicker's Gap on the trail. This is at the north end of the "roller Coaster". Prior to this every other day for two months I've been doing 4 to 6 miles a day with 25 pounds on my back on other local trails here in Fairfax County Virginia. Sgt Rock is a good NCO, listen to him. :) Train like you fight!
Newb If you get the opportunity head to Sky Meadows SP and hump up the steep hill trail behind the campground to the AT then try heading south to Manasas Gap Shelter, then return. It's a great leg burner.
SGT Rock
01-11-2005, 07:15
My theory is, if you can't hike to train, don't train at all. You shouldn't really do big mile days right away anyway, since your joints need to get conditioned, and being out of shape will certainly keep you from doing that. Plus then you have more time to enjoy putting on extra weight for the hike.
I would reccomend that if someone can't hike to train, that they walk as much as possible, something most Americans won't do. I would imagine that someone with the potato chips still falling out of their lips (I love that one LW) when they hit the trail has a much reduced chance of even making it to Neels Gap. Nothing wrongwith walking 2 miles a day before you go.
While it is true that some people get away with little or no training, I would venture to say that your odds of leaving the trail early go way up, and your odds of enjoying the trip will slip dramatically, if you don't prepare physically. Thru hiking the A.T., IMO, is equivalent to running a half marathon (13.1 miles) over hilly terrain every day for 5-6 months. Runners and joggers will tend to enjoy the physicality of the A.T. and will have a good chance of going the distance. So will folks who do a lot of prehike hiking with a pack (I would be leery of jogging with a full pack, the last time I tried that, the ensuing Achilles tendonitis brought me up short). It has been said elsewhere that if you don't enjoy the training, you probably won't enjoy the hike either.
Because I live in the north, my training starts with cross country skiing in the winter and switches to jogging in April. If I'm hoping to do good hiking mileage right from the outset, I'll work up to jogging ten very hilly miles every other day. And some days, throw in some hikes with weight in the pack. What makes all this doable is that I stay in shape year round, so there's no painful startup period. And the real bonus comes when people say that you look ten years younger than your age...
Remember, a lot of people underestimate how hard the A.T. is, and some, intending to hike all the way to Katahdin, don't even make it to the starting point (the Approach Trail from Amicalola has claimed many would-be thru hikers).
Training? Running with hills is best, walking hills next. On the weekends, get out and do as much elevation gain as you can with a pack on, spending as many nights as you can in the outdoors. Get comfortable being out-of-doors. Rock said something a couple of years ago that I thought rather summed up alot of training for the AT: "If it ain't raining, you ain't training." I think it was an Army saying or something. Regardless, if you hike the AT, you are going to get rained on with great frequency. Don't let rain stop your weekend hikes. Get out and see what it is like and how to stay dry. What factors are important, and what extra gear do you need or not need.
Finally, for those of you who live near the Smokys, take advantage of the topography to get some serious elevation gain in. Use the AT as a connector, rather than as a main trail. If you take parallel tracks to it, you'll be going over a lot of humps, with a lot of beauty, and no one around.
By the way, I was up in Vancouver this weekend and the winner of a randonee ski event in Whistler would put in 30,000 ft. gain days during his training. I did not add an extra zero to that.
Kenneth Cooper wrote the book “Aerobics” back in the 60's. He advocated varying your workouts. An individual can walk his 10,000 steps a day, but without variation his body will soon grow accustom to the same regimen and will receive no benefit from it. Mix up your workouts by increasing the distance or regulating the speed. Long distance runners always change their workouts and seldom run the same distance or speed two days in a succession. This is true also if you work with weights.
cyclocrosser
01-11-2005, 18:21
A good friend of mine who has done a lot of high altitude hiking says the only way to train for something like this is to tie a rope to an old tire, drag it behind you while breathing through a straw hiking up a 60 percent incline.
Jack Tarlin
01-11-2005, 18:27
1. Get in as good physical shape as possible BEFORE you leave....if you
need to lose a few pounds, do it NOW! Yes, you will of course quickly
see your extra pounds fly away once you start, but you'll be much better
off if you're in as good shape as possible WHEN you start, rather than
counting on being lighter and fitter a few weeks down the Trail. Likewise,
if you're on the skinny side, don't put on a lot of weight beforehand,
thinking you'll have "something to give up" once you start: Starting with
extra poundage of any sort will make things harder for you, not easier.
2. If you're planning (like a lot of folks) on addressing such things as drinking
and smoking, think about this BEFORE you leave, not after, i.e. if you're
thinking about quitting or cutting down, it's much easier if you adopt this
mindset BEFORE you leave, rather than out there. You will, in fact, most
likely cut back on both activities once you're out there (mainly because of
fewer opportunities to indulge), but it's very tough to give EVERYTHING up
all at once after you're out there. You'll have enough issues to deal with
without trying to make these radical lifestyle changes while on the Trail.
3. ANY type of exercise program is good, especially those that strengthen
backs and knees. Swimming is a great all-around exercise. If you live in
a colder-climate area, look into snowshoeing or cross-country skiing, which
are incredibly healthy activities.
4. Start walking EVERYWHERE. If you can WALK to work or to do some of
your shopping, do so. Also, consider wearing a loaded or half-loaded
backpack on some of your walks; it'll help accustom your body (knees,
lungs, heart, feet, back, etc). to carrying more weight.
5. ABSOLUTELY try, if possible, to get in some "practice" hikes before you
leave. And try out some moderate to difficult terrain, too. Georgia and
North Carolina are NOT the easiest sections of the Trail, so it'll help a
great deal if you know what you're getting into. Also, "practice" or shake-
out hikes will help you get accustomed to your gear, and will help you
determine whether or not you've bought the right stuff.
6. Lastly, in whatever time you have left before your departure, spend as
much time as you can hiking or walking, even if it's just day-hiking in the
woods near your house. There are all sorts of things one can do to pre-
pare for a thru-hike, but at the end of the day, the single best way to
prepare to spend an extended period of time in the outdoors is to spend
as much time as you can in the outdoors: The more used you are to the
woods and mountains, and the more comfortable you feel in the back-
country, the better off you'll be once you start your trip.
Footslogger
01-11-2005, 18:30
Anything that strengthens your legs and lungs would be a good idea I suppose. I got out as often as I could in the months/weeks leading up to my departure from Springer in 2003 but otherwise I did not do any specific exercizes to prepare for my thru-hike.
As has been suggested in previous posts ...I chose to use the trail itself as my preparation for the hike. I started off slowly and built up mileage as my body tolerated. I jumped the gun a few times in terms of mileage and my body revolted.
'Slogger
AT 2003
cyclocrosser
01-11-2005, 18:33
do pilates like the one you see on the comercial on TV. Every time the commercial comes on television, I follow the workout for the 10 seconds they show the commmercial. I find that this helps a lot with my hips.
SGT Rock
01-11-2005, 19:36
Rock said something a couple of years ago that I thought rather summed up alot of training for the AT: "If it ain't raining, you ain't training." I think it was an Army saying or something.
It is an Army thing, although Yeti refers to it as Recon sunshine, so I guess Marines think the same way. But basically if you can hack anything in the cold wet rain, and get to do it so much you can actualy enjoy it, then clear days become a real blessing.
The secret to success is to yell: "The Rain God is a big PUSSY!" before you start hiking.
Lone Wolf
01-11-2005, 19:38
Oh Christ! Now you're gettin blasphemous. :)
I did 3 marathons within a month of hiking the AT. It put me in great mental shape to tackle the challenge. I was able to do fairly good milage once I got use to carrying weight on my back. The only problem was my legs were sort of already tired from running, and I gained weight.
Hiking up steep hills! I lived next to the Wissahickon gorge in Philadelphia. Every other morning I put on my loaded pack and went down to the bottom and hiked back up again.
I did 3 marathons within a month of hiking the AT. It put me in great mental shape to tackle the challenge. I was able to do fairly good milage once I got use to carrying weight on my back. The only problem was my legs were sort of already tired from running, and I gained weight.
Risk of overuse injuries for most people would be too significant in my estimation to even consider one marathon the month prior. I would start to taper the running distance off as the hike start date approached and mix things up to mitigate chance of injury. Of course it all varies person to person, and obviously Hustler holds up well to the pounding... 3 marathons in a month would have knocked me out of ever starting :D I am envious!
I'll agree with all the previous posters that say hiking is the best training for hiking.... unfortunately many of us aren't all that close to good hiking possibilities. I'm not sure that I see stairmaster as any equivalent to hiking, but a stepmill seems to be more realistic... anybody use that? Both are great cardio, but the mill spits the steps out at you so you actually have to lift your foot, whereas with the stepmaster you don't.
If my chance ever comes to thruhike, I plan on getting out for weekends as often as possible. Not sure if anyone mentioned it, but another consideration in conditioning is actually getting your feet conditioned to hiking. This can't be accomplished in the gym or out running. Soft feet could mean early trouble.
Not sure if anyone mentioned it, but another consideration in conditioning is actually getting your feet conditioned to hiking. This can't be accomplished in the gym or out running. Soft feet could mean early trouble.
I've found running is the perfect thing for toughening up the feet. Walking on a smooth treadmill does not seem to cut it.
DEADRECKON'UN
01-14-2005, 11:30
Being a flatlander from Florida, I learned from trial and error how to get in as good as shape as is possible for hiking the AT down here. No training will fully get one in shape except hiking. However, the following has worked for me and helps in getting my trail legs in just a few days. (1) Running or biking for cardiovascular training & endurance. Work up to 45 minutes or an hour at 75%-80% of maximum heart rate. (2) Weight training to build quads. Squats & lunges with 25-35lb dumbells. Work up to 3 sets of 15-20 reps.(3) Build back & upper body strength with crunches, sit-ups & push-ups.I alternate the running and weight training days and am fishing on weekends. The running also builds ankle strength & the calves and I believe prevents shin splints. I've completed the trail to Harpers Ferry, the last section starting from Pearisburg Va.(about 400 miles). I had no trouble averaging 15 miles/day and made the trip in 24 hiking days last May/June. I am 60 years old & have been fortunate not to have knee problems. I believe the squats & lunges build strength in the knee. Also, I take a guclosime/condroitan suppliment. Don't know if this helps or not, but I haven't had any pain or injuries. Am training to do Harpers Ferry through N.Y. in Sept/Oct. Have a good hike.
I've found running is the perfect thing for toughening up the feet. Walking on a smooth treadmill does not seem to cut it.
Chris,
You have a lot more experinece than I have so I'll defer to you as more likely correct, but in my limited experience which does include quite a bit of running and less hiking, I have found that my feet still aren't ready for the abuse that comes from really rough, rocky and wet terrain. It seems to me that after I've been hiking consistently my feet seem to toughen up overall, particularly in blister prone areas.
I think it depends on hiking style. I tend not to carry much and am in running shoes, and I rarely blister (although I did this winter). My mountaineering boots always produce a blister, usually in the same spot (between toes). So, it could be a boots-vs-shoes thing.
markellag
01-18-2005, 09:07
I think that using a StairMaster is one of the best ways to prepare for the AT.
I have used a treadmill (running/walking machine) and the StairMaster is much more appropriate. The treadmill is far less strenious than a StairMaster or the AT.
I would reacon (guess) preparation by hiking with a pack is the best preparation and number two would be StairMaster.