Getting fit for the trail!!

[BenOnAdventures]

Well I'm building my fitness for hiking and of course my personal health. I've ran 3 mile already this morning and am planning on running another 7 after breakfast! What do you all do for fitness?

[garlic08]

Between backcountry skiing, bicycling, hiking, and trail construction, I stay pretty fit all year. To prepare for a thru hike, I try to sit on the couch for a couple of weeks and try to gain some weight!

Good luck with your regime. I started cycling fairly seriously when I was your age, and never dreamed of the payoffs I would see later in life.

[Offshore]

There's been a guy at my gym wearing his full pack while on an incline trainer (think of a treadmill, but capable of ~30% inclines) for the last couple of weeks. Its a huge Jansport pack that fits him terribly, but HYOH.

[BenOnAdventures]

Between backcountry skiing, bicycling, hiking, and trail construction, I stay pretty fit all year. To prepare for a thru hike, I try to sit on the couch for a couple of weeks and try to gain some weight!

Good luck with your regime. I started cycling fairly seriously when I was your age, and never dreamed of the payoffs I would see later in life.

Thank you! And I see, that sounds like a great plan! Me being in NW Ohio I don't have a lot of hiking spots to choose from so normally my exercise involves running down back country roads or on my treadmill. Yes I figured I want to get even healthier now for short term benefits and the long term benefits as well.

[BenOnAdventures]

There's been a guy at my gym wearing his full pack while on an incline trainer (think of a treadmill, but capable of ~30% inclines) for the last couple of weeks. Its a huge Jansport pack that fits him terribly, but HYOH.

Oh sweet that sounds awesome!

[LoneStranger]

Current fitness regime includes Acadia yesterday, three days in the Whites starting tomorrow and five days in BSP next week. No better way to train for a hike than going on a hike.

[Pedaling Fool]

Well I'm building my fitness for hiking and of course my personal health. I've ran 3 mile already this morning and am planning on running another 7 after breakfast! What do you all do for fitness?

If you're doing that, then you are already fit enough for the trail, at least in respect to cardio.

Personally, I'm kind of against physically preparing for the trail, rather one should physically prepare for life, but I know that's probably a crazy notion to your 21-y/o mind. But as you age you realize that it sucks to get old, but there's a lot you can do to ward off the effects of aging and many of these are also good for preparing for the trail, just be careful not to give it up after the trail, like so many do.

I've come to the conclusion that there is no one exercise; however, if I were to pick one activity I'd say weight training. Because you can use weights to work every part of your body, unlike any one exercise, including hiking. It builds muscle, connective tissue and bone and at the same time you can do cardio, by simply reducing the weight or you can go the other way and build strength and explosive power -- weight training is very versatile, not just the simple curls and bench presses, which most people envision when they hear: pumping iron.

I'd recommend you include weight training into your regimen, so that you build up a strong frame, but running is good, don't stop that, but if you look at the reason why so many people get off the trail for medical reasons, it's all about knees and joints...not because of cardio. Cardio is easy to build, you can do it on the trail without any prior preparations, but you don't want to build up your frame on the trail, at least starting from zero.

[Carbo]

I found the best way to prep for the trail was to hike for a couple of hours a day in all weather conditions with a 30+ lb pack. Fitness is just one part of the benefit. It will give you an idea of how your feet, joints, etc., will handle the long distance pounding while carrying the extra weight. Also gives you an idea of water, food and clothing needs you'll encounter.

[Traveler]

Mental and emotional preparation are perhaps more important than physical conditioning.

[thecyclops]

Current fitness regime includes Acadia yesterday, three days in the Whites starting tomorrow and five days in BSP next week. No better way to train for a hike than going on a hike.

Actually thats not true,but it sounds good anyway.

[BenOnAdventures]

Current fitness regime includes Acadia yesterday, three days in the Whites starting tomorrow and five days in BSP next week. No better way to train for a hike than going on a hike.

Very true!! But like i said in an earlier response, its hard to hike much in NW Ohio, i'd be hiking through corn fields! lol

[BenOnAdventures]

If you're doing that, then you are already fit enough for the trail, at least in respect to cardio.

Personally, I'm kind of against physically preparing for the trail, rather one should physically prepare for life, but I know that's probably a crazy notion to your 21-y/o mind. But as you age you realize that it sucks to get old, but there's a lot you can do to ward off the effects of aging and many of these are also good for preparing for the trail, just be careful not to give it up after the trail, like so many do.

I've come to the conclusion that there is no one exercise; however, if I were to pick one activity I'd say weight training. Because you can use weights to work every part of your body, unlike any one exercise, including hiking. It builds muscle, connective tissue and bone and at the same time you can do cardio, by simply reducing the weight or you can go the other way and build strength and explosive power -- weight training is very versatile, not just the simple curls and bench presses, which most people envision when they hear: pumping iron.

I'd recommend you include weight training into your regimen, so that you build up a strong frame, but running is good, don't stop that, but if you look at the reason why so many people get off the trail for medical reasons, it's all about knees and joints...not because of cardio. Cardio is easy to build, you can do it on the trail without any prior preparations, but you don't want to build up your frame on the trail, at least starting from zero.

Well I'm not doing this just solely for the trail, i'm doing it for long term fitness and health overall. And also, thanks for the advice on the weight training, I already do some but not a ton, also I swim 2-4 times a week during the summer months usually.

[BenOnAdventures]

Mental and emotional preparation are perhaps more important than physical conditioning.

Very true and I believe I am pretty strong on both of those grounds.

[BenOnAdventures]

I found the best way to prep for the trail was to hike for a couple of hours a day in all weather conditions with a 30+ lb pack. Fitness is just one part of the benefit. It will give you an idea of how your feet, joints, etc., will handle the long distance pounding while carrying the extra weight. Also gives you an idea of water, food and clothing needs you'll encounter.

Thank you so much! Very appreciated. I'll keep that in mind and start to include something similar in my routine.

[thecyclops]

Burpees.tabatas,plyometrics,running,INSANITY...pre tty much anything that is super cardio intensive,to the point of puking,or wanting too,will whip you into shape and make hiking feel like a walk in the park (pun intended)
Fitness,for me at least,is a lifestyle and not something I have to get ready for.Sure I may be more fit at some times than others,but I never stop running,never stop eating right and never stop doing something,even if just a 3-4 mile walk,everland Im 38 and have been "working out"since I was 7 with my dad (come to think of it I should look better than I do HAHA)...I just,in general, try to stay in shape.

[Pedaling Fool]

Hiking to prepare for hiking: That's true, it is the best activity to prepare for a hike and it's a fact for every activity, because there is no one activity that will prepare your body for a chosen activity, in this case hiking the AT. It's just a fact of life.

If someone were to ask me the best way to prepare for a very long cycling trip, my recommendation would be the same, because I'm so against just doing one thing. However, no matter how much you prepare, you'll never be totally prepared for hiking, cycling (or whatever) there is no activity that will prepare you best than that activity.

You can do all the weight training/running.... but it won't prepare your feet for the rigors of hiking all day, and it won't prepare your butt for the saddle and there are other things it won't prepare you for, such as the pain we all feel when doing one activity all day (cycling, hiking, canoeing or whatever).

So in a sense those that say hiking is the best activity to prepare for a hike are correct, but there are two problems with that, 1) many of us don't have the time, and/or the location to do this. 2) For true health as you age, you really need to do more than just one activity.


When I was young I use to think, since I cycle all the time, that was all I needed for exercise. Ageing has showed me how wrong I was.


P.S. With that said, I agree that you really need to do some practice hikes as your preparation, not just physical, but to make sure you work out certain bugs.

[BenOnAdventures]

Burpees.tabatas,plyometrics,running,INSANITY...pre tty much anything that is super cardio intensive,to the point of puking,or wanting too,will whip you into shape and make hiking feel like a walk in the park (pun intended)
Fitness,for me at least,is a lifestyle and not something I have to get ready for.Sure I may be more fit at some times than others,but I never stop running,never stop eating right and never stop doing something,even if just a 3-4 mile walk,everland Im 38 and have been "working out"since I was 7 with my dad (come to think of it I should look better than I do HAHA)...I just,in general, try to stay in shape.

Thanks! Same here, I generally have worked out/been active all of my life. And haha nice

[thecyclops]

[QUOTE=Pedaling Fool;1978408]Hiking to prepare for hiking: That's true, it is the best activity to prepare for a hike and it's a fact for every activity, because there is no one activity that will prepare your body for a chosen activity, in this case hiking the AT. It's just a fact of life.'

I will respectfully disagree.
Nothing the AT or hiking has shown me that can compare with some of the grueling workouts I have and currently do put my self through....Its not even close.When I go hiking or backpacking,I typically work in another workout while Im hiking,IE;I will often work in pushups and bodyweight squats during a break or snack time.
'Now Im not trying to toot my own horn here,as there are tons of folks in better shape than me on this board alone,but if someone thinks that hiking is the best way to make hiking feel easy,its just because they are ignorant of some of the TOUGH training available out there,stuff that will give you nightmares about ever wanting to come back to the gym,but makes hiking easy peasy.
I will say this,the mental side of extended days of backpacking cant be duplicated in training,that something that you get "out there",but the physical side can be replicated quite easily at home.

[BenOnAdventures]

Hiking to prepare for hiking: That's true, it is the best activity to prepare for a hike and it's a fact for every activity, because there is no one activity that will prepare your body for a chosen activity, in this case hiking the AT. It's just a fact of life.

If someone were to ask me the best way to prepare for a very long cycling trip, my recommendation would be the same, because I'm so against just doing one thing. However, no matter how much you prepare, you'll never be totally prepared for hiking, cycling (or whatever) there is no activity that will prepare you best than that activity.

You can do all the weight training/running.... but it won't prepare your feet for the rigors of hiking all day, and it won't prepare your butt for the saddle and there are other things it won't prepare you for, such as the pain we all feel when doing one activity all day (cycling, hiking, canoeing or whatever).

So in a sense those that say hiking is the best activity to prepare for a hike are correct, but there are two problems with that, 1) many of us don't have the time, and/or the location to do this. 2) For true health as you age, you really need to do more than just one activity.


When I was young I use to think, since I cycle all the time, that was all I needed for exercise. Ageing has showed me how wrong I was.


P.S. With that said, I agree that you really need to do some practice hikes as your preparation, not just physical, but to make sure you work out certain bugs.

Yeah i definitely will workout the bugs. I also am planning on including more weights/body workouts into my training instead of just purely cardio.

[LoneStranger]

Everybody and every body is going to work differently. All I know is what works for me. A few years ago I made the mistake of focusing on cycling exclusively and intensively prior to hitting the trail for a week long trip. I was in excellent shape so assumed the mountains wouldn't be a problem. My cardio was primo, but the muscles that were strong on the bike were not the ones that needed to be strong on the trail.

Cross training will always be helpful but if I want to cycle I cycle, if I want to hike I hike.