Walking uphill

[jesse]

I recently changed my daily walking routine, because of time restaints. Instead of walking the entire trail, I walk up and down one hill. I did a google search and found this interesting table on calorie burn.
http://www.nutristrategy.com/activitylist3.htm

1 hour activity / calorie burn

Walking 4 mph / 345
Walk uphill 3.5 mph / 518
Carry 15lb load / 302

There was a receent thread on whether you should train with or without a pack. From a calorie burn presective. carring a load doesn't seem all that benificial.

[MOWGLI]

If you don't carry a pack at least some before you hit the trail, you're in for a rude awakening. When it comes to preparing for a long distance hike, there is no substitute for backpacking IMO.

If your goal is simply to lose weight, then the Kennesaw Battlefield is a good place to walk uphill.

[Sly]

I don't think I've ever been able to walk 4 mph or 3.5 uphill.

[Smile]

Mowgli's right. The wearing of a pack makes a big difference, just putting it on and taking it off during the day can make a newb weary.

(No offense to Newb or Weary)

[JAK]

I am currently overweight, so I don't need to add any extra weight when training. But if I did get down to a decent weight I would like add some, like take a full 5-10 day load for a day hike. Or pack a really awesome picnic lunch, including beer. Of course that might be counter-productive, weight wise. Good incentive though maybe. Let's just say I might be willing to give it a try, see if it works for me, and if it doesn't work the first time, maybe try it again.

[jesse]

If you don't carry a pack at least some before you hit the trail, you're in for a rude awakening.

I agree. Carrying a pack lets you know if you are ready. I am questioning whether it is a good training method. Based on calorie burn I still think carrying a heavy pack while training has only marginal benefit.

[faarside]

There was a receent thread on whether you should train with or without a pack. From a calorie burn presective. carring a load doesn't seem all that benificial.

The benefit of training with a pack comes not from data in a chart or table, but rather from the "feel" of exercising (hiking/walking) with a known load. It gives you perspective on how the hike will go under "load conditions", as well as giving you a chance to break-in a new pack (if that is a factor for anyone.

Just some thoughts to ponder.

Happy Trails!

[MOWGLI]

I don't think I've ever been able to walk 4 mph or 3.5 uphill.

I've fallen downhill faster than that. But I agree with Sly.

[MOWGLI]

I agree. Carrying a pack lets you know if you are ready. I am questioning whether it is a good training method. Based on calorie burn I still think carrying a heavy pack while training has only marginal benefit.

If you are training for a long distance hike, burning calories may not be your primary focus. If you are overweight, yes, that will probably be the first thing to deal with. But if not, you simply want to ensure that you are fit from a cardio perspective, and strong enough to haul the load without injuring yourself.

The thing about carrying a pack is, it strengthens all kinds of muscles that are not normally worked without a pack. Balance with a pack is another issue. Constantly adjusting your balance, like a backpacker does all day long. puts all kinds of stress on your knees, ankles, and the muscles associated with those joints. Then there is your back and hips & shoulders. Without the pack, you barely work many of the muscles that you rely on carrying a backpack.

Good luck! Let us know about your progress.

[take-a-knee]

Back in my army days #80 and #90 packs were common and, as far as my upper body goes, whether I'd been hitting the weight room regularly made all the difference.
As far as working different muscles, walking on flat ground works mainly the back of your thigh, and walking uphill works the front of your leg. Therefore you need to do both.
Army SF standards for A-team members (mostly guys in their 30's with a few guys around 40 yo) were always as follows:

#45 ALICE pack plus fighting load (vest, 15 or 20#) plus an M4 carbine on level ground for gear. The standard for pace is a 14 min mile for 4 miles for regular PT and periodically the same pace for 12 miles non-stop.

[Elf]

There was a receent thread on whether you should train with or without a pack. From a calorie burn presective. carring a load doesn't seem all that benificial.

Carrying 15 pounds is 302 extra calories burned. Nearly doubling the amount of calories burned per hour in training means that a significant amount of extra effort is required in training-- effort that matches the amount required for real hiking and that uses the same motions as real hiking to do it. So I don't see why form a "calorie burn persepective" (which I presume means the numbers you listed) a pack isn't "all that beneficial" for training. Am I missing something that you were thinking?

[Elf]

I forgot to be clear about something, which shoudl have bene in the middle of my last post. Training with a pack going uphill burns even more calories than anything other option on the list, and takes even more effort. Comparing calories burned walking level with a pack to calories burned uphill without one, which I see are nearly equal, isn't helpful unless you plan to do real hiking either with a pack only on level ground or without a pack only uphill.

[Fiddleback]

There's a few considerations that appear in everything I've ever read about exercise. First, exercise should be well rounded, i.e., should cover all the major muscle groups. Second, exercise programs must include aerobics and strength building. Finally, performance enhancement is exercise specific. That is, to train/exercise for a particular sport or skill, you must do that skill.

While all three considerations are important, one must practice the 'sport' to be played. Swimmers must train by swimming, sprinters must train by running, and backpackers must train by carrying a pack. Although not the only way to train for backpacking, it is, probably, the best way.

FB

[Tipi Walter]

I agree pretty much with MOWGL16 on all points, there's nothing like training with a loaded pack to prepare for backpacking. And the more weight used, the more stamina, endurance and wind-strength gained. Of course, there is a limit, no 120 pound pack for me, but enough to cause a strain.

I like to load a training pack(different than my regular pack -- wanna keep it new), with 8 to 10 6-pound firelogs and start hiking. For me, I find 60 pounds to be about perfect for daily hikes, enough to keep me honest so when I hit the trail for real there will be NO SUPRISES. And after 20 or 30 years of this, carrying weight becomes second nature and the body knows exactly what to expect.

And thanks to take-a-knee for talking about carrying an 80 or 90 pound pack and not complaining about it. People that carry such packs know what they need and know why they're carrying it, there'll be no sniveling from that group of motivated individuals.

[Toolshed]

....
And thanks to take-a-knee for talking about carrying an 80 or 90 pound pack and not complaining about it. People that carry such packs know what they need and know why they're carrying it, there'll be no sniveling from that group of motivated individuals.

Obviously you have never been in the Adirondacks on Memorial Day when the new annual crop of NYC overnight neophytes show up loaded with their new gear.

[Summit]

People that carry such packs know what they need and know why they're carrying it, there'll be no sniveling from that group of motivated individuals.

Agree! I've carried what most would call an overweight pack for over 30 years of backpacking. I've recently, due to getting older, started to work that weight down some, but I still carry a 7 lb. tent for this solo hiker, a 3-man dome tent that is luxurious to me, especially in nasty weather.

Whether preparing for a long distance, middle distance, or 3-4 day trek, ANY exercise above and beyond your normal daily routine will reap benefits. In my 30s I used to run year-round about 4 miles a day, until I blew out a knee. Now I walk about 3 miles a day everyday. I'm doubling that in preparation for my upcoming 67 mile AT hike. I have never worked out with a pack and weight prior to a trip, but I'm sure it is the best thing you can do. I just don't want to get weird looks walking through my neighborhood with my pack on. My neighbors who know me would be asking or wondering, "Is he leaving his wife and family to go walk-about?"

[Frosty]

I am currently overweight, so I don't need to add any extra weight when training. But if I did get down to a decent weight I would like add some, like take a full 5-10 day load for a day hike. Or pack a really awesome picnic lunch, including beer. Of course that might be counter-productive, weight wise. Good incentive though maybe. Let's just say I might be willing to give it a try, see if it works for me, and if it doesn't work the first time, maybe try it again.

Try easing into it, rather than jumping in with a full load. As you lose weight, wear an empty pack, then add a little weight, then more. For every pound lost, add a pound to the pack. Eventually you'll be carrying a full pack and you'll never have struggled

[Desert Lobster]

The way you listed the data was not the best. Just walk up hill as fast as you can with that 15 pound pack and you will be burning some serious calories.