Hike Your Way To A Better Body

[Elder]

Amazing, none of the anti-pole people have jumped into the fray to try to disprove the article's assertion that using poles increases the workout and "boost the burn" by 40%.

Just thought I'd throw a little chum in the water........

I am the Leki guy...using poles Can burn more energy..but Trekking poles are designed to reduce the effort and distribute the impact.
Nordic Walking poles are designed to enhance the workout and use slender grips to enhance the grip/release effort.
The poles suggested appear to be a hybred between hiking and exercise.

Can you get exercise with trekking poles..of course 8)
Can you use nordic walking poles on the trail, yes, but not as well or safely on the downhills...pointy top grip..

[Danielsen]

I can lose one pound after a good piss.

Like I said, just-woke-up-took-a-piss-haven't-hydrated-yet weight. That's when I measure when I'm tracking my weight.

I wonder how one's leg circumference would increase after adding 5lbs of muscle mass.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-...fat-weight.htm

Well, to quote the link you provide, "Muscle weight is very compact. One pound of muscle does not take up much room."

So probably not much different. ~5 lbs. distributed between two sets of calves, quads, and glutes... the quads did look a little bigger but that could have been psychological.

An excerpt:


Another reason that you should begin lifting weights as soon as possible in the weight loss process is because muscle weight does not develop overnight. The smaller muscles, such as the biceps, can show results from diligent workouts in as little as a month. For the larger muscle groups, such as your hamstrings or quadriceps, it can take three to four months to see visible changes in the muscles. If you wait until you lose all of the weight you want to before beginning a weight loss program, it may be a year or more before you see results.

It makes sense to build muscles for reasons other than wanting to look good in a tank top. Performing weight bearing exercise, such as weight lifting, can decrease your risk of developing osteoporosis. Replacing fat with muscle mass is also healthier for your heart. Strengthening your muscles can also slow many of the difficulties of aging, such as mobility problems. Regardless of your reasons, replacing fat weight with muscle weight is a worthwhile endeavor.

I wonder how much individual physiology varies these facts (after all, any general statements like these can only be based on averages and don't encompass the full range of human variation). When I started practicing planche positions (a gymnast technique) my triceps were noticeably bigger and more solid within a week (I was a highschool westler back then, and my mat partner noticed and asked what I did). My calves are shaped differently now 10 days after starting back into my running regimen. When I don't excersize something I also start to lose mass and tone very quickly.

Possibly for others the same changes take significantly longer than the article describes. All I know is for me the changes happen fast and stay that way as long as I keep up the activity. If I don't, they reverse themselves quickly.

[Pedaling Fool]

Daniel Son,

I didn’t mean to insinuate that because you added 5 lbs of muscle mass, supposedly, that you should see a size difference in your legs, after all we’re only talking 5 lbs or 2.5 in each leg. I was just thinking out loud – I often do that, I know it’s a bad habit.

And you’re right about everybody being different and that link is probably based on averages…I don’t know I’m no physical therapist or anything. I only know (what little I know) from what I read. However, I’m sure a lot of factors come into play.

If you look at this link you’ll notice that gaining muscle mass is not quick and easy. And this is a weightlifting site. By cycling you were participating in primarily an aerobic activity. So to gain 5lbs of muscle mass in that type of activity (in only 5 days) you would, 1. Have to have a slender body type, because heavier sets (like myself) quickly drop fat in these types of activities. 2. You would had to have eaten a lot of calories and protein.

I remember my first bike trip I did (years ago). It was a 3-week trip and the last 300 miles was through the mountains. At one point my legs were so sore that I could barely bend down – extreme pain and stiffness. However, after that trip my legs also felt steely, but in the end I had a net weight drop. I’m sure I gained some muscle, but not sure how much, but doubt it was even 5lbs, but no doubt that the muscle I did have tightened up.

If you maintain that you gained 5lbs of muscle, then I say, Roger That. I won’t argue it anymore. Like I said, I’m no expert in this area.

If you do gain muscle mass that quickly then you’re probably a freak and can make some money at it. Maybe you should take up bodybuilding

http://www.gain-weight-muscle-fast.c...scle-gain.html

Excerpt:

It has been my experience that beginning trainers will typically gain at the rate of 1-2 lbs. of muscle per week when following intelligent mass gain strategy. Some will be able to gain at a faster rate (I was closer to 3 lbs. a week when I first started training with a well-designed program) and others will gain at a slightly slower rate.

But, ALL trainers who diet and train reasonably well will be able to easily bust the 5-15 lbs. per year myth. I am yet to encounter one who couldn't.

This isn't to suggest that anyone can continuously gain 1-2 lbs. of muscle per week for as long as they want and be ready for the IFBB in a few years. The easiest pound of muscle to gain is the first one. From there it gets progressively harder as you close in on your genetic potential. If you continue training you may some day reach an advanced level where 5-15 lbs. per year will be an acceptable gain.

But, rest assured, very few trainers ever get to the place where they can even sniff their genetic potential.

[10-K]

Nothing is easy here on Whiteblaze, eh John?

[Pedaling Fool]

Nothing is easy here on Whiteblaze, eh John?

No, nothing is easy. Just when I thought that 5lbs of fat equals 5lbs muscle I came across this site that says different types of wood weigh more than others. So is 5lbs of oak heavier than 5lbs of pine

http://www.websterchain.com/graphicsreduced/approx.htm











Please don't answer the question, I don't think I can handle it this morning

[Danielsen]

If you look at this link you’ll notice that gaining muscle mass is not quick and easy. And this is a weightlifting site. By cycling you were participating in primarily an aerobic activity. So to gain 5lbs of muscle mass in that type of activity (in only 5 days) you would, 1. Have to have a slender body type, because heavier sets (like myself) quickly drop fat in these types of activities. 2. You would had to have eaten a lot of calories and protein.

Well, both of those things are true. I'd probably have to work harder to get above 7% bodyfat than to put on some muscle, and I don't think I've ever eaten as much lean beef in 5 days as I did that trip.

While cycling is mostly aerobic, I always seem to take everything a gear or two higher than I ought to and the result seems to be a workout that hits my anaerobic as hard as my aerobic systems.

If you maintain that you gained 5lbs of muscle, then I say, Roger That. I won’t argue it anymore. Like I said, I’m no expert in this area.

If you do gain muscle mass that quickly then you’re probably a freak and can make some money at it. Maybe you should take up bodybuilding

That might be a possibility, but it seems like once I hit a certain mass it stays there and just gets better conditioned. I am a devotee of all forms of self-propelled motion, however, so I don't think I want to add any unnecessary weight to lug around.

[Dogwood]

So, when does the book get releaded?

[Dogwood]

So, when does the book get released?

[Toolshed]

If two things occupy the same amount of space, but one has a higher density than it will weigh more.

One thing to remember is that the weight gained from increased muscle mass is a relatively slow process compared to weight loss from decreased fat. If you start a workout regimen and notice a weight increase after a week that's not muscle.

You ever notice that the heaviest people are fat not muscular.

nice job ruining the party smartguy.....

[DapperD]

If two things occupy the same amount of space, but one has a higher density than it will weigh more.

One thing to remember is that the weight gained from increased muscle mass is a relatively slow process compared to weight loss from decreased fat. If you start a workout regimen and notice a weight increase after a week that's not muscle.

You ever notice that the heaviest people are fat not muscular.

You are right John. In order to change ones physical makeup it is never an easy process. Building muscle takes a lot of time, energy, and perserverance. That's what is so much fun about it! If it was easy, everyone would look muscular and defined, which we see obviousely is not the case. The benefits of building muscle, however, are great. One of the nicest things about people who have a lot of muscle is that if they overeat occasionaly, it will just get used up by the muscle in their body. When the fat person overeats, it will usually just be drawn into their fat reserves, making them even fatter. This is where we here muscle weighs more than fat. It isn't a pound of fat vs. a pound of muscle. Obviousely they would weigh the same. It is because muscle is an active tissue. Fat is not. Muscle weighs(by volume) more than fat. So someone with a lean, mean muscular physic of the same height can easily weigh the same as someone who is larger but fat.

[Blackbird]

"... you need those thick rubber soles that grip the ground to help prevent nasty spills and guard feet against sharp roots and jagged rocks."

I've never had any trouble with sharp roots.

[Exercise and eat less = lose weight.]

[superman]

I am diabetic. I control it with diet and exorcise. While hiking we burn about 7,000 calories and take in 2 to 3,000. I kept checking my blood sugar every other day as usual. It didn't get much above 100 during the entire time...including town stops. My doctor had told me that it would work like that and he was right. He also gave me tubes of insta-glucose to deal with low blood sugar. There was only one situation where I needed it but I was super glad to have it.

[atraildreamer]

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=58026

[Spogatz]

My wife asked me why I don't get in shape....


I told here I was in shape...


Round is a shape....

[bfitz]

Nothing's prettier than a scrawney, bony, hairy, dirty, smelly thru-hiker with ruined knees and blistered feet who's been shoveling down 3000+ calories a day worth of ramen, snickers bars and pop tarts. Thru-hiking is not a "healthy" pursuit.

[Danielsen]

Nothing's prettier than a scrawney, bony, hairy, dirty, smelly thru-hiker with ruined knees and blistered feet who's been shoveling down 3000+ calories a day worth of ramen, snickers bars and pop tarts. Thru-hiking is not a "healthy" pursuit.

Perhaps not when it involves shoveling piles of ramen, snickers and pop tarts while carrying a packweight that ruins the knees and ignoring the care of one's feet, anyways...

[Dogwood]

You are right Bfitz, IF IF IF one thru-hikes eating and looking that way! HOWEVER, NOT EVERY THRU-HIKER EATS OR TREATS THEIR BODY THE WAY YOU DESCRIBE!