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How To Build Endurance or Who Needs a Lift?

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    • How To Build Endurance or Who Needs a Lift?

      How To Build Hiking Endurance
      by Clyde Soles, Climbing: Training for Peak Performance


      On a 5-plus-day trek, the difference between a pleasant escape and a torture-fest boils down to physical preparation. Endurance is the ticket, but you need endurance that goes beyond daylong stamina. You need “toughness”–that gritty resilience that’ll have you bounding out of the tent come morning to do it all over again. Use these guidelines to get there. Allow 6 to 10 weeks to train.

      BUILD ENDURANCE

      Weekdays – Gradually improve your staying power by increasing the length of your cardiovascular workouts. Start with 30 to 50 minutes; build to 75. Shoot for three or four sessions a week at a high intensity (a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10).

      Weekends – Once a week, put yourself through a marathon session. Like the distance runner who depends on long runs for endurance, prepare for a multiday trip with a moderately intense (5 to 6) power hike of 4 to 5 hours. (New hikers, start with 90 minutes, build to multiple hours by adding 15 to 30 minutes each week.) Hike at an aggressive pace with poles and a light (10-pound) pack, preferably on hilly terrain. Take breaks and don’t forget fuel–a sandwich, or sports drinks and energy bars.

      BUILD TOUGHNESS

      After 3 to 4 weeks of conditioning, string together the above workouts with no rest day in between to mimic the demands of a weeklong outing. Start with 3 days in a row (including the weekend workout); build to 6. Follow these guidelines to avoid injury.
      1. Increase the length of your workouts gradually (use guidelines above).
      2. Rest 1 day every week.
      3. Mix up your workouts. Variety not only helps you avoid a repetitive stress injury, it also strengthens stabilizing muscles (those little ones we seldom think of until they’re screaming on day.
      4. Power hike, run trails, climb hills, take a spin class, or do a circuit workout using a treadmill and elliptical trainer, varying the level and incline on both machines.
      - See more at: backpacker.com/skills/fitness/…nce/#sthash.32u7eXtj.dpuf
      Lost in the right direction.

    • TrafficJam wrote:

      How To Build Hiking Endurance
      by Clyde Soles, Climbing: Training for Peak Performance


      On a 5-plus-day trek, the difference between a pleasant escape and a torture-fest boils down to physical preparation. Endurance is the ticket, but you need endurance that goes beyond daylong stamina. You need “toughness”–that gritty resilience that’ll have you bounding out of the tent come morning to do it all over again. Use these guidelines to get there. Allow 6 to 10 weeks to train.

      BUILD ENDURANCE

      Weekdays – Gradually improve your staying power by increasing the length of your cardiovascular workouts. Start with 30 to 50 minutes; build to 75. Shoot for three or four sessions a week at a high intensity (a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10).

      Weekends – Once a week, put yourself through a marathon session. Like the distance runner who depends on long runs for endurance, prepare for a multiday trip with a moderately intense (5 to 6) power hike of 4 to 5 hours. (New hikers, start with 90 minutes, build to multiple hours by adding 15 to 30 minutes each week.) Hike at an aggressive pace with poles and a light (10-pound) pack, preferably on hilly terrain. Take breaks and don’t forget fuel–a sandwich, or sports drinks and energy bars.

      BUILD TOUGHNESS

      After 3 to 4 weeks of conditioning, string together the above workouts with no rest day in between to mimic the demands of a weeklong outing. Start with 3 days in a row (including the weekend workout); build to 6. Follow these guidelines to avoid injury.
      1. Increase the length of your workouts gradually (use guidelines above).
      2. Rest 1 day every week.
      3. Mix up your workouts. Variety not only helps you avoid a repetitive stress injury, it also strengthens stabilizing muscles (those little ones we seldom think of until they’re screaming on day.
      4. Power hike, run trails, climb hills, take a spin class, or do a circuit workout using a treadmill and elliptical trainer, varying the level and incline on both machines.
      - See more at: backpacker.com/skills/fitness/…nce/#sthash.32u7eXtj.dpuf
      I will say that between my two hour commute and having a 15 month old, that training regimen would be a fairly lofty goal time wise given.

      Inside my office building we have a non-subsidized gym that I rejoined this year. I have been going five days a week during my lunch hour and between changing, showering, and getting lunch I can still sneaking 25-30 minutes of gym time every day which I use aggressively. So far I have been amazed at how much I am able to get done in this short an amount of time if I go consistently. On the weekends that my wife isn't working I can usually get in an hour long hike both days.

      This might not be enough exercise to get me looking like Brad Pit in Fight Club, but it is making me feel a heck of a lot better all around.
      Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.

    • I am metrics type of person, so the the fitbit has really helped me. Once the weather warms up, I am looking forward to really picking things up. Been going to the gym and walking through building (up and down stairs). It helps, but I would much rather be outside.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

    • SarcasmTheElf wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      How To Build Hiking Endurance
      by Clyde Soles, Climbing: Training for Peak Performance


      On a 5-plus-day trek, the difference between a pleasant escape and a torture-fest boils down to physical preparation. Endurance is the ticket, but you need endurance that goes beyond daylong stamina. You need “toughness”–that gritty resilience that’ll have you bounding out of the tent come morning to do it all over again. Use these guidelines to get there. Allow 6 to 10 weeks to train.

      BUILD ENDURANCE

      Weekdays – Gradually improve your staying power by increasing the length of your cardiovascular workouts. Start with 30 to 50 minutes; build to 75. Shoot for three or four sessions a week at a high intensity (a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10).

      Weekends – Once a week, put yourself through a marathon session. Like the distance runner who depends on long runs for endurance, prepare for a multiday trip with a moderately intense (5 to 6) power hike of 4 to 5 hours. (New hikers, start with 90 minutes, build to multiple hours by adding 15 to 30 minutes each week.) Hike at an aggressive pace with poles and a light (10-pound) pack, preferably on hilly terrain. Take breaks and don’t forget fuel–a sandwich, or sports drinks and energy bars.

      BUILD TOUGHNESS

      After 3 to 4 weeks of conditioning, string together the above workouts with no rest day in between to mimic the demands of a weeklong outing. Start with 3 days in a row (including the weekend workout); build to 6. Follow these guidelines to avoid injury.
      1. Increase the length of your workouts gradually (use guidelines above).
      2. Rest 1 day every week.
      3. Mix up your workouts. Variety not only helps you avoid a repetitive stress injury, it also strengthens stabilizing muscles (those little ones we seldom think of until they’re screaming on day.
      4. Power hike, run trails, climb hills, take a spin class, or do a circuit workout using a treadmill and elliptical trainer, varying the level and incline on both machines.
      - See more at: backpacker.com/skills/fitness/…nce/#sthash.32u7eXtj.dpuf
      I will say that between my two hour commute and having a 15 month old, that training regimen would be a fairly lofty goal time wise given.
      Inside my office building we have a non-subsidized gym that I rejoined this year. I have been going five days a week during my lunch hour and between changing, showering, and getting lunch I can still sneaking 25-30 minutes of gym time every day which I use aggressively. So far I have been amazed at how much I am able to get done in this short an amount of time if I go consistently. On the weekends that my wife isn't working I can usually get in an hour long hike both days.

      This might not be enough exercise to get me looking like Brad Pit in Fight Club, but it is making me feel a heck of a lot better all around.
      Thats's awesome! (Brad Pitt is overrated).
      Lost in the right direction.

    • I make the most gains in my endurance when pushed beyond my percieved limits. The hikes that were my hardest are the ones that I gained the most, physically and mentally.

      I wouldn't want to do that every day but an occasional extra-challenging hike seems to be beneficial for me.
      Lost in the right direction.

    • a few years ago I was able to stick with a fitness plan for 5 months. It was simple, but for me pretty effective. For me, i also needed to lose weight so thst went along with the fitnesd. I lost 23 lbs and my physical endurance went way up. I have since not kept up with it, but I will probably repeat when I get the motivation. Here is my plan.

      1. Eat three meals a day - breakfast, lunch, dinner. No specific diet, but emphasize protein and fat.
      2. Cut out all snacks, except dessert after supper is allowed sometime.
      3. Walk on the treadmill every evening for 30 minutes. I started at 3 mph but in time I was going 4 mph.
      4. Weigh yourself every morning when you get out of bead and chart your progress on a spreadsheet. Weight loss is not linear. You weight fluctuates a few pounds from day to day. I was losing about 1 lb per week so you don't see the weight loss trend unless you follow it daily for several weeks

    • I have rather a phobia about gyms. (In my background, a gym is where your classmates beat you up while the teacher looks in in approval.)

      I found that when I took up hiking again in my 50's, I lost about 30-40 pounds over the course of a couple of years, without doing anything else - except that I also started walking to work, carrying a pack with a heavy laptop computer and a few books. That twenty minutes of walking, twice a day, seems to help a lot. It isn't much from the standpoint of what the magazines recommend for training, but I think they're giving the training regimens for elite athletes and not for clueless weekenders.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.

    • AnotherKevin wrote:

      I have rather a phobia about gyms. (In my background, a gym is where your classmates beat you up while the teacher looks in in approval.)
      Ditto here, I hated gym class, always. The closest I ever got to a gym as an adult was martial arts classes, karate and Tae Kwon Do. I prefer my physical recreations mostly outdoors -- skiing, sailing, hiking, bicycling, that sort of thing.

    • TrafficJam wrote:

      OzJacko wrote:

      I prepare for long hikes by organising the time, the money and the gear. The fitness comes on the trail. "It's just walking". :) You get better at it as you go along.
      I agree, being fit isn't a requirement for long distance hiking. But when you do short hikes, like myself, it's tough to be out of shape.
      The nearest Bib hut to me is about a one mile walk from where I park the car. It has about 500 feet of climb in the first half mile. I go there fairly regularly.
      I am not trail fit.
      Worthy
      Resident Australian, proving being a grumpy old man is not just an American trait.

    • I hated P.E. class... I was the skinny kid, got picked last. The coach at one school decided to get me into boxing gloves, along with the other skinny kid. We were friends and didn't hit each other. So the 'big brave' coach told us if we didn't fight he would turn the football players on us. So, we fought, I knocked the other kid several feet away. I think I said something about Roman Empire and the circus at the colesium and took off my gloves. A number of years later, after I got out of the NAvy, I went back there to visit relatives. No idea if that coach saw me, but some of my former classmates were. They came up to me about am onth later and apologized. said they were scared of me. I guess I walked militarily and looked ahead, instead of at the ground. I came close to punching that coach for making me hit my friend. I hope that coach wound up in prison where he wasn't the tough guy. Venting, my apologies.

      I prefer camping over team sports. And archaeology/history over watching sports on teevee.
      --
      "What do you mean its sunrise already ?!", me.

    • I always enjoyed PE, and seriously considered becoming a coach while I was in High School. My dad had just built a new office for his orthopedic surgeon, and had him call me into his office and explain how an engineer or architect would make a lot more money than a coach/teacher.

      I still sometimes wish I had a job where I could wear shorts everyday.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

    • Hiking and bicycling is what I did for conditioning prior to my two longest section hikes. In '90 since it was a spring departure, I did 2150 miles on a stationary bike in the months before the hike. That was also because I was recovering from a broken femur in spring of '89.

      But lots of weekend hiking in both cases. Eg., before the ~600 mile AT section in 2007, I section hiked the MA mid-state trail over a number of weekends.

    • I enjoyed gym class if it was the end of the day. Nice way to decompress.

      High school was neither bad nor good for me. Just something to get by and put my hours in to get to stuff I care about. Kinda like my day job.. :)

      In any case, when I was unemployed a few years ago, I hit the weights and worked out hard. I looked good (all things considered). Don't know how much it helped with my endurance, though.

      What really helped my endurance? The constant backcountry ski touring (Nordic and Tele) , hiking and backpacking that I also did then. Best shape of my life as I had the time to do all that along with good rest and eat a healthy diet...unlike my thru-hikes in the past where I generally ate like crap and did not rest as much. A hard ski tour of 8 eight hours but with good food, chilling at home and then sleeping followed by an easy three hour tour the following day with a similar post ski routine is much less taxing than hiking 25 MPD for 7 days straight. But the ski activity does keep you very healthy.

      A long, continuous hike (let's call it over two weeks) even with a resupply IS an endurance event and it does break down the body.

      An active lifestyle with endurance activities helps you do well when it is time to do long term endurance activities...

      I am not a doctor, scientist or even a particularly knowledgeable health enthusiast. But I do know what works for me...

      The post was edited 1 time, last by PaulMags ().

    • PaulMags wrote:

      I enjoyed gym class if it was the end of the day. Nice way to decompress.

      High school was neither bad nor good for me. Just something to get by and put my hours in to get to stuff I care about. Kinda like my day job.. :)

      In any case, when I was unemployed a few years ago, I hit the weights and worked out hard. I looked good (all things considered). Don't know how much it helped with my endurance, though.

      What really helped my endurance? The constant backcountry ski touring (Nordic and Tele) , hiking and backpacking that I also did then. Best shape of my life as I had the time to do all that along with good rest and eat a healthy diet...unlike my thru-hikes in the past where I generally ate like crap and did not rest as much. A hard ski tour of 8 eight hours but with good food, chilling at home and then sleeping followed by an easy three hour tour the following day with a similar post ski routine is much less taxing than hiking 25 MPD for 7 days straight. But the ski activity does keep you very healthy.

      A long, continuous hike (let's call it over two weeks) even with a resupply IS an endurance event and it does break down the body.

      An active lifestyle with endurance activities helps you do well when it is time to do long term endurance activities...

      I am not a doctor, scientist or even a particularly knowledgeable health enthusiast. But I do know what works for me...
      yeah I liked gym at the end of the day too, I'd skip it and get a jump on the 420 bus at 3:15

    • socks wrote:

      yeah I liked gym at the end of the day too, I'd skip it and get a jump on the 420 bus at 3:15
      Badabump..TISH! :)

      Dad was old school when it came to work over academics..but that's another story in itself.

      In any case, once we were in high school, an after school job was expected. Once we had a driver's licence, we were really expected to work after our classes. Gym made for a nice break between school and washing dishes after classes.

    • I always disliked gym, except for the quarter when we played soccer and floor hockey (regular hockey, just no skates and inside the gym). I walked everywhere or rode my bike, which very likely laid the groundwork for my love of hiking.

      Junior year I decided to join the wrestling team and it did me the world of good. It kicked my arse harder than anything I've done, almost felt like basic training when I first joined; especially because three of the seniors that had graduated the year before had joined the Marines and while fresh from Paris Island came back for a few weeks to run our early season practices. I got lean, I got muscular, I gained self confidence, my only regret is that I hadn't started freshman year. On a side note, I was a lower middleclass kid that went to an ultra affluent high school where the wrestling team was seen as the scary misfits. It was the kind of school where threats and bullying were common but where the rich kids never fought or followed through. It was an absolute and unexpected blast as a 16 year old to go from being the wimpy kid to one of the scary "tough" kids in a six month period.

      I could never get myself to go to the gym, there just wasn't enough going on to keep me interested. Over the years I've found that martial arts and group exercise keep me interested, but they're hard to schedule in. I'm trying desperately to keep myself going to the gym for 1/2 hour each day at lunch to keep in shape, but even that's boring. After years and years I keep coming back to brisk and hilly hikes as the best way to keep me in shape and to help quiet down all the stress induced mental noise.
      Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.

    • I know we all agree that the best way to get better at hiking is to hike. Yet, not being able to hike for whatever reason, is a great time to work on building strength or cardiovascular fitness. Really, what's the alternative?

      As someone who started hiking when they were very unfit and is now moderately fit, the way to increase hiking endurance is by commitment, persistence, and repetition.
      Lost in the right direction.

    • SarcasmTheElf wrote:

      I'm trying desperately to keep myself going to the gym for 1/2 hour each day at lunch to keep in shape, but even that's boring. After years and years I keep coming back to brisk and hilly hikes as the best way to keep me in shape and to help quiet down all the stress induced mental noise.
      Come on, it's 30 minutes! :D

      (I hate the gym too)
      Lost in the right direction.

    • SarcasmTheElf wrote:

      I always disliked gym, except for the quarter when we played soccer and floor hockey (regular hockey, just no skates and inside the gym). I walked everywhere or rode my bike, which very likely laid the groundwork for my love of hiking.

      Junior year I decided to join the wrestling team and it did me the world of good. It kicked my arse harder than anything I've done, almost felt like basic training when I first joined; especially because three of the seniors that had graduated the year before had joined the Marines and while fresh from Paris Island came back for a few weeks to run our early season practices. I got lean, I got muscular, I gained self confidence, my only regret is that I hadn't started freshman year. On a side note, I was a lower middleclass kid that went to an ultra affluent high school where the wrestling team was seen as the scary misfits. It was the kind of school where threats and bullying were common but where the rich kids never fought or followed through. It was an absolute and unexpected blast as a 16 year old to go from being the wimpy kid to one of the scary "tough" kids in a six month period.

      I could never get myself to go to the gym, there just wasn't enough going on to keep me interested. Over the years I've found that martial arts and group exercise keep me interested, but they're hard to schedule in. I'm trying desperately to keep myself going to the gym for 1/2 hour each day at lunchI
      I wrestled in high school and always loved it when the Football season was over and some of them joined us. It was fun watching them, especially the all state ones with Division 1 scholarships passing out because our practices were so much tougher.

      A lot of our team joined the armed forces too, especially the Marines.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

    • TrafficJam wrote:

      SarcasmTheElf wrote:

      I'm trying desperately to keep myself going to the gym for 1/2 hour each day at lunch to keep in shape, but even that's boring. After years and years I keep coming back to brisk and hilly hikes as the best way to keep me in shape and to help quiet down all the stress induced mental noise.
      Come on, it's 30 minutes! :D
      (I hate the gym too)
      That's the warm up, right?
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.

    • TrafficJam wrote:

      sheepdog wrote:

      Drybones wrote:

      sheepdog wrote:

      Healthy people are going to feel foolish; laying in bed dying of nothing.
      Healthy people don't die lying in bed.
      that's an urban myth
      I could care less if I die healthy or unhealthy.
      But I plan on living healthy because my life is so much better when I can do the things that I love. :)
      I like to joke around..with my job I take my health and my fitness very seriously. I have a complete gym in my basement and I try to wear it out.
      bacon can solve most any problem.

    • sheepdog wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      sheepdog wrote:

      Drybones wrote:

      sheepdog wrote:

      Healthy people are going to feel foolish; laying in bed dying of nothing.
      Healthy people don't die lying in bed.
      that's an urban myth
      I could care less if I die healthy or unhealthy.But I plan on living healthy because my life is so much better when I can do the things that I love. :)
      I like to joke around..with my job I take my health and my fitness very seriously. I have a complete gym in my basement and I try to wear it out.
      I figured. You eat a lot of bacon too. ;)
      Lost in the right direction.

    • TrafficJam wrote:

      sheepdog wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      sheepdog wrote:

      Drybones wrote:

      sheepdog wrote:

      Healthy people are going to feel foolish; laying in bed dying of nothing.
      Healthy people don't die lying in bed.
      that's an urban myth
      I could care less if I die healthy or unhealthy.But I plan on living healthy because my life is so much better when I can do the things that I love. :)
      I like to joke around..with my job I take my health and my fitness very seriously. I have a complete gym in my basement and I try to wear it out.
      I figured. You eat a lot of bacon too. ;)
      bacon makes me powerful
      bacon can solve most any problem.

    • WanderingStovie wrote:

      Bicycling and cross-country skiing are good cardio, and build leg muscles, but not the ones you need for walking downhill with a heavy pack. Ice skating develops ankle muscles that should help when walking across rocks and roots.
      Actually, backcountry skiing is quite possibly the best possible outdoor exercise you can do..exp when skiing as a form of transportation for winter backpacking as opposed to very light day outings. When I have a full winter of ski touring, I am very prepared for backpacking off skis.

      You work cardio, large muscle, small muscle groups (mainly from maintaining balance), the core, endurance is built up etc.

      Traditional cross-country is not quite as applicable to straight up backpacking, but helps a lot too.

      [IMG:https://www.fix.com/assets/content/18942/muscles-cross-country-skiing.png]

      The post was edited 1 time, last by PaulMags ().