Bunch of hiking physical training resources(Former Infantryman & PT) Q&A

[SGTJones]

I'm starting a NOBO thru in May and have been creating some physical training resources for the AT.

My background: 6 years US Army Infantry, NASM certified personal trainer, CFL1, and I've owned a CrossFit gym and have spent about 2,000 hours personally training clients.

Caveat: I have never done a thru-hike. I have had lots of outdoor experience and we've done some fairly lengthy rucks in the Army, the worst of which was a 12 mile EIB qualifier where my ruck weighed 68lbs not counting my weapon, FLCK vest, or helmet.

Here's a three-month detailed training plan I put together. It's pretty intensive and not designed for a beginner. For someone completely new to fitness I would highly recommend taking some sessions with a personal trainer and learn how to properly perform everything and have them build you a program tailored to your fitness level before jumping into any program found online. .

Here's a quick list of 7 training tip for anyone prepping for the AT. If you don't want to go to the gym I really recommend buying a kettlebell. You can get them really cheaply and with FREE shipping on Amazon. Best fitness investment you can make. If you just had a KB and did a few sets of goblet squats and KB swings everyday for a few months you'd be in pretty great shape for hiking the AT.

I've been transitioning from a pure strength program into a hybrid strength/conditioning with a lot more high rep workouts. Just did a brutal 100 rep of squats with 80kg yesterday. Can barely walk today lol. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GysdiJrHhnI


I plan to keep creating more videos to help those thinking about hiking the AT. Feel free to ask questions I'm happy to help out however I can.

[rocketsocks]

Thanks for the videos, always looking for something new, though these particular ones are just a we bit outta my league I do have a kettle ball I like to swang around.

[egilbe]

Pistols, I would think, would translate better to hiking than back squats. Add front squats and reverse lunges and walking lunges...eh, I hate working out. Would much rather go for a hike.

[Lone Wolf]

no need to train for the AT. it's just walkin'

[RangerZ]

no need to train for the AT. it's just walkin'

I was waiting for that.

[Lone Wolf]

i'm a regular Marine. never found the AT to be physically tough

[cutter]

Well la dee dah.

[RockDoc]

After over a year doing Crossfit, I'm there with you, Jack. That's a great 12 wk plan. I think that many of the exercises translate directly to hiking: box jumps, burpees, back squats, sprints, lunges, and lots of core strengthening work including deadlifts and kb swings. Maybe not so much the pullups and upper body lifting... I injured myself pretty badly for many months after a "death by pull up session". I think I did 90 pullups in 20 minutes or so, and my arm has never been the same.
I would not advise the high rep stuff like your 100 deadlift stunt without a very long background in similar moves.

But I think that in general it is essential to into great shape before a major long distance hike. I've seen so much suffering and heard so much whining from the people that hit the trail fat, soft, and green. Most of them quit within 3 weeks. Just a big stupid waste.

[lonehiker]

My off-season training program is a bit similar to the OPs. I play pickleball 2-3 times a week.

[egilbe]

My off-season training program is a bit similar to the OPs. I play pickleball 2-3 times a week.

Mt neighbor plays that down at the senior center when's she's not trying to injure herself doing cultfit.

[rafe]

My off-season training program is a bit similar to the OPs. I play pickleball 2-3 times a week.

I had to look that one up to see that it was an actual thing. Hard to keep up sometimes.

[Cheyou]

What off season ?

[MuddyWaters]

Theres a reason the holders of fkt ' s are elite runners.

Weight training has very very little to do with hiking.

[SGTJones]

Pistols, I would think, would translate better to hiking than back squats. Add front squats and reverse lunges and walking lunges...eh, I hate working out. Would much rather go for a hike.

Good points all around. Pistols are really great need to stick those into the plan. I feel like most people's routines(including mine) could use more unilateral movements.

no need to train for the AT. it's just walkin'

I'm coming at it from a perspective of being able to do big miles and I dunno, from my experience in the Army doing long distances with a weighted pack is anything but a walk. It's pretty brutal after a few days even for someone that's in shape.

After over a year doing Crossfit, I'm there with you, Jack. That's a great 12 wk plan. I think that many of the exercises translate directly to hiking: box jumps, burpees, back squats, sprints, lunges, and lots of core strengthening work including deadlifts and kb swings. Maybe not so much the pullups and upper body lifting... I injured myself pretty badly for many months after a "death by pull up session". I think I did 90 pullups in 20 minutes or so, and my arm has never been the same.
I would not advise the high rep stuff like your 100 deadlift stunt without a very long background in similar moves.

But I think that in general it is essential to into great shape before a major long distance hike. I've seen so much suffering and heard so much whining from the people that hit the trail fat, soft, and green. Most of them quit within 3 weeks. Just a big stupid waste.

Yeah I've actually stopped doing CrossFit at gyms. That competitive atmosphere in the gym really leads to a lot of unnecessary injury.

I don't understand why someone would get on the trail without getting in shape first. That's so much pain and stress that could be avoided.

Theres a reason the holders of fkt ' s are elite runners.

Weight training has very very little to do with hiking.

Elite record holders also have support staff that set up their tents and brings them food and generally only carry water. That's a much different experience than carrying all your equipment.

Also being an elite runner means that you've conditioned your bones and connective tissues to withstand the stress induced by high mileage. The average person doesn't have that conditioning. You can get strong bones and connective tissues by spending half an hour in the gym 2-3x a week. I'd rather do that then running for 5+ hours a week but to each their own. IMO weight-lifting is the most efficient way to prep your body for a long hike.

[MuddyWaters]

Elite record holders also have support staff that set up their tents and brings them food and generally only carry water. That's a much different experience than carrying all your equipment.

Also being an elite runner means that you've conditioned your bones and connective tissues to withstand the stress induced by high mileage. The average person doesn't have that conditioning. You can get strong bones and connective tissues by spending half an hour in the gym 2-3x a week. I'd rather do that then running for 5+ hours a week but to each their own. IMO weight-lifting is the most efficient way to prep your body for a long hike.

Not in self supported category. All those are still basically ultra runners who carry everything they need.

Excess body weight, poor cardio conditioning, tendons and bones of legs and feet not accustomed to repetitive stresses are biggest things to be avoided.

If I could do only 1 thing to prepare,~ 4 hrs per week, and it wasnt possible to carry pack up hills, ...it would be to run for at least 30 min-1 hr at a time.

[burger]

Based on my experience, I think that strength training is of little use when preparing for a long-distance hike. As several above have pointed out, intensive strength training brings a high risk of injury. So does running, if you are not already a runner when you start prepping for you thru. Which is why the best and really only training you need is to hike with a full pack. Start off with low mileage/low weight, and gradually build up both to the point your can do the equivalent of a full day on the trail with a full pack and not feel tired or sore the next day. I run and do some lifting as maintenance, but a few months before my long-distance hikes, I switch to just hiking. I have never had an injury of note on a long-distance hike.

I would only recommend strength training to deal with muscle imbalances or help strengthen weak joints (like working on your calves to deal with ankles prone to spraining or working your quads and hip abductors to help your knees). And you can do that in a total of about 20 minutes per week.

BTW, exercise does almost nothing to strengthen bones: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/02/he...ong-bones.html

[burger]

Also, spending some time and money to reduce your pack weight may pay off even more than training. An out-of-shape hiker starting their thru with 40 lbs. is probably not going to make it as far as an out-of-shape hiker starting with a 10-lb base weight (yeah, I know there are exceptions).

[Dogwood]

THX SGT Jones.

1) All FKTers shouldn't be lumped into a single category as all don't do SUPPORTED FKTs. There are FKTers that do self supported hikes. They carry all their gear and do their own resupply.

2) Prepping for a LD hike also includes mentally preparing, mental fitness, for extended duration wk after wk month after month after month embracing life in so many other aspects beyond what can customarily be accomplished in a gym lifting weights. Lifting wts in a gym for two-three hrs over months poorly mimics day to day trail life over these durations. Regularly, day to day, happily expanding comfort zones and mentally overcoming routine challenges is a necessary key to accomplishing LD hikes. In a sense training the mind is part of physical training. Most of the people attempting AT thru-hikes, no matter what is said, quit because of mental issues...not solely physical(body) reasons. You tasted of this life being in the military. Even those already in the military attempting to enter into the most elite military forces/training programs have high drop out rates; a significant reason is due to mental conditioning.

There will be crossover benefits from your military training to thru-hiking the AT BUT IT WILL NOT BE THE SAME. Your AT thru-hike will not be accomplished while being in the military or completely how military personnel commonly experience hikes. Military personnel don't typically experience the scenario of self sustainable backpacking for 2000+ miles over 4-5 months ceaselessly in a linear fashion. My goal in saying this is not to downplay military personnel or their training but to possibly assist them to recognize the differences between their military life and civilian life in the context of thru-hiking/LD hiking, adjust for them, and have much much higher AT thru-hiker accomplishment rates and much lower attrition rates, as it should be, than the norm!

Want to train for a thru-hike, closely match day to day pre hike living, as well as possible, to day to day trail life. Sleep/live in your trail shelter in the yard for at least a few wks. Set up your shelter in the rain and snow. Sleep in your sleeping bag. Eat what you will eat on trail. Cook the way you will cook on trail. Don't get water from a spigot. Get wet. Get cold. Get hot. Get tired. Get grimey. Get uncomfortable. Get less electronic dependent/connected. Don't get yourself out of these situations as you likely do "at home." Don't rely on anything in the house. Increase reliance on yourself, on your gear, developing your LD backpacking skills, mentally acknowledging yet pushing through discomforts, etc without relying on the accoutrements and conveniences of "back home" life. Get comfortable walking everywhere with your loaded backpack. Go hike some hills or at least arena/stadium steps wearing your loaded with trail gear pack. Wear the same shoes you will on your hike more often. Ween yourself off habitually reaching for the car keys to go places. Bicycle to work. Bonus pts if doing this during multi day torrential downpours, high heat, muggy weather, in the mud, during the coldest of winter, when your favorite sports team is on TV, when your favorite food is being served in the house, etc. As you're doing this you're physically AND SIMULTANEOUSLY mentally training for trail life. Let the training ground be the outdoors and Nature because that will be the ultimate test of mental and physical conditioning. This is what military training does in many ways but gets you accustomed to doing it the "military way", within the military.

Note how this progresses. Make adjustments as needed but not falling back to customarily relying on things as you do at home.

If more AT thru-hike wannabees incorporated these techniques into their pre hike training we would observe higher AT thru-hiker finishing rates, less AT thru-hiker entitlement behavior, less frustrating offended complaining hikers, and possibly greater depth of conscious awakening experiences for a larger good.

[Mags]

Not always an option, but I find backcountry skiing to be an excellent way to get ready for three-season hiking. It works the large and small muscle groups, helps the balance and strengthens the core. Combine it with winter backpacking, and it is a great way to get ready for more traditional backpacking.

Plus it is both fun and beautiful.

[Malto]

Here is my one step hiking training plan......... Go find a trail and hike.