How to train

[10-K]

First thing: Start losing weight if you need to.

People spend hundreds of dollars saving a pound on gear weight but don't think twice about hitting the trail 20 lbs overweight.

[-SEEKER-]

This may sound stupid to some people but, I have two things I am adding to my training for next year.
1. Walking around the neighborhood in rain and thundershowers. (I am fearful of them and got stuck hiking in a couple again this year).
2. Training my brain not to stress when a bunch of little things go wrong. (This year my sleeping pad malfunctioning and the manufacturer sending the replacement to themselves instead of to me at Glencliff, NH. Boots beginning to come unglued because of rain after less than 300 miles, and damaged and late mail drops. )

[Spokes]

I tend to subscribe to Lone Wolf's philosophy: It's just walking.

[10-K]

Another thing you can do is go to your local gym and spend 4 hours a day on the treadmill to build up mental stamina.

Because.... before too long there will be a lot of days where it's just like you're on a treadmill and you feel like shooting your face off.

[Jack Tarlin]

By all means exercise, get in shape, lose some weight.

But most important of all, well before your trip, get into the woods. Get comfortable with being and living outside. Get comfortable with your gear, both how it works and how to fix it. Learn to deal with injuries, bad weather, insects, equipment failure, and so on.

The single best way to prepare to spend a great deal of time in the out-of-doors is simply to spend as much time as you can out of doors.

[QiWiz]

I live in a relatively flat area. I bought a used stairstepper on CraigsList and used that 2-5 times a week for the two months before I started my hike. Typically did 45-75 minute sessions, which would equate to 1200-2400 ft vertical elevation gains. I think it definitely helped in the first 1-2 weeks. Got to Hot Springs in 21 days (avg about 13.5 miles/day), at age 56, 5'10", 220 lbs (not thin).

[ChinMusic]

Another thing you can do is go to your local gym and spend 4 hours a day on the treadmill to build up mental stamina.

Because.... before too long there will be a lot of days where it's just like you're on a treadmill and you feel like shooting your face off.

I don't think that is fair to the trail. I have never dreaded ANY trail to the level of it being a treadmill.

Re the OP: Walk often (pack on back at times), do some light to moderate weight training, get your weight to a reasonable level (20 pounds over ideal aint nuttin' ), doing some REAL backpacking helps to develop little muscles not used much in daily life. Once you hit the trail plan on hiking 50-70% of what you are capable of for the first week or so. Let your body catch up. This ain't an Olympic Marathon you are training for........."it's just walking"®

[Mags]

I tend to subscribe to Lone Wolf's philosophy: It's just walking.

It may be just walking, but it is a lot more fun if you aren't carrying 50 lbs of extra weight on you. :O


Besides preparing for a hike, being in good shape is needed for good health.

But, far easier to buy gear in REI for an hour than say..oh take a walk for an hour.

[moldy]

Run Forrest, Run!

[leaftye]

While I do a lot of walking and hiking as part of my training, I do supplemental training to strengthen my joints and feet. I'm not worried about muscle strength or cardiovascular since that will come quickly on the trail, whereas joints and feet tend to get worse.

[Plodderman]

Not real complicated just get out and start hiking a couple of days a week. I always start small 2-3 miles then move to 2-4 miles with hills and move onto some 8-10 miles hikes after a couple of months. Then about a month before the hike I start carrying my pack on a few hikes to get a feel for it. Mainly getting your legs in shape and your feet ready. I try to hike at leat 100 miles in the shoes I am going to hike in so they are broke in. Good luck.

[DapperD]

I have not hiked this year. I want to start training myself for the hike in March or April. I would like suggestions on how to train.
Thanks a lot. This is a great site. Thanks to all who work on it.

Well as other's have said, if you are way overweight it would be best to begin training yourself right at the kitchen table by eating somewhat less in an effort to lose weight. Showing up grossly overweight is no way to begin a long, arduous hike. Unknown what type of condition you are in already, but as other's have said, you can incorporate a whole host of different fitness activities into your schedule, not just hiking and backpacking. If healthy enough, weightlifting, bicycling, plain walking, and other forms of aerobic activity all will help to build up to an enhanced level of physical fitness. One thing I would be cautious of though, is repetitive non-stop stair climbing. Stair climbing and descending is very hard on the knees, and if you are very overweight, or even if you are not, you could easily injure your knees if too much of it is done too fast. On the trail, you will be climbing, but in the beginning of training in an attempt to build up to a good level of fitness, I don't think it's really necessary to knock yourself out stairclimbing. Just do different activities you enjoy in an effort to get fit. You will definitely want to do some backpacking with a fully loaded pack, as certain muscles in your shoulders and back need to experience the stresses of backpacking before you actually begin your hike, or you will wind up in discomfort once your hike begins.

[ScottP]

Good advice Dapper.

A typical rule in any repetitive stress type training is to increase total workloads by about 10% per week. That holds for walking, running, biking, etc. 10% a week doesnt' seem like much, but if you stick with it, it adds up fast. The typical novice mistake isn't not working hard enough, but rather overtraining.


Per Lone Wolf's 'its just walking' I agree. But remember the dude runs ultras, so 'just' means something different to him than it does to most people.

Weight is an issue as well. I've started off in great shape (about a month after NCAA wrestling season ended) and I've started long hikes in absolutely horrific shape (40 pounds overweight after working 100 hours a week over a deep fryer all winter saving up enough money to hike, after spending 6 months of being sedentary after having my shoulder reconstructed).

The hikes where I started off in shape were FAR more enjoyable than the ones where I started off out of shape.

Also, have a realistic idea of what you do weigh and what you should weigh. Our standards in the US are pretty broken. There are plenty of gyms that will check your bodyfat with calipers (BMI is damn near useless, ignore that crap).

[tolkien]

Doing a variety of exercises will help with lung capacity and perhaps muscle mass, but the best way to train for dragging a pack up a hill is to, you guessed, drag a pack up a hill. Do small, local hikes in rapid succession. It's better to hike a mile or two for a week than to do a 15-mile knee buster and then sit around for a week or two.
Also, try to walk to wherever you can.

[ChinMusic]

Park a long way from the door at stores. Take the stairs at work/apartment. Those little things help too.

[Feral Bill]

Other than impact issues, cycling is as close to a 1:1 to hiking as you can get. It's just hard to hike for a workout at home--once you can hike for 2-3 hours without getting tired, how do you have time to train? Get a bike (with real pedals/shoes) and you can drop the hammer and get a great workout in a brief period of time.

.

If it's at all possible, you might cycle to work. Replace driving with fun exercise every day.

[CaptainNemo]

I think the best way to train is the way you have the most fun while training. I switch up my regiment constantly as I think most everyone does as well. Right now I play soccer with a pick up league. I think mental training is more important than physical anyhow... that is a whole nother ball game and I can't tell you where to start on that one.

[CaptainNemo]

And 10 K has a marvelous point.

[tzbrown]

Balance and core body strength helps a lot.

I have been using a "bosu" or half ball at the gym for years. Turn it flat side up, stand on one foot and do as many one legged squats as possible on each side.
Rest or do another exercise and come back to it again. It sounds easy but after just a few you know it is a workout.

Very fast improvement in balance, allows you to be more confident on your feet, and the squat part strengthens all of the quad muscles.

After that hit the eliptic or treadmill for at least 50 minutes.

TZ

[form]

fyi,it took me all winter to get pack weight below 40 lbs and get boots to fit and get to where i could walk flat ground at 20 to 25 mins per miles for a max of 9 miles.yes, i have a long way to go but not as far as when i started last year.good luck hang tough