Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 8:32 am Post subject: "Wildnerness Strength Training and Conditioning"
I started thinking more about "conditioning" for long distance and demanding hikes. I ran across some good information. The following information is borrowed from "Hiking, Trekking & Backpacking Strength Training"
"What is involved in the training for Hiking, Trekking & Backpacking?
Traveling in the wilderness requires good cardiovascular endurance, whether you intend to do short day hikes or multi-day high-altitude trekking, scrambling, climbing, or overnight backpacking trips. Walking over varied terrain while carrying a pack is an efficient and effective way to train for such adventures. If you do not have access to hills or mountains, use whatever varied terrain is available to you, such as stairwells, short hills, stadium steps, deserted parking ramps, and sandy dunes. Use of machines such as inclined treadmills, stair climbers, or elliptical cross trainers can also be beneficial."
"Train the quadriceps for descents; the hips for supporting pack weight over variable terrain; the shoulders, upper back, and trapezius for pack carrying, gear hoisting, and using trekking poles; and the lower back, obliques, and abdominals for transferring power from the legs into forward propulsion. While hikers, trekkers, and backpackers encounter less extreme terrain than scramblers, mountaineers, or climbers do, you will still need to be able to navigate short stretches across boulder, talus, or scree fields, cross streams, traverse heather slopes, or negotiate around tree roots, all of which challenge footing and balance and may require awkward or high steps."
"The exercises suggested below point you in the proper direction for sport-specific training for pack-loaded travel. Unilateral (single-limb) lower body exercises such as those listed below are ideal for early season training in order to increase balance and joint integrity throughout the lower body musculature. Bilateral multi-joint core exercises are ideal for middle months where your focus is on building as much strength as possible."
For nutrition, the general trend to follow is, the harder and longer you are hiking, the more simple carbs you need to be eating. This goes for any endurance activity.
The higher the intensity, the larger % you are burning energy from your muscle glycogen stores. When these run out, you will hit the "wall" as well known in marathon runs for example. You simply have to slow down when burning energy from fat.
So the key is to stop those glycogen reserves from running out. How do we do this? Carbs. Simple carbs. Sugar. Bread. These substances (foods with high Glycemic Index ratings) are the best for the same reason they are looked down upon when eating while sedentary: They will be absorbed into the blood stream very quickly.
Carbs with fiber take longer to breakdown (and may cause stomach issues), and fat and protein have to go through other chemical reactions before getting into form for usable energy.
Obviously, I'm talking about extreme case here. But since this thread was based on the idea of a "death march", trying such a hike would certainly need to follow this mantra. I think that's where AlanK's classic "thank god for GU" came from while doing some very strenuous hike. GU is all simple sugar. Cyclists, marathoners, etc... consume this sort of thing during races. Not fat and protein, or even carbs with a lot of fiber.
When I learned how to apply this, I was able to work out very intensely 4 days a week, with my hikes considered a "moderate" workout. 2 rest days, and I don't fatigue, because I make sure I recover properly by eating carbs after working out.
That said, I don't really do this on hikes. I mix a sandwich, jerky, cliff bar, trail mix, etc... (things I like!). I can go 6000 ft without eating and not be affected.
But when I did cactus to clouds (~11000 ft gain), I ate a decent amount during the hike, but not a lot of carbs, and I started 'hitting the wall' the last 1000 ft. In that case, it's good to have the knowledge that to be successful with those extreme hikes, carry a few French baguettes with you! _________________ http://socalhikes.com/
Last edited by Zé on Fri Feb 13, 2009 2:12 pm; edited 1 time in total
Zé is dead-on with his nutrition comments. I particularly agree with his observation that one need not worry a lot about eating on a modest hike. The 6000' of elevation gain he mentions fits with the Bear Flat to Baldy hike. I would eat nothing on such a hike unless it overlapped lunch time, in which case a typical packed lunch would be fine. For something like Cactus to Clouds, on the other hand, I definitely pay attention to eating carbs (GU being one example) on the hike.
One thing I would add is that electrolyte replacement matters on longer hikes, but this becomes important on shorter ones in hot weather, when one is taking in a lot of fluid and promptly sweating it out.
One situation that makes life more complicated is multi-day hikes. My son and I did the John Muir Trail a couple of years back. Carrying the food on ones back forces one to adjust ones diet. Fat is dense in calories but is not a "high octane" fuel. I found it impossible to travel light enough to allow covering 25 miles per day while carrying enough carbohydrate-rich foods to support high-intensity exercise. Some compromise is necessary and it is almost certain that one ends up running a caloric deficit. Figuring out the right trade-offs was part of the fun.
I've been making extra effort to eat fat & protein on longer hikes, because of all the talk about spikes in blood sugar, and making better use of energy that is slower and steadier. I have a huge sweet tooth, and I could eat candy all day long - I assume the idea with high octane carbs would be to make sure it's a steady supply, that if you have a bag of skittles at lunch and then nothing else, you're going to bonk pretty quickly. Is that right? _________________ http://www.cougarmagic.com
I won't speak for anyone else, but I have never noticed much effect from eating a candy bar or the like. So, I don't think much about blood sugar spikes. If I am hiking "only" 15 miles or so, even with considerable uphill, I know that my body has all of the stored glycogen (carbohydrate fuel) it needs. The only reason to eat anything is because one feels hungry (as in my earlier mention of lunch time). What I eat is whatever I feel like carrying.
I've been making extra effort to eat fat & protein on longer hikes, because of all the talk about spikes in blood sugar, and making better use of energy that is slower and steadier. I have a huge sweet tooth, and I could eat candy all day long - I assume the idea with high octane carbs would be to make sure it's a steady supply, that if you have a bag of skittles at lunch and then nothing else, you're going to bonk pretty quickly. Is that right?
That "talk about spikes in blood sugar" is relevant really during a sedentary state. Diabetics are especially sensitive because of insulin resistance.
However, when people are exercising, they are actually in a state of higher sensitivity. They can actually absorb more carbohydrates. So I don't think you will bonk. Of course if you eat 600 calories of sugar after doing only 1000 ft of gain, then you might. Of course, steady intake is better, but still simple carbs in a steady fashion probably works the best.
You always want a little bit of protein, but having protein would be a bit more important post hike for recovery purposes. _________________ http://socalhikes.com/
I've always wanted to try their stuff, but could never afford it until now. _________________ "The Mountains are the means, the man is the end; the idea is to improve the man, not to reach the top of the mountain."
Kit Fox - Thanks for the "sale" info. I'm going now to order some stuff. _________________ There is no place for me in this world, Chanchito, I don't belong out there and I don't belong here. So I'm going into the wilderness, probably to die. I hope to see you again Chancho, maybe in the next life.
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