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do you train for backpacking? How?


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  • #1585718
    drowning in spam
    Member

    @leaftye

    Locale: SoCal

    Wait, who said that? I know I tend to drink my water empty, or if my body starts to hurt in some strange way I'll dump the water to help me get back home in less pain.

    #1585850
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    "But in real life backpacking you can't dump your gear at the top.
    There's more to training than a pure cardio workout, you need to train the muscles, joints, and connective tissue for all aspects of the backcountry experience."

    True enough, Art, and I think most, if not all of us, who carry water know that. So here's my reasoning: Going down hill is harder on everything, muscles, tendons, cartilage, and bones, and there is a fine line between training and injury when training for down hill. This is particularly true for middle aged and older people, of which there are a fair number on this web site. When I dump water at the top, I will still have ~12-15# in my pack due to extra emergency gear I carry on day hikes in the Cascades. That is enough for training without pushing the envelope and risking injury, especially up here in the Cascades where a typical training hike will be 8-10 miles with 3200-4000' of elevation gain at ~800-900'/mile. That means a lot of down hill pounding, and most of us up here dump it at the top rather than take a chance. Come backpacking time nobody I know seems to have much trouble with down hill sections.

    #1585930
    David Chenault
    BPL Member

    @davec

    Locale: Queen City, MT

    For me the limiting factor going up steep hills is my aerobic threshold. For going down, the limit is the extensive strength in my muscles. To train both as much as I want, I usually want more weight on the up than the down. Dumping water (but still having some weight in the pack) allows proper training of both.

    I should also note that when coming back to serious hiking after doing other stuff (skiing, cycling) the aerobic fitness translates better than the muscular stuff. Thus, the downhill stuff needs to be paid attention to so you don't spend a week recovering from one hard workout.

    The last time I did a Double Crossing of the Grand Canyon, my legs go wrecked by the descents. I was quite releaved when I finally got to the last ascent.

    #1586356
    Nate Davis
    BPL Member

    @knaight

    Locale: Western Massachusetts

    To train for a tough trail race and a speed-hike (116 miles in three days), I've been running something like 20-25 miles per week with a 15 lbs pack on my back. It's working well.

    I'm still not nearly as fast or fit as I'd like to be, but I managed 4.5 miles on fairly technical terrain today in 58 minutes, with the 15 lbs pack on. That's a big improvement over where I was a month ago and hopefully I'll continue to improve in the same way.

    #1586537
    Jim W.
    BPL Member

    @jimqpublic

    Locale: So-Cal

    In response to my ankle weight question Bob said: "I would think that weight training would do more good if you kept the weight from your hips to your shoulders, more like a backpack."

    My reason for ankle weights is to strengthen whichever muscles lift my leg. 4 pounds of boot & snowshoe on each foot is a lot more to lift than I'm used to.

    I'll buy some weights and try them out.

    #1586801
    Gary Boyd
    Member

    @debiant

    Locale: Mid-west

    "Some folks train for hiking/backpacking.

    For others, it seems to me, it is more of a case of hiking and backpacking being part of their overall training to have a healthy mind in a healthy body.

    — MV"

    +1

    #1587885
    Matthew Swierkowski
    Member

    @berserker

    Locale: Southeast

    In general, I exercise year round to stay in shape. My main exercise includes walking/jogging on trails, inline skating and weight lifting (more to tone than build muscle mass). I actually do train for trips though. Usually once a year I go on a trip that's a week to 10 days long . In recent years that has been part of section hiking the AT. In order to make decent mileage each day on these longer trips I need to hit the trail in some sort of shape. I won't be doing 15 miles a day if I don't. My training regimine usually starts a few months before the trip, and involves carrying a pack (loaded with the heaviest expected starting weight for the trip) on some local walking/mountain bike trails.

    #1587894
    Clint Hewitt
    Member

    @walksoftly33

    Locale: New England

    Is there a correlation here?..maybe

    There was a study done about baseball players loading up there bats with weights while on deck and taking practice swings. Most players said it was because it made the bat feel lighter when they stepped in the box.

    The study concluded that there swing times where slower when prepping with weight on the bat then prepping with out. The reason was theorized that becasue the bats were heavier slow twitch muscles were activated, pushing the fast twitch muscles "aside"

    Now training is done days weeks or months in advance of a hiking trip. So I think it matters what your goals are. Lighter = travel father, faster, see more sights ect..so training slower twitch muscles over a long period of time might make a difference of not being able to go as fast when you are on your trip with a lighter load, then if you had trained with a lighter load.

    Just spinning my wheels here.

    Personally I like to lift weights, eliptical, run, cycle, and day hikes with only what I need for that day. I do not do any of these things often enough but still.

    #1587904
    cary bertoncini
    Spectator

    @cbert

    Locale: N. California

    is that hiking slowly, hiking fast and even running up to moderate speeds are all "slow twitch" activities. consider that even elite marathon runnering (running 26.2 miles at under 5 min/mile) is essentially a slow twitch muscle activity (though fast twitch fibers are also employed, they are actually "converted to" or "acting as if" slow twitch).

    I suspect the issue with the bats may be that there is some residual fatigue (ATP utitlized) from the heavy practice swings, or that there is some neuromuscular effect (a slower practice swing=slower swing overall), rather than a slow/fast twitch muscle usage issue (swinging the heavy bat or the light bat would both be primarly fast twitch muscle activities).

    #1587921
    Clint Hewitt
    Member

    @walksoftly33

    Locale: New England

    You are right it is all slow twitch, at least I have never seen a sprint competition with loaded backpacks on! Haha

    I was just wondering If one trains at a heavy weight, (activating slow twitch) versus training at a low weight (still activiating slow twitch), if over all they would be faster or slower when on the hike they have been training for. Or if it would not make a difference. I do not know enough about kinesiology to answer it.

    I think a good amount of cross training would ensure preparedness… No Pack, Light Pack, Medium Pack, Heavy Pack, cover all the bases!! (base ball reference intended)

    #1587934
    Art …
    BPL Member

    @asandh

    A few years ago I trained really hard for a UL fastpack trip.
    Trained with a 35 lb pack for a trip carrying a 18-20 lb pack.

    The training made me strong but I feel it made me slower.
    Not so much the slow twitch muscle thing as the slower leg turnover and shortening of stride do to carrying a heavier load.

    Now I never train with a heavier pack than I will be carrying on my project trips.

    #1587935
    Michael Schwartz
    BPL Member

    @greenwalk

    Locale: PA & Ireland

    Not sure if anyone else has mentioned it, but you might want to check out the following BPL article:

    Train Yourself to Hike a 30-Mile Day

    –Mike

    #1588062
    Nate Davis
    BPL Member

    @knaight

    Locale: Western Massachusetts

    I've been training for my 3 day, 116 mile hike with a pack that ranges from roughly 12 – 15 lbs. I expect I'll start my trip with around 20 lbs and end at about 10. I feel like my training weight is a good number for building both speed and stamina.

    Unless I'm doing more than ten miles on a training session, I'm generally doing trail runs. Let me tell you, even if running with a bit of extra weight may slow my overall speed, it's huge on building my stamina. I've gone from barely being able to run with the pack at all to being able to do one of my regular runs — a 4.5 mile jaunt with 1200 feet of elevation gain — in 55 minutes, or at a speed of 4.8 miles per hour.

    Longer hikes are much, much easier now. Along with getting stronger, I feel like my legs and feet have actually gotten smarter. Obviously, most of this is just due to regular training, but I feel like the added weight brings something to the table too.

    I have a two day, 50 mile trip coming up in two weeks. I'm looking forward to seeing how I perform with all of the training I've been doing.

    #1588077
    Ken Thompson
    BPL Member

    @here

    Locale: Right there
    #1588540
    JM Addleman
    Spectator

    @jaddleman

    Locale: Eastern Sierra

    I see a lot of people talking about training with a pack on. Does anyone have any thoughts about using a weight vest instead? I think my main training this summer will be trail running, so I was thinking about building up to my pack weight with a 20lb weight vest. The pack just seems clumsier, and I could use the vest for climbing training too.

    #1588548
    Nate Davis
    BPL Member

    @knaight

    Locale: Western Massachusetts

    I've never run with a weight vest, but a pack is definitely clumsy at times. I've become used to it, but it does jostle around and the straps do chafe at my shoulders now and then. A vest might solve, or at least help with some of these problems. Why not give it a shot?

    #1590811
    Trevor Greenwood
    Member

    @skippy254

    Locale: Colorado

    I don't train for backpacking per se. I usually put a few thousand miles in on my bikes training for anything from short track to 24 hour and 100 mile mountain bike races. Backpacking is a walk in the park compared to my biking. That is probably why I love hiking so much as I am completely relaxed and loving every minute of it.

    #1592235
    YAMABUSHI !
    BPL Member

    @thunderhorse

    John & Nate,

    Give it a shot. I really enjoy not having to put any wear and tear on my actual gear. It is a pretty versitile peice of kit and can be used for different things (fitness & climbing being my motivation).

    The only thing I'd caution you about it getting a good vest. A cheap vest will feel like one, fitting poorly, jostling around which will be annoying and dangerous.

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