This is a part of this blog I wanted to have done a long time ago but other things just kept having higher priority. As a result, I don't even have time to edit the things I wrote, let alone complete the portions I never started. So this is still very raw. But there is some good information in here and I am hoping some people find it useful.

There are a lot of things a hiker can do to make things more comfortable when hiking distances they may have never hiked before. The tips listed below can make all the difference in the world. They can be the difference between hiking a long ways in agony or doing the exact same hike in a way that doesn't feel much worse than your average hike. We first noticed people doing this type of hiking in Montana. Loop trails that we thought needed to be done backpacking three days were being done in a single day. We are talking about 20 to 30 miles per day in somewhat rugged terrain and over two or three tall passes. While it is true that people backpacking the Pacific Crest Trail get to the point of hiking this distance over the course of a month or so, your average day hiker cannot because they are not hiking every single day with nothing else to do. So how do these day hikers turn in mileages like this? Some of it is conditioning. They hike a lot and some also cross train in a very specific way. But conditioning alone usually isn't enough. That's where strategies like we have listed below come in. You don't need to do all of them because almost every strategy listed will produce noticeable improvement in your hiking. But it is also true that the more of these strategies you master, the more you will surprise yourself by what you are able to do. Still, you can't get there all at once because these techniques need to become second nature to you to have their maximum effect. So work on a few at a time and add in more only when you are certain that the techniques already learned are pretty much in place for good.

We can't even begin to tell you how amazing it is to be able to cover this amount of ground on a day hike and the be able to go out the next day and do another amazing hike. As you'll see, you are absolutely not rushing when you hike this way. If anything, you are more relaxed, comfortable, and observant. You will be able to enjoy the whole hiking experience even more than you always do while not paying a heavy price. For many, distance hiking changes everything and raises their passion to whole new level.

All information copyright (c) Bill Smith 2013

Friday, March 29, 2013

Training for distance hiking

The easiest way to train for distance hiking is to just hike like you normally do at shorter distances. As you have seen, there is a whole different style of hiking that you develop for distance hiking.  Being able to switch easily between the two styles is a big key.  The problem is that you already know how to hike normally.  You don't have to think about it because it comes naturally to you.  But your distance hiking style may be a little or a lot awkward for you.  You will need to change that through practice until that style also becomes second nature for you.

While the easiest way to train may be to just hike normally, that doesn't mean it is the best way.  There are a lot of other things you can do to enhance the experience.  Probably the first thing you should think about is strengthening yourself in any area where there are vulnerabilities.  If you have a bad knee, then you need to give that area of your body special attention.  That's pretty obvious.  But what if you are one of the luck ones who doesn't have anything like that to deal with.  There is still one or two areas that you can focus on.  What is the first area that starts hurting when you go on a long hike?  While that may not be a medical issue, it is your most vulnerable area.  It may even be an injury that is just waiting to happen.  The key thing is that if you deal with it now, you will be able to hike more comfortably on the whole.  You will know that you have solved that issue when a new area of your body starts hurting first on a long hike.  You can then work on this new most vulnerable area.  No matter how many such areas you address, there will always be an area that is most vulnerable.  So how many of these areas do you focus on before it is time two stop?  In many cases, the answer seems to be two.  But the number is really different for everyone.  The truth is, you will probably just know when continuing with more areas is no longer helping much.  Pay attention and trust your gut on this one.

What you go to next depends on who you are.  Some people are not aerobically fit and need to work on that first.  There are many ways to do that.  Just doing what some people call "power hiking" is a good way.  Hike like you normally do, but just speed things up and do what you can to exaggerate you muscle usage.  Your heart rate should go up quickly.  It is good to have a simple, accurate way to measure heart rate.  These days you can get a watch with a good heart rate monitor for less than $30.  Figure out where your training heart rate should be and train at that level for however long you doctor recommends.  If you do that regularly, you will see your aerobic fitness improve pretty fast.

But for people who hike regularly, aerobic fitness is not a big enough issue to focus on to that degree.  It will probably help everyone to "power hike" now and then, but you really don't need to make it your main focus.  Think about strengthening muscles you use a lot while hiking.  One thing I do sometimes is hike in boots because I normally hike in trail running shoes that are much lighter. It is a good way to train because you really notice the difference when you go back to your lighter shoes.  Back in the days when backpacking was popular, they used to say that one pound on your feet was equivalent to five pounds on your back.  The issue is that important.  So this is a good place to start.  But if you normally hike in boots, what do you do?  I'm not a big fan of ankle weights but that may be because my knees have problems that are aggravated by them.  I would think that a heavier boot would probably work better than ankle weights if, for no other reason, because it is closer to what you are doing when you are wearing your regular boots.

Another thing I see people doing a lot is wearing a weight vest.  I have never done that, but I am considering it.  The advantage is that the weights surround your body and are close to it.  Some people are strong believers in just wearing a heavy pack.  That can be a good way to go, but most packs are just not comfortable no matter how well they are fitted and made.  Putting extra weight in them only exaggerates the problem.  To me a pack is a necessary evil and making it unusually heavy is a form of self-imposed torture.  Not the best way to train, at least not for me.  In another tip, we will deal with the pack issue.  So, although I have not tried it yet, I do like the idea of using a weight vest.

Cross training is another thing to consider.  It is a subject that is really big and individual.  What is the best form of cross training for you?  I am not qualified to answer that.  Plus I don't even know you.  If you find the right expert, they will be able to help assess your situation and advise you.  That is something I would really recommend if you get to the point where you think you are ready to start cross training.  No sense in just picking a different exercise you like when you could get five times the benefit out of something an expert might recommend.

All of that said, there are some obvious things to think about when it comes to cross training.  If you pay attention to how little your knees bend when hiking, it should be obvious that squats and/or leg presses could make a big difference because you are strengthening your legs over a longer range of motion.  It is no accident that common advice for hikers in training is to climb stairs as much as possible.  Doing that will make a big difference.  But there are exercises that produce the same results faster and you might want to go in that direction.

Another good area to focus on is your core or torso, especially your abs.  Why?  Because most people are not strong in this area and, if that is you, doing so will produce big results when hiking.
There are an amazing number of ways that people can use to strengthen their core muscles.  Some are gimmicks, but most will help at least some.  This is another area where you can benefit from the help of a professional mainly because there is so much confusing and misleading information out there.

Finally, if you use trekking poles, you can benefit a lot by strengthening your arms.  The estimates of how much trekking poles can help varies greatly, but all estimates are substantial.  If you strengthen your arms in a way that helps you better use your poles, you will be exceeding even the highest estimates in no time.  For distance hiking, that could easily be one of the most important things you can do because you are constantly using your lower body much less.  As a result, you can hike much further before you start hurting.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)