Physical conditioning for Backpacking

[hunter1975]

Anyone have a good workout program that helps prepare for backpacking. It seems almost impossible to match a work out at 4600' elevation with packing a loaded pack around the mountain at 10000' elevation.

Any ideas?

 

[bigbull1]

Ironically I live at 4500' and have been training for a high elevation back pack hunt coming in September. I had back surgery in April which set me back a little further. I am alternating days at the gym with 30-45 minutes of cardio on the stair climber, bike, and treadmill in addition to about 25 minutes of weights. The off days are hiking 3-4 miles with my pack (currently up to 31lbs) and 500-1500' of elevation gain. By September I should have logged about 150 miles with the pack which should be at around 50 lbs.

My son who is a personal trainer, pretty much layed out my program.

Ed

 

[eelgrass]

I live at sea level so just about anywhere I travel to hunt can be kinda hard on the old body, even if I'm in pretty good shape. One thing I've tried to do lately is to arrive a day or two ahead of time and acclimate to the altitude before doing a lot of vigorous activity. It seems to help. If I go from 0 to 7000' I can plan on headaches for a couple days.

Steve

 

[SierraFool]

Going from sea level to backpacking at 7000-11000 feet is rough on the body no matter how well you conditioned. I feel Im well conditioned prior to my hunting every year but I still take this...Dont if your alergic to Sulfa drugs...

Diamox (Acetazolamide) allows you to breathe faster so that you metabolize more oxygen, thereby minimizing the symptoms caused by poor oxygenation. This is especially helpful at night when respiratory drive is decreased. Since it takes a while for Diamox to have an effect, it is advisable to start taking it 24 hours before you go to altitude and continue for at least five days at higher altitude. The recommendation of the Himalayan Rescue Association Medical Clinic is 125 mg. twice a day (morning and night). (The standard dose was 250 mg., but their research showed no difference for most people with the lower dose, although some individuals may need 250 mg.) Possible side effects include tingling of the lips and finger tips, blurring of vision, and alteration of taste. (Makes soda taste like a copper penny)These side effects may be reduced with the 125 mg. dose. Side effects subside when the drug is stopped. Contact your physician for a prescription. Since Diamox is a sulfonamide drug, people who are allergic to sulfa drugs should not take Diamox. Diamox has also been known to cause severe allergic reactions to people with no previous history of Diamox or sulfa allergies. Frank Hubbell of SOLO recommends a trial course of the drug before going to a remote location where a severe allergic reaction could prove difficult to treat

 

[feddoc]

As with any drug, consult with your physician before use....that being said, Diamox is also used as an anti seizure medicine, particularly for epileptics. It is also used to treat some forms of glaucoma.

If you have had kidney stones (if you do take it, make sure you drink extra fluids) , or other kidney problems, it won't be wise to use it.



Regarding a training program, there are too many things to cover here to do you justic...your best bet is to seek the assistance of a certified (either by NSCA..or ACSM) trainer....and follow their advise despite what 'the buffest guy in the gym' says.

If the gym you attend is not aware of either of the above two organizations, find another gym.

 

[alsatian]

If you are younger rather than older, your body can adapt pretty well . . . if your body is generally in good physical condition. This means not overweight (close to your BMI {body mass index}), toned core muscles (shoulders, adomen), and enough cardiovascular capacity -- developed through aerobic exercise -- to have the needed endurance. You don't need to condition your body to the exact regimen you will be following at 10,000', you need to condition your body to adapt to the 10,000' regimen without leaving you dead on the side of the trail or miserable from exhaustion.

Getting the weight down is very important. If you are overweight, address this first by (1) changing your diet and (2) exercising. The exercise will help reduce your weight primarily by building muscle mass, and muscle mass burns more calories. Exercise will increase your metabolism 24 hours a day not just the 30 minutes to 60 minutes to day you exercise. Of course, the exercise is also going to contribute to the other two training components: core muscles and cardiovascular capacity.

You could take a trip to the mountains and do a little high altitude hiking to see what kind of shape you are in, if you are concerned about your condition. There is a good hike near Taos, New Mexico, starting around 9,400' and climbing up to 13,100' Wheeler Peak over a 7 mile trail and then back down. If you could do this in a day, light pack -- just water and any needed food, I would think you could do a backpacking trip. Even if you did this trip five miles from 9,400' to 12,000' and returned, and you didn't collapse in exhaustion for multiple days, again I think this would be an indicator that you were up for the backpacking trip you were contemplating. I'm suggesting you can train some and then test yourself, not just go out and hope that you have adequately trained. This may be particularly to the point if you are looking at a backpack hunt. If you fall short, then your hunt is spoiled not just a backpacking trip, maybe a hunt with a difficult to obtain tag. On the other hand, excessive training isn't what you want either, I don't suppose.

When you are actually backpacking, you will modulate your pace to your own capabilities. Some guys can burn 14 miles up the trail in a day. If you only go 5 miles or 4 miles in a day, why would this need to be viewed as a failure?

If you aren't way overweight, you can do this.

 

[need2hunt]

LAST EDITED ON Jun-21-05 AT 07:41AM (MST)[p]If you are or aren't doing any weight training in your conditioning routine, you should seriously try doing squats to strengthen your legs. Do three to four sets with enough weight to allow you to do 10 to 12 repititions....do this only 2 or three times per week. Squats work wonders for your legs and uphill walking. If the excersize is done correctly, that burn that a lot of folks feel in their quad muscle (thighs) when going up steep inclines should be greatly reduced after putting squats into their workout routine. However, you need to be sure to do this lift correctly, otherwise you can risk knee injury.


Can we say, build youself some elk hams???

 

[Lien2]

I agree with the above comments.
Without getting into the big complicated verbage lift weights and do plenty of cardio, drink lots of water or gatorade to stay hydrated, if you can get out there a couple days ahead of time to get acclimated to the thinner air, and most importantly..........HAVEV FUN and take it all in!!!
Good luck.

Lien2

 

[answermonkey]

If possible I would seriously consider a move to Wyoming or Colorado and live the high life every day

 

[Onehugemember]

My personal favorite way to ensure you have a good walk in is to get into town late in the afternoon the day before you leave, then go out and drink tequila/beer til the bar closes. Then get up at around 5 am and go pack the horses and drag em into the hills. After the first couple hours of walking, you bascially wanna die right there on the trail, but once you sweat the booze out you feel fine and by then you're at camp. Its a great distraction to any leg or lung pain you may have. I definitely wont do it again but it worked for me last time!

 

[feddoc]

LAST EDITED ON Jun-21-05 AT 05:09PM (MST)[p]Having a high BMI is an indicator only and should not be relied upon as a true picture of how healthy a person is. Nor is body weight. Both are starting points for health considerations.

Of far greater importance are body fat percentage, (less than 23% is optimal) cholesterol count and ratio, resting heart rate, VO2 max (ability to utilize O2). Ejection fraction (effeciency test for the left ventricle) is also an accurate indicator but is a bit more invasive than stress testing or drawing of blood.

 

[LULHORSE]

I can relate to the back sugery thing I have has two of them the last being a fusion . Now I have a elk tag coming got to get busy . Although I wont be packing an elk out I simply wont try. That fusion hurt like nothing else prolly worse than child birth I dunno . Im taking plenty of help should get good video. Wiull be in shape to get way back in there and out again

 

[keener]

Do this workout program for two months and you will be in the best shape of your life. I attended a seminar for this program a few months back, in attendance were US Marine Corps BUDS instructors, Army Rangers instructors, Olympic skiers, National rugby team players, elite mountain climbers, Olympic weight lifters and ultimate fighters all who raved about the benefits of this training program. Wednesday is a rest day so start on Thursday. You will be physically prepared for everything.

http://www.crossfit.com/

 

[thatcherwyo1]

I teach fitness here at our high school. We live at 7000 feet. I agree with what has been said. You need to do a lot of cardio. With out getting into to many specifics (email if you want some) you need to focus on deep squats and calf raises. This is what I do to get ready for hunting. Granted I hunt at 9000 feet and the switch for me is not as drastic. The stronger your legs the better you will feel. Remember hydration is huge. Plan to hike in with sufficient water. Good luck with it.

Good Hunting!

Thatcherwyo1

 

[Vek]

I live at sea level (literally, at sea level - it's in my backyard). Last year, for the first time ever, I didn't get headaches at altitude (5000 - 8000) hunting deer in WA and elk in ID. The only thing different - I bought the insulated 3-liter camelbak that has no shoulder straps - rather, d-rings to tie to my packframe, or just slip it in the bladder sleeve of your pack. I forget what the model name is.

Having this water accessible at all times while hiking to base camp, and hunting from there, was critical to staying hydrated. The bladder's proximity to your body keeps the water above freezing temperature - it's much easier to drink 50 degree water than 33 degree water - I get icecream headaches easily. I felt much better. It solved the most uncomfortable thing for me - the "altitude headache", which is likely caused by (or made worse by) dehydration.

The 3-liter capacity is amazing. I knew that, even if I ran it out in the afternoon, I had consumed enough water to last the day. A far cry from the one or two nalgenes thunking around in your pack.

Also, you may not want to do this in a bathtub-floor tent, but on bare ground under the tarp, the 3-liter bladder makes one hell of a pillow! Better than anything - rolled up fleece - whatever.

For exercise, you are very much on the right track with the cardio. For your legs, think about what gets tired first when you're hunting. I've always done lots of squats and olympic lifts for football, so my glutes/hams/quads are bulletproof. My calves, on the other hand, always feel worthless on the first couple of days. So, this year I need to do something which gets me on my toes, simulating long slogs up steep hills to where the bucks are. Others may have glute/ham/quad issues. Whatever. If you're not into lifting weights, that's fine.

Swallow your pride, buy a couple of used truck and tractor tires from your tire store, and tow them down the street. Take LOOOONG steps while doing so, to achieve strength over a wide range of motion. This lets you step up on that thigh-high bench or rock without looking weird. If you can achieve continuous, heavy resistance to forward movement, you will effectively simulate the hard work - walking uphill. Get creative. Tow driftwood on the beach (killer), tires on the street, tires on grass, logs on grass, scrap metal down your gravel driveway, whatever. Just get the range of motion / long stride /heavy resistance thing figured out, and make your neighbors question your sanity.

-Jerry