So just how DO I train for hiking season?
For someone who lives for stability and rituals, I really suck at routines. Say taking vitamins, for example. I am good for a few days but then it is hit or miss remembering to gag down those little capsules before heading out in the morning. I have even upgraded to the 7 Day Pill Box with marginal improvement. I’M NOT THAT OLD YET!! Maybe because I read somewhere that they show little more benefit than placebo and it is better to just BE the kind of person to take supplements than to actually take them. Hmmm…
Anyway, I really want to talk about my exercise routine. Or what comes close to an exercise routine for me. At our first scrambling class workshop, they talked about the importance of conditioning in being ready for our first rock scramble in a month. And they keep reminding us in daily emails, as well. I get it!
When my friends ask me how I train for hiking, I glibly reply, “I hike.” But the truth is, I supplement with other forms of exercise to round things out.
I have a few guiding principles when it comes to exercise.
- Avoid the gym
- Avoid doing anything I don’t see myself doing for the rest of my life
- Incorporate it into everyday life
What does this look like? It looks like:
- Walking
- Hiking
- Climbing stairs
- Free weights (Rows and Presses)
- Leg lifts, Squats, Planks, and Pushups (sometimes with free weights or an exercise band)
- Add a weighted pack to any of the above.
When I can’t get out into the mountains, or local trails like Forest Park or Lord Hill, I walk the neighborhood and spend time in the parking garage at the nearby hospital. Not exactly nature but it does the trick.
I do a circuit of going up one side, across the garage and down the other set of stairs. Then back up and over. Repeat.
I will randomly stop and do jumping jacks and pushups on the stair rails. I set my alarm when I get to the garage and run the stairs until it goes off. I up the time 5 minutes each time.
The top of the garage will often give me a panorama of the Cascade Mountains, captured here briefly as the sun went down. A great incentive!
I also look for opportunities to practice my balance, like I mention in my post on the Forest Park Hill Climb.
Things like planks, leg lifts and squats happen when I am doing other things like cooking and getting up from my desk at work. I will take a few minutes here and there and get them in throughout the day.
I will often have spend 30 minutes or so in the evening in circuit training:
- Soak the dishes
- Do a set of military presses
- Load the dishwasher
- Do a set of squats
- Start dinner
- Do a set of arm rows
- Repeat
You would find me holding onto the kitchen counter doing leg lifts or pushups.
Now, I admit that stretching is not something I am good at remembering. I have added a few basic yoga moves into my nightly routine like Child Pose and Goddess Stretch from a Bedtime Yoga post I like. It really does help me fall asleep! Otherwise, it’s whenever I remember. Which is usually only when I am with someone else and they break into a calf stretch and I think, “Oh yeah, that.” Don’t think I am saying you don’t need to stretch or do things like yoga. Stretching is important. I’m just not the poster child for it. I will say, however, you can find anything on the internet to confirm you aren’t a completely loser for not stretching all the time.
I did find this guide over at Wild & Fit on training for hiking on Pinterest awhile back and it looked like a good idea. But I’d be giving you alternate facts if I said I used it more than once. Turns out I’m allergic to burpees.
The Mountaineers book, Freedom of The Hills does provide a very thorough training routine but realistically, looking at the charts makes me cringe. Never gonna happen.
All joking aside, I do mostly hike for my training and add things like weights and core exercises to gain strength and make it more likely I will have better range of motion for climbing over downed trees and scrambling up rocky and rooty trail. I must be doing something right because I was able to meet the “standard” of hiking Mount Si in less than 2 hours today. I may have actually done it almost twice. And I can still move.
How do you train or stay in shape for hiking other than hiking? Do you have a favorite routine? I am always looking for more ideas!
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