Tips for Physical Training

FAQ and threads for those just starting to hike the Colorado 14ers.
Forum rules
  • This is a mountaineering forum, so please keep your posts on-topic. Posts do not all have to be related to the 14ers but should at least be mountaineering-related.
  • Personal attacks and confrontational behavior will result in removal from the forum at the discretion of the administrators.
  • Do not use this forum to advertise, sell photos or other products or promote a commercial website.
  • Posts will be removed at the discretion of the site administrator or moderator(s), including: Troll posts, posts pushing political views or religious beliefs, and posts with the purpose of instigating conflict within the forum.
For more details, please see the Terms of Use you agreed to when joining the forum.
Post Reply
User avatar
GordoByrn
Posts: 16
Joined: 7/24/2019
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Tips for Physical Training

Post by GordoByrn »

Uphill Athlete is good.

In terms of bang for your buck, and time invested, Rob's site is worth a visit.
https://mtntactical.com

I've done the Big Mtn, Rock Pre-season, In-Season Endurance Athlete, In-Season Ski, Backcountry Ski Pre-season and the SF45s (A to H).
The programs work and don't require access to a mountain. :-D

I space out the training more than programed. At 52, I need extra easy days to absorb the program.
The programs have increased my quality of life in all areas.
Above_Treeline
Posts: 437
Joined: 8/19/2017
14ers: 3 
Trip Reports (1)
 

Re: Tips for Physical Training

Post by Above_Treeline »

I try to hold the tuck position like skiing 5 min total a day. And I mean you don't need access to a gym I often time it using YouTube videos while goofing around on the phone.Really helped skiing. Probably better off keeping above 90° or so I don't go too low. People get knee injuries doing squats it seems so it's a precaution.

And I'm trying to do more speed rather than just jogging.

They say elbert is one of the easy ones hard to believe looking at the vertical. 1 mph average nothing to be ashamed of great to go faster but you summited.
I support reintroducing grizzlies and wolves to their historic ranges.
User avatar
paulbarish
Posts: 15
Joined: 10/26/2011
14ers: 53  4  51 
13ers: 36 4 3
Trip Reports (1)
 

Re: Tips for Physical Training

Post by paulbarish »

Different things work for everyone. I've spent a lot of time learning from physical therapists after getting beat up in the mountains and here is what I've got from it lol. 1. Use a rolling pin (like for baking) on leg and arm muscles. Its like a deep massage and makes a daily stretching routine more effective. Its really good for preventing overuse injuries. 2. Hiking 14ers is great training for more 14ers! Its awesome that you can choose easier or hard ones. And 12 or 13ers too are just as good training because its the same activity! Usually the third big day in the mountains in a short period of time I feel much stronger, the first two I suffer! 3. Pace is so important and harder to nail down than you first think. The crux of it is predicting the energy you'll be needing much later in your day and understanding how much energy you have, how long it lasts and how fast it burns up based off of what terrain your in and how you move on that terrain. Lots of trial and error! Those were just a few random things I think about for myself a lot, I hope it helps! :-D
User avatar
hokiehead
Posts: 131
Joined: 6/8/2014
14ers: 49  1  1 
13ers: 48
Trip Reports (5)
 
Contact:

Re: Tips for Physical Training

Post by hokiehead »

edit: I believe andrew is correct that this is suspicious and I'm deleting my post. apologies all - I should know better.
Last edited by hokiehead on Tue Jan 11, 2022 5:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
Insta: hokiehead
User avatar
andrewrose
Posts: 29
Joined: 8/30/2012
14ers: 6  5 
13ers: 18
Trip Reports (5)
 
Contact:

Re: Tips for Physical Training

Post by andrewrose »

hokiehead wrote: Mon Jan 10, 2022 3:01 pm if anyone is looking for weight training equipment, Bowflex is having an amazing anniversary sale right now.

I just got these adjustable dumbells for $99 and free shipping. a friend of mine paid $799 for the exact same model two years ago.
Not that this is definitely a scam, but the site you linked to it opleared.com, not bowflex.com. Bowflex.com does have those on sale, but not for nearly as good a price. Googling Opleared.com does not provide confidence inspiring results.
CEO and head pancake maker at http://www.hikingrmnp.org
User avatar
hokiehead
Posts: 131
Joined: 6/8/2014
14ers: 49  1  1 
13ers: 48
Trip Reports (5)
 
Contact:

Re: Tips for Physical Training

Post by hokiehead »

andrewrose wrote: Mon Jan 10, 2022 6:25 pm
hokiehead wrote: Mon Jan 10, 2022 3:01 pm if anyone is looking for weight training equipment, Bowflex is having an amazing anniversary sale right now.

I just got these adjustable dumbells for $99 and free shipping. a friend of mine paid $799 for the exact same model two years ago.
Not that this is definitely a scam, but the site you linked to it opleared.com, not bowflex.com. Bowflex.com does have those on sale, but not for nearly as good a price. Googling Opleared.com does not provide confidence inspiring results.
thank you. i've edited my previous post to remove this.
Insta: hokiehead
User avatar
sigepnader
Posts: 216
Joined: 10/17/2011
14ers: 22 
13ers: 52 1
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Tips for Physical Training

Post by sigepnader »

I don’t understand why people keep suggesting running. That really isn’t going to help you much unless you plan on trail running.

1. Squats. Whether goblets, air, or with a bar. Squats

2. Lunges and all types of leg workouts.

3. Stair climber if you can.

4. Hike. A lot.
User avatar
justiner
Posts: 4396
Joined: 8/28/2010
14ers: 58  8 
13ers: 138
Trip Reports (40)
 
Contact:

Re: Tips for Physical Training

Post by justiner »

sigepnader wrote: Tue Jan 11, 2022 10:53 am I don’t understand why people keep suggesting running. That really isn’t going to help you much unless you plan on trail running.
Better aerobic fitness will pay off doing anything that involves moving slowly over long distances. The impact forces of running gets you ready for those long descents. It’s cheap and can be done practically anywhere. You don’t have to go fast - I would suggest must runs be easy for anyone training. Jogging and walking would also be fine as part of the training. I would say speed work is entirely optional.

There may be some time savings to running VS hiking but the modality is so similar I don’t differentiate it much and would champion one over the other without understanding where someone’s fitness level is.

Any sort of hyper gravity - including lifting I would use only as supplemental work. If it leads you too tired to walk/ hike/jog /run the next day too often it’s not a good use of your time. Perhaps if there are absolutely no hills to train on, but then you may want to look at very lightweight/body weight compound exercises. I’ve been known to knock off a few hundred body weight squats when stuck at work.

I actually started squatting/deadlifting again. I’m maxing out at about the warmup weight I used to lift 15 years ago. Safe to say, it’s a different type of fitness :p. I may keep it up for a bit since I’m old and withering.
timisimaginary
Posts: 777
Joined: 11/19/2017
14ers: 3 
13ers: 1
Trip Reports (2)
 

Re: Tips for Physical Training

Post by timisimaginary »

agree with justin, any kind of cardio training is going to improve your cardio fitness. the body produces the same aerobic adaptations no matter what activity you use to get your heart rate up. sure, there's some additional advantage to doing movement-specific stuff in dialing it in for specific activities, so hiking more is ideal training for hiking, but not everyone can easily train by hiking every day. the most important thing is that, whatever you choose, it's something you enjoy. if it feels like a chore, you'll burn out and stop. so if you like running, then run. if you like cycling, then cycle. if you like Jane Fonda aerobics videos, then make a psychiatric appointment to get that checked out, then go do your videos if you get the go-ahead.

but as a basic rule of thumb, when you start getting tired, you should be able to tell whether it's your cardio fitness or your strength that is holding you back. whatever is failing first, that's your weakness. train your weakness, so if you're legs are getting sore and tired then do more weight training to increase strength, but if you're slowing down from being out of breath and energy, then you need more focus on training the aerobic system.
"The decay and disintegration of this culture is astonishingly amusing if you're emotionally detached from it." - George Carlin
User avatar
Conor
Posts: 1112
Joined: 9/2/2014
14ers: 41  6  6 
13ers: 51 1 1
Trip Reports (7)
 

Re: Tips for Physical Training

Post by Conor »

timisimaginary wrote: Tue Jan 11, 2022 1:15 pm agree with justin, any kind of cardio training is going to improve your cardio fitness. the body produces the same aerobic adaptations no matter what activity you use to get your heart rate up.
Swimming will not give you the same "adaptations" as running will. It's a common misnomer that aerobic is "working out the heart" and it's all the same. not sure if that is where you are going...

but if that is the road you were going down, it's just not true. aerobic adaptations have to do with fat storage, the changing of specific muscle fibers in specific muscles, and the growth of capillaries within those muscles, etc. Less so on the body's ability to deliver blood and oxygen (heart a lungs) to that area. There was a similar discussion back in 2017 if you have 3 minutes to read through it...

I also disagree if one feels "sore," the answer is weight training. A lot of times the answer is, more aerobic work. if one is to put a single litmus test to this complex issue, I would say if the fatigue is a "bonk" or not would be a better guide.

So, the issue always boils down a good (something is better than nothing, ahem...crossfitters), better (some specificity, but not a targeted focus on aerobic work, typically the "running is boring" crowd) and best (get the "bible," TFTNA). The crux of this discussion is a well below average American not even on a "good" workout plan can do a 14er, if not all of the 14ers (or at least the more physically demanding). The arguments become, "look at me."
LarryM
Posts: 397
Joined: 5/11/2008
14ers: 27 
13ers: 32
Trip Reports (3)
 

Re: Tips for Physical Training

Post by LarryM »

These threads always suffer from people essentially talking past each other. People vary - in age, in goals, in genetic endowments, in base fitness, and so on. That said, IMO (gleaned from much reading & my own experience):

(1) As a general rule, specificity of training is key. If you want to get better at hiking, hike. If you want to get better at trail running, trail run. If you want to be able keep going for 10 or 12 or more hours in the mountains, spend long days in the mountains. And so on. HOWEVER for most people it's easy to overdo it. Cross training isn't about gaining additional benefits from the other sports, it's about varying things up to prevent injury and burn out. Thus:

(2) Other aerobic activities are beneficial - less beneficial than the primary activity, except that cross training, e.g., cycling, is better than overdoing things on the primary activity or taking an unnecessary total rest day.

(3) Supporting this are a range of ancillary activities, strength work, speed work, flexibility, core, rolling, etc. All of this can be immensely helpful for some, but it depends in large measure on the individual variables listed above. e.g.,younger people especially who start with solid base fitness need less of this than older athletes. The good "train your weakness" advice from some prior comments also fits in here - e.g., if you have a weak lower body, some strength training is probably a good idea. Also applies to people who can't train specifically, e.g., flatlanders.

Finally, for people training at the highest level there are some additional considerations that most of us do not need to be concerned with. I have a copy of TFTNA, and it's a great resource with much good advice, but following it religiously is not necessary or even helpful for most of the people participating in this thread.
Last edited by LarryM on Tue Jan 11, 2022 9:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
two lunches
Posts: 1328
Joined: 5/30/2014
14ers: 37  2 
13ers: 59
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Tips for Physical Training

Post by two lunches »

LarryM wrote: Tue Jan 11, 2022 2:58 pm (1) As a general rule, specificity of training is key. If you want to get better at hiking, hike. If you want to get better at trail running, trail run. If you want to be able keep going for 10 or 12 or more hours in the mountains, spend long days in the mountains. And so on. HOWEVER for most people it's easy to overdo it. Cross training isn't about gaining additional benefits from the other sports, it's about varying things up to prevent injury and burn out. Thus:

(2) Other aerobic activities are beneficial - less beneficial than the primary activity, except that cross training, e.g., cycling, is better than overdoing things on the primary activity or taking an unnecessary total rest day.
this is the most complete answer i've seen on this thread yet. thanks, Larry
“To walk in nature is to witness a thousand miracles.” – Mary Davis
Post Reply