Tips for Physical Training

FAQ and threads for those just starting to hike the Colorado 14ers.
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Cicatrix
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Tips for Physical Training

Post by Cicatrix »

Hey guys, I was looking for some advice on how to physically prepare yourself for hiking the 14ers that are over 10 miles. I have done 7 14ers this year, and I recently did Mount Elbert, but it took me 10 hours and I feel this was waay too long if I plan on doing any of the longer ones. I did fine until the last mile, but when I got to the false summits I slowed down a bunch. It may have just been that I had been in California the week before and hadn't gotten a chance to acclimate to Colorado, but I feel before next year I need to start a training program. Any links or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.
bigredmachine
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Re: Tips for Physical Training

Post by bigredmachine »

While short in mileage, Elbert is steep, so don't stress too much. Most of your longer 14 hikes have mellow approaches where mileage can be covered fairly quickly. I'd say, start with Harvard, it is 14 miles rt, but a mellow approach (with great scenery). As far as physical training, start running a couple miles 3-4 days a week. Push ups or lifting program is never a bad idea. At the end of the day, it's really just about challenging yourself and starting to do longer hikes. Who care's how long it takes. Start super early so you don't have to worry about weather.
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Rollie Free
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Re: Tips for Physical Training

Post by Rollie Free »

If you are in relatively good shape it may be what you suspect.
I came out from 1,000 ft and did Quandary the next morning. Really slowed down at the latter parts.
Two days later did Longs and felt so much better.
Acclimation is a pretty big factor.

But then, some days you feel like the hammer and others,like the nail. If you could figure out why you'll get filthy rich writing a book about it.

As for your question.
I do stair steps, incline treadmill (with ankle weights), high rep, short stroke hip sled, biking, and a limited amount of running. I try to use a thick dust mask to help with getting used to less oxygen intake.
The reason I limit my running is not due to physiological reasons but because I despise the day I was born when I engage in it. I am prone to physically demanding work but I cannot stomach running for reasons I can't put my finger on.
"Quicker than I can tell it, my hands failed to hold, my feet slipped, and down I went with almost an arrow’s rapidity. An eternity of thought, of life, of death, wife, and home concentrated on my mind in those two seconds. Fortunately for me, I threw my right arm around a projecting boulder which stood above the icy plain some two or three feet." Rev. Elijah Lamb
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jdorje
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Re: Tips for Physical Training

Post by jdorje »

Improve leg strength. I highly recommend Rippetoe's "starting strength" program.
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MicahF25
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Re: Tips for Physical Training

Post by MicahF25 »

This is just my 2 cents so take it for what its worth. I am a flatlander and spend a lot of time in the gym as the closest mountains I can get to are the Appalachians when I have a free weekend which isn't often. Last year when I came out to Colorado I had an ambitious/aggressive schedule for my 4 days but found out quickly how out of shape I really was and only ended up getting 2 of the 5 summits I had planned on. When you're slow the weather has a tendency to make up your afternoon plans in the monsoon season....

Flash forward to being back in Atlanta and wanting to make sure that this year would be different. I had gotten my taste of altitude and its what I wanted to do and train for. I had been nursing an elbow injury on and off for a year but was feeling good about getting back in the gym (not just the typical walking/hiking I had been doing was cutting it). So somewhere around February I started back to the gym. 2 days a week full body workouts for 3 weeks to knock the soreness off. After that I started what was then a new program with a lifter I have a lot of respect for: Kris Gethin. Workout/Supp/Diet Program can be found: https://www.kagedmuscle.com/blogs/8-wee ... w-training . After following the program for 8 weeks I had lost about 22lbs and was in solid shape (May) and my trip was the last week of August. Repeated the program with the exception of the cardio. I didn't taper or work it up I just did incline walking/trail running for however long I felt and would do a nice mountain loop hike Sundays with my wife/kids (40lbs of kid and gear on my back for 6.5 miles). I can tell you this worked a lot better for me with a little less cardio and just tuning my workouts toward lower weight and really keeping my rest down. (Reading Steve House's book Training the New Alpinism stays in the back of my mind in that we don't want to be too big as the more muscle we have the more oxygen must move through the body).

Just got back from my trip ~two weeks ago. Hit Pikes via Crags/Longs Keyhole back to back days. Also hammered out Bierstadt, Sherman, and was nearly up Bross when storms rolled in (late start that day). Overall I felt like I rocked it. Kept a great pace and rested very little. Recovery was quick between hikes which was great as I do not have the luxury to just pack it up and come back next weekend.

I definitely felt like my training is what pushed me through. Do you need to follow this program and do everything I did? Probably not. I'm sure many would say its overkill. But it worked for me. It gave me some structure, Kris is a fun and entertaining person to watch and motivated me to get my ass up and go to the gym or do cardio when I didn't want to. Currently I still follow the workouts in an 8 week rotation to keep my weekly routines different and stay in shape. I do cardio probably 3-5 times a week with at least 1 long hike and I am hoping to soon incorporate some time on a rockwall in there if I can make that happen.

I don't know if this was helpful or not. Just what worked for me. In the end I also feel A LOT of it is your genetic make up. Some people have a harder time with altitude than others. The way your body adapts or doesn't will really make decisions for you in what pace you will take and what you can/can't do in the mountains. Being fit absolutely helps though :-D
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Conor
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Re: Tips for Physical Training

Post by Conor »

I would suggest you get ahold of a copy of training for the new alpinism. You can also check out their website, uphillathlete.com.

What I do, lots of running in the aerobic hr range. Lots of stairs too. Starting out aerobic range was 130 bpm for me. I would personally shy away from the weights, intervals or anything "explosive" if your goal is truly mountains. Don't drop the core work, but when you need to add in upper body work, you'll know it.
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Cicatrix
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Re: Tips for Physical Training

Post by Cicatrix »

Thanks for all the help guys. I really appreciate it.
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Re: Tips for Physical Training

Post by bmcqueen »

Sounds like you get out a decent amount. If you don't already know and use the rest step, try it. Very effective technique to keep you moving slowly and steadily uphill (which ends up faster in the end). Making a tortoise noise while doing it helps even more :-D

http://blog.alpineinstitute.com/2010/08 ... -step.html
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Re: Tips for Physical Training

Post by arianna2 »

I did buy the Under Armour elevation training mask once upon a time. Can't say I used it a lot but I did use it at first and think it could be an effective option for some. I think it gets a little easier the more incline hikes at elevation that you do. I agree with those that said don't worry about going slow, just be heading off the summit by noon at the latest. I remember all the false summits on Elbert being so disheartening ](*,) I hated it. In general shorter and steeper is harder than longer and just as or less steep. Good Luck!
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Re: Tips for Physical Training

Post by justiner »

Run. Not too fast. Mostly hills.
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Eli Boardman
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Re: Tips for Physical Training

Post by Eli Boardman »

I'm not a runner at all, but I'm fairly fast in the mountains. If you want to do longer routes in a day, here are the 5 strategies I've found to work over the past year, listed from easiest to hardest. My person record is 63 miles and 15,750 vertical feet in a day (9,600 feet elevation), so I guess you could say these strategies worked, at least for me.

1. Acclimatize: I'm always amazed how much faster I go if I've done a 14er last week versus the last month.

2. Eat right: there's whole books on it, but eat whatever is appetizing and not too heavy on your stomach, and eat a lot of it.

3. Go earlier: an hour earlier start doesn't lower your round trip time, but it has the same effect on your summit time / weather strategy as going faster.

4. Go more continuously: sounds stupid, but it works; I often hike 2-3 hours with a 5 minute break, rinse and repeat.

5. Go faster: this is what you're asking about. I was fairly slow last year, and I did 100 miles in 48 hours last month, so you could say I improved. I just hiked a lot, every weekend, always pushing to 100% of how fast I could go at any given moment. You might be able to get a better round-trip time by pacing yourself in the beginning, but I like to push hard the whole time to have the maximum beneficial training effect.
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Re: Tips for Physical Training

Post by Conor »

Altitude masks are a scam. Best case it does nothing for you. Worse case you end up training your muscles in the exact opposite way you want to - anaerobic.
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