High Sierra Topix

For the last year and a half, I have been unable to do much of any physical activity due to having renal stents. I've lost 30 lbs. (most of it muscle). Now I'm getting healthy again and looking for some advice on getting back in hiking shape. I need to take it slow as some of the meds I'm on to deal with an autoimmune disease can cause tendon issues.

I've had some setbacks myself over the last year or so. What I find for myself is to just get out and do _something_ easy and natural. For me, that is just walking around the block. I haven't got any local hills to train on, so I just walk at a brisk pace. Then I start carrying a load, just ten pounds at first. Then 15 pounds, etc. After a couple of months of that, I was up to 39 pounds of load, which is more than I need for a summer backpacking trip. I think the whole secret is just doing something like that every day without excuses.

In more normal times, I prefer to simply go out on trips, short ones first (that automatically gives you a lighter pack) and then work up to the harder and longer trips. Given that we may not be able to do this now, you may be confined to local hikes. Regardless of where you do training hikes, start easy and work up to more strenuous stuff. Finding hills with sufficient elevation gain is definitely a plus. Daily walking of about 5 miles is great regardless of where you do it; gets your feet in shape. If you use trekking poles, build up your arm muscles.

Now that gyms are closed, you will have to improvise at home. I have been doing some serious dirt digging lately- moving the dirt from one raised garden to one with more sun. Gardening is a really good exercise. I am not one to exercise for the sake of exercise; I like to accomplish something while exercising. Ban the car and walk where you can. Carry groceries home. Clean your garage. Wash the outside of your house.

This might sound silly and not apply to younger folks, but I also try to work on flexibility and strength that allows me to easily "live on the ground". This makes camping a lot more pleasant. I have a dog, so squatting down to the dog's level a lot is good as is any activity done close to the ground such as gardening. Practice those movements that allow you to easily get in and out of the tent. Taking care of toddlers also works great.

I have learned though, that people over 70 should not jump on trampolines with their grandkids.

I live in a place where A walk around the block is 2 miles with nearly 300 ft of elevation. I've started with just one lap a day and will build that slowly over time. I've also taken on a job as a census taker and if that ever starts up (shut down now due to coro) I will be getting paid $18 an hour for walking up and down hills. In the mean time I'm getting paid for 19 hours a week for not working (best job I've ever had). Was hoping to get in good enough shape to do the JMT that I had to give up last year but I think I'll plan that for next year because even if the trail opens this year it will probably be even more crowded than normal. This year just hoping to be able to get out somewhere.

While not out for as long, I shattered my tibia in January and I cannot wait to get back on the trail to get my strength back. I'm on crutches until the end of May, so I'm doing everything I can to minimize the muscle wasting. It's amazing how fast it goes. I ran the Broken Arrow Sky Race last summer...this year I will be lucky if I can complete a modest trip into Pioneer Basin in August. Good luck!

Carne_DelMuerto wrote: ↑Fri Apr 17, 2020 11:22 am I'm on crutches until the end of May, so I'm doing everything I can to minimize the muscle wasting. It's amazing how fast it goes.

On the average, our large muscles will atrophy at a rate of about 10% per week. Even with a leg inside a cast, it is possible to do isometric exercises that eliminate weight stress on a bone. That is the only way that professional athletes are able to recover so quickly after a bad injury.

I've been able to get out on two day hikes in the last two weeks. The first one was seven miles of relatively flat RR grade, and the second was 6 miles with about 600ft. of elevation. my knees are a little tender, but my legs feel pretty good. I'm feeling much better about the possibility of getting some backpacking in this year.

If your knees are tender, then there is a method to work around this. I call it "walk like a Sherpa." It was taught to me by a Sherpa mountain guide in 1983 in the country of Nepal.

Too many Americans walk downhill in a hurry. They take long strides. When the heel strikes the ground, the knee is fully extended, and this puts extra stress on the knee joint, so they get sore. The way the Sherpa walks is different. They shorten the stride and make it slightly quicker to compensate. They flex their knees slightly and lower their center of gravity, with their feet pointed slightly bowlegged to improve balance. This flexing takes some of the stress off the knee joints and puts it more onto the quadriceps muscles. That's OK, because muscles will adapt. Once knee joints are stressed, they can stay sore for a long time.

This sounds like it would be helpful for me as well. Downhills are currently a weak point for me.

bobby49 wrote: ↑Wed May 13, 2020 10:19 am ... with their feet pointed slightly bowlegged to improve balance.

Does this mean that the toes are pointed in (pigeon-toed) or pointed out (duck-footed)?

Downhills are currently a weak point for me.

Hi RSC,

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