Ascending and descending: ca.45 years of training road tests

[giantbrookie]

Hi folks, whereas we know what works for some doesn't work for everybody, I figured I'd share my personal observations about training for hiking and the specific aspect of hiking in the mountains that differs most from running, biking, swimming etc. This concerns ascending and descending.

I first noticed this during my college days. I went hiking with a guy who was a high level cyclist and who was in far better cardio shape than me. My main cardio training was playing basketball and running stadium bleachers. We did a fast strike overnighter to East Lake to climb Mt Brewer in May 1979. There was a pretty big disparity in hiking speed and endurance and we concluded that it was likely that running bleachers was better training (note descending bleachers--didn't run doing that part--is useful for the descents, too) than endurance cycling. 1979 was also the year I "crossed over" with my dad (he and I turned 51 and 20 in late July, early August, respectively) and had to wait up for him, instead of the other way around when we did our ambitious peak bagging trips. Whereas a lot of this was simply me becoming stronger and my dad aging, we also concluded that my bleacher running put me in better condition for mountain hiking than his distance running did, and his prowess as a distance runner was far beyond what I was capable of (he ran a 2:58 marathon in 1976 at age 48) then or ever. My dad adjusted his training for backpack trips to fast hiking up Black Mtn (above Los Altos), a hike that I think was in the 2000' of gain range. This appeared to improve his hiking performance.

So now I fast forward to 2022. My year didn't start out strong, what with radiation and hormone therapy, with the latter likely tied to worst back problems I've had since 2006 the slowest-to-heal knee injury I've had since 1978; this impeded my cardio and strength training. In mid June of this year, my daughter Dawn wiped me out on ascents with a full pack and whereas she had done that to me in 2019, I had trained hard enough of 2020 and 2021 to put me out in front. Looking at my time to backpacking Green L. (S Fork Bishop Creek) with Dawn on that trip, it was clear that this wasn't so much about Dawn being fast but me being slow. Then in late July, my son Lee, scorched me on ascents on dayhikes, and I was so beat up after these three nominally easy dayhikes that I felt I had returned from a 10-day backpack trip. Lee suggested that I needed to start running up hills. My knee had recovered so that I was back to running regularly and doing 4-mile runs with comparative ease but these were flat runs. I thought that working hard on the hikes with Lee and then the 3-day backpack N of Donner improved my hiking strength, so I still didn't start doing any hill work. My fast dayhike time into Kaiser Wilderness two weeks ago seemed to suggest I was "back" to what I considered my baseline. I followed that with my most effortless 4-mile run I've had in 2022. Yesterday, however, I was awakened to the difference between ascending and doing any sort of relatively flat training: I did my first session of stairwell training at Fresno State in 2022. The stairwell is in the science building I have my office in and it is 3 tall flights (somewhere around 15' each) to the top. Back when I did them regularly (2021 and before) doing between 20 and 25 round trips to the top was standard, taking two steps at a time in ascent. Yesterday by the 3rd rep I was hurting and I felt the way I did when I was trying to catch up with Lee. By my 10th rep I was getting dizzy and light headed. I stopped at 15 reps with the thought that I'd need to start doing the stairwell more regularly (the heat in said stairwell right now is a major disincentive to do that workout). This was a huge illustration of the difference between flat-land training (running, for example) and ascending hills, mountains, bleachers, or stairwells.

It is odd that I seemed to have forgotten 40 years of experience with the value of "ascent training" and it took Lee's comment a few weeks back to remind me. With that in mind, I thought I'd try something different this morning in Castro Valley before it got warm: there is a hill I can walk up near my house that I last did when I was recovering from prostate cancer surgery at the end of 2018: I remember doing this hike while holding up my catheter and bag with a sling and strap set up I had put together. This time, no bag and no catheter, but I loaded a 50lb bag of rice into my Baltoro 85 and took off up the hill. This is easily the hardest cardio workout I've done (other than my harder backpack trips). Sometime after reaching the top and starting the descent back home I hit the wall--'putting on the brakes' going downhill requires almost as much energy as ascending. This was probably at about the 2.5 mi mark and it was where I was at on part 2 of my Kaiser Wilderness (after the 5 mi + opening leg that I did without a break) hike two weeks ago when I hit the wall doing some class 3 stuff and took a water and energy bar break. The difference this time was that I planned to do this with no stops. I got light-headed and dizzy, and the legs wobbled, but I kept going and became steadier and faster before grunting up the last uphill (it always seems to be uphill to the finish, doesn't it) to my house. I will have to do that again (with a day to recover in between), although I think I need to adjust my weight balance on my pack because I bruised my lowermost back. As you can probably guess there is a bit more to this than the simple desire to get in better shape: I have two backpack trips scheduled this fall with Lee.

[Gogd]

If you like running for its own sake, that is one thing, but I would not be doing any running solely for the sake of conditioning. Running is hard on joints, tendons, ligaments, it wears out non regenerative tissues quicker. There is a reason you see few senior runners. Stairs and hill walks are good for hike conditioning, as they work the muscles and motions used in hiking.

I am currently in my early-mids 70s. Nowadays when I am shaping up for hikes in the High Sierra, I'll do 4-6 mile walks over mixed conditions, and on alternate days do the stairwell in the nearby mall parking structure, until completing ~1,800' vertical gain, and matching descents. I'll exercise 4, sometimes 5 days/week. But I am not OCD about this routine, I'll take a hooky day if if not inspired, and cut back when no hikes/ski treks are on the calendar. I think it is key you don't force a conditioning program like it was an obligation, you''ll just get burned out.

As for cycling:
In my youth I was (barely!) a Category 1 cyclist. Competing at that level requires about 400 miles/week cycling. I did a lot of hill routines, posting 6-10K' elevation gains/week. A fun offseason activity for me was car camping among the eastern Sierra, and cycling up from Owens Valley to Horseshoe Meadow, Onion Valley and up Hwy 120 into Yosemite. As a result of my cycling pursuits, I was among the fastest of any hiking group on my backpacking trips, and also typically carried far more weight than anyone else. I was a mediocre mountaineer, as far as technical skills went, but my stamina, willingness to shoulder 65+ pound packs (and cooking skills) got me invited on high adventure treks I otherwise would have never imagined being part of. So I'd say cycling is an excellent cross train for backpacking, and a lot easier on the joints than other leg exercises. I guess as long as you bust a sweat and put in the requisite suffering, that there are many ways to get fit for hikes.

Ed

[giantbrookie]

If you like running for its own sake, that is one thing, but I would not be doing any running solely for the sake of conditioning. Running is hard on joints, tendons, ligaments, it wears out non regenerative tissues quicker. There is a reason you see few senior runners. Stairs and hill walks are good for hike conditioning, as they work the muscles and motions used in hiking.

I agree and I'm aware of many senior runners that ran until various weight-bearing joints were worn out and needed replacement (ie knee and hip replacements). My dad never reached that point, but I know one of his hips degraded so much that at age 65, while off trail backpacking with me and my brother, my dad uttered the heartbreaking "I can't". Like most older runners my dad never did any sort of related strength training to build the support (ie quads, hips, etc) to his joints. Would such work have slowed down his joint degradation? In theory, yes, but I agree that for a regular training-for-hiking exercise that there are better and less punishing alternatives to running. In addition to the issues I had earlier this year because of the testosterone suppression therapy, I think my injury problems were also connected to my not regularly hitting the weight room since early 2020 (ie initial COVID shut down). Starting about three weeks ago I returned to the weight room on a regular basis and it has led to a significant improvement, especially in the stability of that right knee.

I only began distance running in 2020 because my daughter runs and whereas I don't mind doing it, I've already experienced some issues with it. The right knee problem (MCL?) that has plagued me intermittently since late 2020 began when I overdid it running (did 6 mile runs on consecutive days). Accordingly, I think I will phase out distance running for training and go back to my stairwell training along with various hill hikes.

An interesting postscript--"road test no. 2"--to my weighted pack neighborhood hike of Friday took place this morning. This morning I repeated this hike, leaving before it got too hot (probably no worse than high 70s by time of completion). Although it was significantly warmer than my Friday hike and lacked the refreshing breeze I felt much stronger. There was no hitting the wall, no dizziness, no leg wobbles, and I also adjusted my pack so I didn't get the rubbing and irritation on my lowermost back. Going into my series of planned hikes that begin on Sept 16, I think I'll do two more of the rice-weighted training hikes next week, while getting back to two-a-week stairwell sessions while down in Fresno during week. I figure that during the "off season" I'll maintain the stairwell training but not too many of those weighted training hikes until I begin ramping up prior to the 2023 backpacking season.

[CAMERONM]

I carry 38 lbs up stairs for hiking strength and to loosen all the muscles and tendons that will be engaged while carrying a pack; 30 mins per day all year, and 60 mins several weeks before big trips. Stairs are very time-efficient. I make sure to train with the actual shoes I will use on the upcoming trip- I alternate between Wildcats and TX3's, depending. Cardio comes from swimming. Running would be great, but my knees started protesting that fine activity 40 years ago. Slow and steady is the mantra, or more accurately these days, slower and slower but still steady, and luckily no NSAID's. Knock on wood-

[cgundersen]

Ever since starting an annual backpacking trip with my now 70something pal from Virginia, I've witnessed big fluctuations in his fitness level. He's a fan of Crossfit and when he's been conscientious, it really shows in his performance. But we've also reached the philosophical state of accepting that regardless of our pre-trip dedication to exercise, we're not going to perform at the same level we did 10 years ago, let alone 40 years ago. And, we run into surprising numbers of guys in our same age range who are still out there pounding the trails and XC passes. They serve as an inspiration to maintain a modicum of fitness, so we can continue to visit those gems in the backcountry. Hopefully you guys will all still be doing this 10 years from now! Cameron

[giantbrookie]

Thanks folks for insight into training as a "senior". Yes we have ample incentive to stay in shape and get to some of those harder-to-reach places.

[kpeter]

Having had 2 knee and 1 ankle surgeries, I try to get in shape with as little joint-pounding as possible. One of my knee injuries came, in fact, when doing steps to get ready for a backpacking trip a few years ago. I was jumping up and off a step-up block as instructed by a trainer. Bad idea.

Now I use low-impact or no-impact machines at the gym. I can get my legs a full workout and get my cardio rate up without endangering the joints. I particularly like those machines which allow me to monitor my pulse so I can build to my max level without surpassing it, then repeat (interval training.)

Right now my right foot is in a boot to allow my achilles to heal-- after a couple of months of tendinosis that followed my last trip. But I can still use a recumbent stepping machine and all the normal leg machines--none of which have any impact or a requirement to flex the ankle.

So the Y has become my training center. When all my joints are healthy I also do daily walks and a sprinkling of bike rides. I typically find that my leg muscles are never a problem when backpacking--my limitations are always cardio and joints. So interval training on any cardio machine which minimizes impact--is the best prep for me.

[giantbrookie]

Thanks for posting your experiences in training. This is certainly an approach that I'd plan to follow if my knees get to gimpy to stand up to the punishment of outdoor training. As it stands, my experience the last two years, plus posts in this thread has convinced me to do neighborhood training hikes (walking) rather than the distance running that I had adopted relatively recently, having been inspired by my daughter. If my back and knees start protesting my training hikes too much, then I'll shift to indoor conditioning.

As a postscript (v1) to all this training stuff, Lee still had a small advantage on uphill climbs this weekend but it was so minor as to not require him to wait up, which is important because Lee having to wait up means I'm costing him fishing time at the destination. In the meantime, my hiking times on both solo hikes and with Lee have returned to what I consider "acceptable". These hiking times appear to be roughly comparable to what I was putting up 10-15 years ago (late 40s to early 50s), so the next step will see how this works with a full pack when we go backpacking three weeks from now.

[cgundersen]

John,

I know this is going to sound like an evasive excuse for slow travel, but one "advantage" of traveling more-slowly (and not being fixated on the destination) is that one discovers environmental features that may have been a blur in past eras. I'm thinking specifically of the cool views from White Bear Lake on the recent trip with my East coast buddy. On a couple prior occasions I'd simply barreled past White Bear with little more than a glimpse on the way to Vee. Even though it was barely noon, we called it a day on this trip. Then again, we're not up there to fish, so I get the urgency that fishing introduces.

And I'll be very keen to hear a report on the conditions 3 weeks from now!
Cameron

[Gogd]

I know this is going to sound like an evasive excuse for slow travel, but one "advantage" of traveling more-slowly (and not being fixated on the destination) is that one discovers environmental features that may have been a blur in past eras.

Rush rush rush; what's all the hurry for?
More and more people seem to be time fixated, and cramming as many miles as possible in to the time they allocate for their trip. They vacation to relieve stress, only to make it integral to their itinerary.

Set your alarm, we have to wake at zero dark thirty for an early start.
Why?
So we can get there early.
Why is that important?
It just is...

Can we stop and enjoy this view?
Only for two minutes as a water break.
Why?
Because we don't have time to sit around, we have big miles to do.
Why the big miles?
So we can see more stuff.
You mean like this vista we actually have no time to savor?
If you like it so much, then take a picture and enjoy it when you get back home. In the meantime lets get going, we're going to have to do 20 miles if we are to see everything we planned on seeing!

If covering as much ground as possible so I can pass by as many places as possible was my priority, I would skip walking - it is too slow - and stick with bus touring. You see so much, as the scenery flies by your window, while riding a bus (Actually not so much). Same goes for hoofing 20 miles a day.

The only reason I bring a time piece into the BC is to take meds on schedule, and when snow trekking trips requires starting the day at 3am, so I am off the terrain by noon, before the snow becomes dangerous. Otherwise I've always gotten as far I wish to go without getting target fixated. I always make time to frequently linger, talk to passers by, and take it all in. There has been only a few times in my 50+ years in the outdoors that a situation mandated I cover a lot of ground in a short period. It was never part of an intentional plan. IMO there is no point pushing for big distances and stressing over making the next objective, while sacrificing practically every other enjoyable aspect of being out there, just to say you went big on the miles. Plus, pushing too hard is a recipe for blisters, stress injuries or an accident.

_____________________

As for joint and ligament strain:
One reason we get hurt hiking is our bodies have not been sufficiently toughened up to cope with the rigors of backpacking and climbing. It is wise to avoid running and jumping off step platforms in your routine fitness program. But it is also good idea to incorporate some level of shock loading joints as part of that routine as that strengthens bones, and toughens ligament and tendons. Gym machines can't provide this, but doing a hill walk that includes about a 1000' of elevation gain twice a week will generate sufficient shock and angular force loads without pegging the meter. If you do this all year long - not just seasonally or as a workup to a trip - it will reduce the occurrences of back and leg problem you experience while hiking. Lastly Ice is your friend! Use it after a workout. It reduces inflammation, the source of your pain. Reducing inflammation will also reduce the long term damage inflammation causes.

Ed