davesenesac
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Post by davesenesac on Jul 20, 2018 16:32:21 GMT -8
For years one way I begin preparing my body for carrying a heavy backpack each summer is to load up an old backpack with about 50 pounds of plastic milk bottles full of water and then walk up and down stairs inside my 2 story unit, part of a townhouse community of old 4-plexes. Close to trip dates may add another bottle. My ceiling is standard 8 foot so with 14 stair steps that is a bit less than 7 inches per step. My usual regimen is to climb up and down 15 times that is 210 total steps up plus down or 120 feet vertical and do so twice a day. I might start off a bit easy at first. And tend to climb up quickly. I checked my pulse rate after a recent set and it went from 70 bpm to 110 bpm thus modest exertion. The full body muscle use is similar to actually carrying my pack both uphill and downhill especially for the torso muscles and I like how each climb up is interspersed with a less exerting climb down.
Anyone else climb stairs preparing for trips?
At 5'6", I weigh about 137 pounds BMI 22 these days and my typical carrying weight for a week long trip is about 65 pounds or a bit less than 50% of body weight. Of that about 5# is tripod 10# photo gear and maybe 12# food, boots plus hiking clothes (Levi 505's, belt, socks, nylon shell, pocket stuff, sun hat) about 7#, leaving 31# for backpack and all else. Thus if climbing stairs am actually carrying 50+7=57# a comparable weight to what will be on the trail.
Complementing that is I am rather active hiking all year and skied during the winter, though all that tend to be irregular usually as I wait for workable photography weather as in light winds and currently no smoky fire skies.
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Post by bluefish on Jul 21, 2018 3:32:39 GMT -8
My knees despise weight after a lifetime of hard labor, but loosen with repetition. If I'm not out actively hiking, I train for trips with large elevation gains by climbing the steps in our Victorian (9' ceiling plus 10" 2nd floor) 100 times. Comes close to a thousand gain and loss. In the winter, the roads shrink with the snowbanks, so this is my only choice at times. 65 pounds is a LARGE pack, something I've only done while working on a trail crew for the USFS. You need to be in excellent condition to carry that without knee damage, especially at your size. I only exceed 30 lbs. now when we do consecutive waterless days in the desert or in the winter with both snowshoes and crampons. I do still carry 80 lb. loads up ladders, but that's for work.
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davesenesac
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Post by davesenesac on Jul 21, 2018 9:18:47 GMT -8
100 times is a lot of stair climbs. After 15 climbs it gnaws at my motivation to continue haha. Just the 15 seems to do a lot of good later when I'm lugging the big pack. Yeah carrying water in the desert or any waterless places is a real limitation due to water weight.
When I am just out summer day hiking with my photo gear, per above I am usually carrying 5#+15#+7# plus food, water, cellphone, headlamp and possibly some extra clothes that goes over 25 pounds. 65# is much worse than 50# because beyond a comfortable weight each additional pound feels much worse. Through my 50s was carrying a 4x5 film view camera into the backcountry, so 70# to 75# on most week long trips that was indeed becoming harmful to my body. Glad to move into digital systems haha.
My right knee has had a minor loose cartilage issue for a few years that occasionally gives me trouble. I tweaked it a bit last week after day hiking 8 miles much through awkward sagebrush terrain. But next morning was fine. Besides all the photography hiking this retired guy is looking forward to a lot of mogul skiing again next winter so am keen to keep these dancing knees as there are.
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Jul 21, 2018 19:42:01 GMT -8
Anyone else climb stairs preparing for trips? There some good local hills that I prefer to use, but I generally end up using the stairs, too when the weather is unfavorable or I'm pressed for time. |
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rangewalker
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Post by rangewalker on Jul 27, 2018 19:05:30 GMT -8
For years one way I begin preparing my body for carrying a heavy backpack each summer is to load up an old backpack with about 50 pounds of plastic milk bottles full of water and then walk up and down stairs inside my 2 story unit, part of a townhouse community of old 4-plexes. This used to be me. For years I would use the storage tank stairs of the pipeline terminal i worked out of until the security folks in Houston figured it out when we went on the network. Now I do a mix of cardio in gym, yoga and resistance: whatever gets me to 7-10 hours a week. I quit the weighted packs after dating a physiologist, now BFF, at her direction. I also took up gravel road biking and try to get in 30-60 miles a week. Nordic skiing and snow shoeing in the winter. The part of Wyoming I live in has almost unlimited amount of public land nearby with both mountains and basin lands. I will cycle Saturday solo and hike with a friend 6-8 miles Sunday. It is good. |
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Jul 27, 2018 21:18:55 GMT -8
I'll climb stairs if I have to, but I prefer to train outdoors. That can include stair work of a sort--I'll do repeats of the sand ladder down to the beach. I think that's about 100' each way, a slope with horizontal bars every few feet to give some purchase in the loose sand.
I stay fit at all sorts of things year-round (biking and swimming, mostly) but nowadays start hauling a gradually more loaded pack a few weeks in advance of a trip. This year I threw in a return to Pilates, which turned out oddly to help me knees--yes, a strong core helps the knees. Go figure.
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