peakperformance
Training for Overnight Outings By Courtenay Schurman, MS, CSCS, PN2
A backpacker by Ingalls Lake. Photo by Mike Warren.
Y
ou’re six weeks out from your big multi-day summer adventure. You want to be in peak condition before you go, and you have an opportunity to simulate your outing once or twice to check your preparedness and adjust your training program. Through back-to-back training – heavy and longer pack carries on successive days – you can assess the physical demands you’ll encounter on your trip and determine whether you are physically ready. After you head into the mountains for your first of two simulated trips, you’ll transition your strength workouts away from building strength and toward increasing stamina. If you intend to travel to highaltitude areas, add one or two weekly pack-carrying intervals workouts on hills or stairs as well. The simulations will help you refresh yourself on gear management and pack loading, at which point you’ll want to slowly decrease the intensity of your training to allow your body to be as well-rested as possible. Follow these tips to get in shape and maximize your fun on your next big outdoor adventure.
Simulated trip By far the most important element of any training program is making sure you’re prepared to carry weight on successive days. In doing so, your body will learn how to perform without your usual recovery time. Knowing that you can work through the discomfort will boost your confidence and help you feel more comfortable when you experience fatigue on a trip.
A back-to-back is exactly what it sounds like: carrying a pack on one day for a hike, then with no recovery, hiking again the next day. Don’t worry so much about replicating the exact elevation change and distance of your trip on both days of the back-toback, and if you’re unable to do two back-to-backs before your adventure, then focus on getting in quality day hikes two days in a row. Train with slightly more weight than you think you will be carrying on the heaviest day of your trip, so that if you encounter unexpected obstacles (such as carrying extra group gear, navigating blow downs, or facing route-finding issues that add mileage or gain), you will have built extra reserves of strength, endurance, and stamina. Based on the itinerary of your overnight trip, you can create a simulated trip to mimic what you will experience on your adventure. Many trips such as glacier climbs require a heavier approach pack and a lighter summit pack. If you are preparing for a three-day climb of Mt. Rainier, for example, on the first day of your simulated trip carry the heaviest pack weight (an overnight camping pack, anywhere between 35-50 pounds) for eight miles with at least 3,500 feet of elevation gain. The second day plan to carry half that weight for 8-12 miles to mimic the longest trip day. Other trips might call for shorter days getting to base camp, from where you will explore the area carrying a daypack. Backpacking trips may have a short first day with the heaviest Continued on page 33 mountaineers.org
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