Endurance & weight program?

Boston

Hello, Next week I start training for an event in june. This event will involve lots of hiking, climbing and running with load. As such I've decided to change direction from mostly weight training to mixing in Endurance type exercises, so thread mill, bike and rowing machines should feature heavily. I was wondering if anyone could recommend a program that might be suitable to this type of training, or have any general tips/ tricks?

nesf

Put a heavy rucksack on your back and head to the Wicklow Mountains every weekend. There are clubs etc, but for hiking there's no real substitute for the real thing imho.

Though, it is bloody awkward and getting up at 6am/whatever isn't everyone's style.

Hanley

nesf wrote: »

Put a heavy rucksack on your back and head to the Wicklow Mountains every weekend. There are clubs etc, but for hiking there's no real substitute for the real thing imho.

Though, it is bloody awkward and getting up at 6am/whatever isn't everyone's style.

Got to agree. Outside of general strength and conditioning work in the gym there's no way to replicate training with a big hevy bag on your back on unstable surfaces other than just getting out there and doing it.

ali.c

Boston wrote: »

have any general tips/ tricks?

learn now to pack lightly would be the first thing to come to mind. Having heaved around a rucksack weighing over half my bodyweight (most of which was gear) for a month.

Also i am not sure how much experience you have hiking etc, if you are going to be carrying any kind of weight in your bag a decent bag with a padded hip band makes such a big difference. Make sure the bag sits on your hips as your legs are alot stronger than your shoulders. Shoes are very important too.

there is no real subsitute to actually doing it, but i have found jogging to help with general conditioning for hiking!!

As nesf says try and get out as much as possible and i would recommend doing general conditioning work but maybe mix it up a bit!

Edwardius

Boston wrote: »

Hello, Next week I start training for an event in june. This event will involve lots of hiking, climbing and running with load. As such I've decided to change direction from mostly weight training to mixing in Endurance type exercises, so thread mill, bike and rowing machines should feature heavily. I was wondering if anyone could recommend a program that might be suitable to this type of training, or have any general tips/ tricks?

A dose of this might help if your training is confined to a gym. You may want to place emphasis on the "metabolic conditioning" element of the programme if you think strength isn't a problem. Don't like pimping things but I found crossfit great for many obstacles I faced in life, like chopping sticks, climbing over things and lending air-time to aggressive flatmates!

Boston

nesf wrote: »

Put a heavy rucksack on your back and head to the Wicklow Mountains every weekend. There are clubs etc, but for hiking there's no real substitute for the real thing imho.

Though, it is bloody awkward and getting up at 6am/whatever isn't everyone's style.

Well when the whether improves I'll be doing pretty much that. The event is an airsoft event in sweden and I've every intension of spending as many Saturdays between now and then running around in full gear . Realisitically though thats only viable 1 out of every two weeks max, so I need gym work to compensate.

ali.c wrote: »

learn now to pack lightly would be the first thing to come to mind. Having heaved around a rucksack weighing over half my bodyweight (most of which was gear) for a month.

Also i am not sure how much experience you have hiking etc, if you are going to be carrying any kind of weight in your bag a decent bag with a padded hip band makes such a big difference. Make sure the bag sits on your hips as your legs are alot stronger than your shoulders. Shoes are very important too.

there is no real subsitute to actually doing it, but i have found jogging to help with general conditioning for hiking!!

As nesf says try and get out as much as possible and i would recommend doing general conditioning work but maybe mix it up a bit!

I can't see myself having to carry more then about 40 lbs of gear while hiking through the wilderness. Most of the weight will be in the combat vest which is extremely comfortable. I more worried about getting used to marching, running, jumping climbing for a prolonged period. I've never been to this event before but its meant to be very physically challenging terrain and conditions.


Dead ed: I'd completely forgotten about cross fit. I had intended on changing my program to follow it, but life got in the way, thanks for the recommendation.