Hiking Trails

Posted at 02:04, 2008-Sep-11

What Type of activity is best to increase aerobic endurance?

Any type will do, as long as it is rhythmic and continuous like swimming, cycling, running, or hiking. In my opinion, impact activities are best for the reasons decried in taking care of those bones. It also pays to spend the greatest amount of time engaged in activities that are specific for backpacking, such as walking. The principal of specificity states that the adaptations to training will be specific to the imposed demands. That means if you want to get the best results you need to do activities that are most similar to the activity you want to increase your performance in. Although specific training is important, it is also a good idea to add some cross training to your workout routine. This type of training helps to alleviate boredom and decrease the risk for overuse injuries. Cross training consists of the use of several different exercise modalities during the same training session. An example for a well trained individual would be to combine 15 minutes of rowing, with 20 minutes on an exercise bike, followed by 10 minutes of the Nordic track and a 15 minute run. This type of training lets you work at a higher intensity for longer because you do not experience the same type of mental fatigue and also have an opportunity to rest some fatigued muscles. This type of training also helps to incorporate upper and lower body exercise, which leads to many benefits including an increased ability to clear lactate (the substance that makes your muscles burn) acid from the blood.

How much and how hard should I train?

The morale of this story is that it takes 20-60+ minutes of aerobic activity (running,swimming cycling, hiking) in your target heart rate zone 2-5 days per week to increase your cardiovascular endurance (this equals a greater enjoyment of hiking). These adaptations mean less huffing and puffing, less burning legs, faster walking and decreased muscle soreness the day after a hike.