(From the author: i would like to dedicate this article to a dear friend of mine who tagged along me for trekking and made this wonderful trip happen)
Exercise is an important factor in a healthy lifestyle, yet only some follow it regularly; maybe because exercise is considered time-consuming, boring and monotonous for many. It doesn't have to be. It can be an exciting and new experience every time.
One aspect to make it more enjoyable is going outdoors in nature, trekking!!!
Trekking can be as easy as walking in your neighbourhood, or as difficult as a mountain climb, depending on your current activity level.
ARE YOUR PHYSICALLY FIT FOR TREKKING?
You need to be in good physical condition before the start of the trek. You should be able to jog 4.5 kms in 30 minutes before commencement of the trekking expedition (This is supposed to be for people trying 10,00 feet onwards). You also need to carry a backpack that weighs 8-9 kgs. Your physical fitness is important for a successful completion of the trek. Training yourself to get to a jogging distance of 4.5 km under 30 minutes makes your lungs strong and gives it ability to process less air for more work.
if you are aiming for a 5 mile walk then, Prime Your Heart to get the proper aerobic conditioning for a 5-mile hike, walk 30 to 45 minutes, 3 days a week, varying the incline. On a fourth day, do a longer walk, preferably outside on hilly terrain. Each week, increase the long walk until you're doing at least two-thirds of the distance of your first hike (about 31/2 miles if you'll be hiking 5 miles).
1. AEROBIC CONDITIONING:
A good 30- 45 day aerobic program can take you there. Cardio is the most important part to survive the uphill climb and your heart rate has to be consistently trained. Your jog should be 20 mins and gradually reaching to about 45 mins would be an excellent way of getting your cardio respiratory tract and metabolism strong, which would support your climb. The normal jog could be transformed into inclined treadmill or uphill jog after 2 weeks to load your muscles more and make them adaptable there. you could start anything from 2 minutes continuously and reaching 10 mins, where 1 minute break is very important along with 2 sets of 5 minutes sets to reach your target 10 mins.
Your brisk walk should be a part of this jog program to balance your upper heart rate ratio with the lower heart rate ratio, to bring out a better average of the heart . it could be anything from alternating 90 secs of jogging to 120 secs of brisk walking for 30 mins and moving on to alternating 5 mins of jogging to 2 mins of brisk walk for 45 mins time frame.
b. Step-Ups/Step-Downs
(targets front and back of thighs, butt, and calves). Place your left foot on an high aerobic step, then step up with your right foot. Next, step down in front of the step with your left and then your right foot. Turn to face the step and repeat, beginning with your right foot. If this is too easy, you can hold dumbbells at your sides (If you don't have an aerobic step, slowly walk up and down stairs).target time is starting 45 secs with break of 20 secs and moving on to 2 mins sets with 30 secs break to follow.
2. LEGS:
e. Shrugs:
(targets shoulders and upper back). Holding dumbbells at your sides, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Without moving your arms, lift your shoulders toward your ears. Hold, then slowly lower. start with 2 sets of 15 reps each set gradual progression is more weight and less reps for strength 5 sets of 8 reps.
4. Back Extensions
(targets the lower back). Lie face down with your arms folded and your hands under your chin. Keeping your feet and hips on the floor, lift your chin and chest about 3 to 5 inches. Hold, then slowly lower. start with 2 sets of 15 each and progression is 4 sets of 25 each.
b. Bridges
Lie on your back with Right ankle resting on Left knee, Left foot flat on floor about two feet from your buttocks, and arms on the outside of either hip for balance. Exhale and press down on the L foot to raise hips off the floor. To ensure that hips stay parallel, place your hands on each hip socket and concentrate on keeping the pelvis level. Repeat same number of sets and repetitions to the other side. A variation is to extend the non-working leg into the air for a mild hamstring stretch at the same time.
Advanced:
You can also position a bench a few feet from your buttocks and rest both heels on the bench, then unweight one leg and lift hips upward with the other. For maximum bodyweight challenge, try placing both feet on a ball and allow the ball to roll in closer to the body as you bridge the hips upward until your torso forms a straight line from shoulders to knees.
a. . Hanging Leg-Raises
b. Step-Ups/Step-Downs
(targets front and back of thighs, butt, and calves). Place your left foot on an high aerobic step, then step up with your right foot. Next, step down in front of the step with your left and then your right foot. Turn to face the step and repeat, beginning with your right foot. If this is too easy, you can hold dumbbells at your sides (If you don't have an aerobic step, slowly walk up and down stairs).target time is starting 45 secs with break of 20 secs and moving on to 2 mins sets with 30 secs break to follow.
2. LEGS:
Legs are the most important part in this work, so we need to squat and lunge walk more. Squats variation could be from body weight to weighted squats with 2 sets in first week to 5 sets in last days where 10-13 reps should be performed. Same goes with lunge variation from normal body weight lunge walks to weighted lunge walks to uphill walks for extreme strength and endurance. Again you could go from 20 step walk to 100 step with 1 minute rest in every set or you could time set your work from 1 minutes to 2 mniutes with 30 secs break after.
a. In-line Dowel Lunge
Find a line along the floor or the edge of tile or carpet and take a long stride forward so both feet are on that line in a lunge. Hold a dowel behind your back at the nape of the neck and the small of the back to help maintain upright posture. With shoulders remaining over hips, lower the back knee to the ground until you have right angles to both forward and back knee, but avoid dropping the back knee all the way to the floor. Press upward by driving the forward heel into the floor, and maintain balance by keeping knees in over the feet. Front knee should not extend beyond the toes (if they do, take front foot farther forward)
b.Hip Swing
Build explosive, fast-twitch strength to power up steep, big-stride climbs.
How to perform:
Sit on a chair with your feet shoulder-width apart. Grasp a 25-pound kettle bell (or free weight). Stand up, thrusting your hips forward and penduluming the kettle bell until it’s straight in front of you. Keep your shoulders back, stomach muscles tensed, and eyes ahead. In harmony with the kettlebell’s motion, return to the starting position by whipping your hips back and sitting down.
how much to do:
30-60 seconds performing 1-2 times
Progression
Beginner: Chose a weight that works your muscles without overtaxing them–even if that’s no weight to start. Intermediate: Use 25 pounds. Advanced: Use 50-60 pounds.
c. Box Squat
This key exercise builds leg strength for hill power and stabilizes ankles and knees
How top perform:
Sit like you did for Hip Swing, but wearing a weighted pack (beginners go packless). Lift your feet, plant them in front of you, and push through your heels into a standing position. Keep your back straight and stomach muscles tense. Pause for one count, and return to a seated position.
ho much to do:
6-8 reps doing 1-2 sets
Progression
Beginner: Work eccentric muscles by standing fast and sitting slowly.
Intermediate: Load your pack with 40 pounds and do 3-5 sets and gradually decrease chair height.
Advanced: Use 40-50 pounds and alternate pack from one shoulder to the other. Do 90-degree squats with no chair.
3. Chins/Negative Chins:
No single move provides as much upper-body strength as this exercise. Strong arms, shoulders are vital for climbing and carrying the backpack.
How to perform:
Grip a chin-up bar with hands shoulder-width apart. Use either an over- or underhand grip, but be sure to mix it up. From a fully extended hanging position, pull your chin above the bar. Lower your body back to starting position.
how much to do:
Until you can’t do any more, failure
Progression
Beginner: Start with negative chins. Stand on a chair to get your chin above the bar; lower on an 8-count.
Intermediate: Max out on chin-ups; switch to negative chins until your muscles quit.
Advanced: Do chin-ups with a weighted pack.
e. Shrugs:
(targets shoulders and upper back). Holding dumbbells at your sides, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Without moving your arms, lift your shoulders toward your ears. Hold, then slowly lower. start with 2 sets of 15 reps each set gradual progression is more weight and less reps for strength 5 sets of 8 reps.
4. Back Extensions
(targets the lower back). Lie face down with your arms folded and your hands under your chin. Keeping your feet and hips on the floor, lift your chin and chest about 3 to 5 inches. Hold, then slowly lower. start with 2 sets of 15 each and progression is 4 sets of 25 each.
b. Bridges
Lie on your back with Right ankle resting on Left knee, Left foot flat on floor about two feet from your buttocks, and arms on the outside of either hip for balance. Exhale and press down on the L foot to raise hips off the floor. To ensure that hips stay parallel, place your hands on each hip socket and concentrate on keeping the pelvis level. Repeat same number of sets and repetitions to the other side. A variation is to extend the non-working leg into the air for a mild hamstring stretch at the same time.
Advanced:
You can also position a bench a few feet from your buttocks and rest both heels on the bench, then unweight one leg and lift hips upward with the other. For maximum bodyweight challenge, try placing both feet on a ball and allow the ball to roll in closer to the body as you bridge the hips upward until your torso forms a straight line from shoulders to knees.
5: ABS/CORE
a. . Hanging Leg-Raises
If you're hiking you need a strong core to overcome unexpected terrain. For that hanging leg-raises is recommended, which increases both muscular strength and endurance. Simply hang from a bar and repeatedly raise your knees to your chest,without swinging your body. Perform the move in a calm, controlled motion. This ab exercise may not have the same popularity as the common crunch does, but it's just as important, if not more so.
Hanging leg raises are a superior and safer alternative to sit-ups for increasing core strength while mimicking the repetitive and strenuous motions of hiking/trekking.
Advanced:
Mix up the movement when raising both legs at the same time becomes too easy. Twist both legs at different angles. Lift one leg at a time and alternate. Lift your legs straight out so that they're perpendicular to your waste. Try raising your legs above your head. Keep getting stronger by implementing different variations
how much to do:
basically beating your best everytime, builds more strength and endurance in muscle performance. 3 - 5 sets are a good way to get strong.
b. Regular crunches:
Crunches become an integral part of the training because they support your lower back and act as a bridge between the upper body and lower body, in other words core. You could start from 10 reps in 2 sets and take a break and repeat or do it in circuit. Gradual progression could be you reaching about 100 + reps in 5 sets ( 20 each set) you can push yourself reaching 50 reps per set, depending upon your personal comfortability and prior training.
6. Flexibility:
Flexibility is the ability of muscles and tendons to relax and stretch easily. It determines the amount of movement your bones can make in any direction around joints such as shoulders, elbows, hips and knees. Stretching improves your posture and helps to prevent low back pain. Stretching your hamstrings, quadriceps, hip flexors and low back muscles regularly, promotes relaxation in the tissues reducing the strain on your back. On your trek, it is important that you arrive on the slopes with your muscles relaxed.
a. Figure-4 stretch:
A good simple stretching exercise is this exercise . Sit on the floor with your right leg extended in front of you and the sole of your left foot pressed against your inner right thigh. Lean forward with your torso, bending at the waist. Hold for 30 seconds, then switch legs. Repeat for three stretches per leg
b. Knee to chest stretch:
Start doing the knees-to-chest with one leg only.do for several days in a row,then it’s time to advance to lifting both legs
How to do:
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. This is called the supine position.
Gently raise one bent knee up enough so you can grasp your lower leg with both hands.
Gently pull your bent knee toward your trunk, using your hands.
Try to relax your legs, pelvis and low back as much as you can while you pull. This is not a contest - it is a chance to release unnecessary muscle tension that may help your back and create more flexibilty. Relaxing with breathing may allow more movement in the joints of your lower body.
Hold for a few seconds.Return your leg to the floor.Repeat on other side.
Benefits:
If you perform it slowly and carefully, knees-to-chest may also relieve tight hip muscles. In turn, this may increase low back flexibility. this exercise will help keep the muscles calm and relaxed while trekking.
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