NEW hiker need tips

missallenxox

hi everyone, i started hiking about a month ago i guess. i definetly am on the shorter distance scale at this time. i joined a hiking group to connect with other who enjoy it. i was invited on my first over night hike but i am just not having the confidence. part of my new fitness plan to lose weight was to incorporate hiking for a workout.n i am having difficulty with inclines. i am still practicing and forcing myself up them. it is getting better..
does anyone have any tips on getting more fit for inclines??? any specific training things you did?

volleypc

I think the main thing is to take it easy on the inclines. When you get out of breath rest for a minute, get your heart rate down, and then go again. If you try to hike fast or stay with the pack even when you are out of breath you are only going to make it worse.

Some things you can do... work on your leg strength. Do wall sits, lunges, jump squats, calf raises, etc. Spend time on the trails. Nothing will get you in hiking shape better than hiking. Find some short hikes. Let us know how it goes.

sweetbippy

I know there are various schools of thought on this, so do some research and see what works best for you. One thing that has helped me is to either carry light hand weights on flat ground, and small hills, or some light ankle weights. Then, when I'm on a bigger hill, without the weight, I can do it easier b/c of the extra conditioning. Done improperly, it is said it can throw off your gait and injure you. I have not found this to be so in my case. But, again, do what works best for you. As others have said, nothing beats just getting out there and hiking. Good luck, and happy hiking.

JoniBologna

I have seriously taken up peak climbing this year. Needless to say they are gigantic mountains 14,000ft+. It is endlessly steep. I just go slow, and I take lots of short breaks. I agree with don't push yourself too fast. Slow and steady.

ssdivot

I am a slow hiker, and on inclines I take smaller steps (I liken it to shifting to low gear on a car LOL), and stop a lot. If its really hard I'll just pick a number like ok 40 steps and rest a minute. I always remind myself I'm out there to soak in the scenery and enjoy the outdoors so stopping every few minutes and taking a moment to reflect on my surroundings is just FINE! I eventually get wherever I'm trying to go. As slow as I am on the uphills, I'm even slower on the downhills is it is at all steep and/or rocky haha! I do understand your worries though, as I always hike alone and would be worried about slowing down someone if I'm hiking with them but I would assume everyone would just hike at their own pace and rejoin etc. Oh I also recently got two trekking poles and I haven't used them much yet but they seem to help me going uphill by using some of my arm muscles to push, and they are a huge help on the downhills in giving me more security that I'm not going to slip, so I can go a bit faster. I also have a treadmill at home that goes to a 12 incline and I do that sometimes. I just go like 2 mph at the max incline. Doing squats and such really helps too. Good luck and don't worry I'm sure you'll have a great time!

imaginaryplaces

I'm still a work in progress as far as mountain hiking goes, but here are some things that I've found helpful:

At the gym, I alternate workouts on the stair-stepper with workouts on the treadmill set at as high of an incline as I can handle. High intensity interval training on both of these pieces of equipment has definitely helped.

On the trail: I love, love, love my trekking poles; they definitely give me a boost going up, and lighten the load on my joints coming down. Also, as others have mentioned, when I first started out, I kept my steps small. For me, learning to pace myself (i.e., slow down to a snail's pace if necessary) so that I could keep moving really helped.

This summer I've been able to hike some trails that were out of reach for me last year - It's been hard work, but so worth it. I wish you the best!

jagwab

Inclines are still my nemesis. Especially if they are on the steep side.
I try to remind myself to slow down and take small steps. And I also tell myself I will make it to a certain tree or rock, and then try to go a few steps past. C

Crossfit has helped my endurance alot. I can longer distances between trees.
And I am about to incorporate some stepmill and incline work as well.

You will get better at it. Just keep plugging along.

dmpizza

No substitute for jogging outside.

missallenxox

thanks so much. i want to train alone but nervous at times being in the rockies alone. i will probably borrow my friends big dog and i'd be ok.