Bushwalk conditioning

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Bushwalk conditioning

Postby trekker76 » Mon 05 Aug, 2019 8:12 pm

Just went a short 3 hours in the forest to get back in shape for a crack at Mt Bellenden Kerr later on. About 1.8km which is not great, the bush is thick, but I was off balance and tripping a lot. I find you lose your 'offtrail legs' as well as specific conditioning after a layoff. Also taking the first half of the year off and being in mid 40's not the best combination for jumping back into things. A bit sore at the minute, but still in one piece :) will definitley need a few more walks before I get carried away with a decent climb.

Anyone else have any getting back into shape stories?
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Re: Bushwalk conditioning

Postby Kuhr » Fri 04 Oct, 2019 2:05 pm

I would like to know this too.

I am a heavier guy in his late 40's. I have been day walking in south east queensland for the last three years in the various groups, club and meetup. In May I went on a walk from Cleared Ridge to Mowburra Peak, across to Montserrat Lookout and the next day I suffered severe pain and a swollen knee. Since that time I continued walking even though I would pay for it with limping around for a day or two after each walk. On the day I cannot pinpoint the moment when I must have become injured.

The most recent walks I did were Mt Barney (two trips, S ridge and SE ridge), a variety of other mountains, and the last one I did was Spicer's East and West Peak about 6 weeks ago. Shortly before that walk I had an MRI on my knee, and got the results the week after the walk - turns out I had a fractured tibia near my knee, bursitis behind the knee, outer torn meniscus and damage to my tendon or ligament (unsure of the last one - somehow the doctor lost the MRI result while I watched in his office from his computer! It is no longer on my file)

I was effectively doing all these walks with a broken leg.

So I have spent six weeks recuperating and staying off-trail, apart from 2 circuits of Queen Mary Falls (4km all up) which hardly counts, and I am going stir crazy. My knee feels much better, but my fitness (funny word for a heavier guy like me, but there you have it) feels eroded. Thinking of doing Maroon this weekend to test out but wondering if this might be throwing myself too soon into something too intensive (normally Maroon is good exercise and challenging, but not too difficult)
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Re: Bushwalk conditioning

Postby wildwanderer » Fri 04 Oct, 2019 4:06 pm

Kuhr wrote:I would like to know this too.

I am a heavier guy in his late 40's. I have been day walking....snip...

I was effectively doing all these walks with a broken leg


Considering you have an injury which sounds like it could be a combination of walking on uneven terrain and pushing too hard for your current condition level. (as you can't remember a specific situation that caused the injury.) I'd involve a professional sports doctor to provide a comprehensive plan

It may be that making a whole of life plan eg dietary, fitness, muscle/joint strengthening, walking gait analysis etc is needed.

Gradual building up of flexibility, joint strength, fitness combined with a bit weight loss. If you don't already consider walking poles to better distribute the impact of walking and provide a bit of balance assistance on uneven terrain.

Optimise the complete picture as opposed to just trying to start bushwalking again.
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Re: Bushwalk conditioning

Postby bigkev » Fri 04 Oct, 2019 7:18 pm

Hi Kuhr,

I'd have to agree with what wildwanderer said. I'm a fairly big bloke too, 120+ kgs, 6'2" and in my mid 50's and I still get out on the occasional solid walk.

Apart from walking I try and keep my weight under control a bit with exercise that doesn't stress my joints out too much. Swimming and bike riding are the low impact activities that I do.

On my walks I generally go a lot slower than I did when I was younger (if I'd had your injury I'd be starting on something easier than Maroon or Barney!). As wildwanderer said walking poles are worth considering, I use them on all my hard walks and they definitely take a bit of strain off the knees and ankles.

If you're anything like me the hardest thing is convincing the voice in your head that your not 18 anymore:)

Good luck.

Cheers Kevin
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Re: Bushwalk conditioning

Postby Warin » Fri 04 Oct, 2019 8:33 pm

I'd get another MRI on the knee to see if it is good to go, talk to your doctor and tell them what you want to get back to fitness wise. Ask the people who do the MRI to send you a copy as the doctor deleted the last one :shock:

Loss of fitness happens .. bicycles I know broke their hip .. one week later they were on the exercise bike .. exercising one leg...
As others have said ..go back to fitness slowly, you need to build up not strain away at the newly healed. Bicycling and swimming will take strain away for the joints if that is all that is holding you back. I find cycling uses different mussels though.

--------------- edit
ABC article on running ... should apply to all physical activity.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2019 ... s/11564926
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Re: Bushwalk conditioning

Postby Aardvark » Sat 05 Oct, 2019 8:42 am

Warin wrote: I find cycling uses different mussels though.


Fascinating. I never knew of a connection between cycling and mussels.
Are they green lipped mussels?

Sorry, couldn't resist.
Ever on the search for a one ended stick.
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Re: Bushwalk conditioning

Postby neilmny » Sat 05 Oct, 2019 10:48 am

bigkev wrote:..............
Apart from walking I try and keep my weight under control a bit with exercise that doesn't stress my joints out too much.

On my walks I generally go a lot slower than I did when I was younger........... As wildwanderer said walking poles are worth considering, I use them on all my hard walks and they definitely take a bit of strain off the knees and ankles.

If you're anything like me the hardest thing is convincing the voice in your head that your not 18 anymore:)

Good luck.


X2
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Re: Bushwalk conditioning

Postby wildwanderer » Sat 05 Oct, 2019 12:21 pm

bigkev wrote:If you're anything like me the hardest thing is convincing the voice in your head that your not 18 anymore:)

neilmny wrote:X2


Its true we cant go from 10 km/h to 100 km/h with little risk like we could at 18. However its very possible to still be doing solid day and multiday bushwalking in challenging terrain as we advance in years.

I frequently do multiday scrambly offtrack bushwalking with people in their 70s. These people have been bushwalking for a solid part of their life and their bodies are conditioned to it. While some of their peers are struggling for breath as they get up from the chair, these people are walking for days with 10-15kg on their backs, scrambling down gullies and pushing through scrub in the afternoons of Days 2 and 3. Its inspirational stuff! :D

The biggest difference is it takes a lot longer and requires more care to get to that level as years advance especially conditioning the joints/muscles so they dont become injured. Take a gradual and holistic approach to body conditioning and I think it’s still very possible to carefully do tough walks no matter how old you are.
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Re: Bushwalk conditioning

Postby crollsurf » Sat 05 Oct, 2019 6:52 pm

Those in their 70's are normally not so into UL. I refer to them as the "Indestructibles" :)

Going Ultralight definitely helps and a pole to nurse your knees down the steep sections is a must. You don't want to kill your knees when you've got even 1 day of walking ahead of you.

My conditioning which has no scientific basis whatsoever is parking my car 6-8 klms from work and walking to and from work. Everyday 1 week before an easy walk like the OLT. 2 weeks if I'm expecting something harder. Maybe throw a few stairs in the mix if I'm Alpine Touring.

I can clock up 30+ klms in day but typically around 20 makes for a good day. Others would disagree.

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Re: Bushwalk conditioning

Postby Kuhr » Sun 06 Oct, 2019 6:06 pm

Thank you for the advice everyone.

Unfortunately as a single income family I cannot really afford to see sport physiologists or other such specialists :)

I did end up going to Mt Maroon on Saturday after the 6 week hiatus. I found it considerably more difficult than usual, I seem to have lost a lot of my stamina and needed to rest frequently. I also experienced knee soreness on the way down, and today (the next day) so I guess I am not done healing yet. It did not help that the temperature soared up well above 30 degrees Celsius. I experienced jelly legs on approx 1/3 of the way down which I have not experienced in a long time.

On the drive out on Cotswold Rd I experienced a frightening episode where half way down the road, my right leg (not the injured one) became severely cramped, and I had to pull the car over (braking with my left foot) in the middle of the dirt road, and lie down on the ground outside trying to straighten my leg for two minutes. I had been drinking electrolyte throughout the walk, and in the car so I am at a loss to explain it. It did not happen during the walk.

But I did make it. I think a big part of it is that once you get the mental fortitude, you do not lose that ever. You know you can make it. It is just a question of time, additional effort and extra fatigue.

I have incidentally been using a single walking pole ever since May in most hikes. Results are mixed. Some walks I returned from and experienced little knee issues. Some I had dramatic knee issues afterwards. Whether or not I had a pole did not seem to be a factor, neither the difficulty (steepness, looseness, scrambling level, elevation etc). I was perplexed by this when I was doing this before my MRI. The pole should reduce load on the knee. Maybe I was using it incorrectly or something. The length, stability of the terrain and gradient should factor also. I had simple walks I returned from with a pole and suffered dramatically the next day. I had long and difficult walks (Barney SE Ridge) with no pole I returned from with little impact the next day.

Fortunately as we go into the warmer months the walks tend to turn to flatter rainforest walks, and not mountains so the effort and impact should reduce drastically.

I have a plan for practice walks also. I catch the train to and from work into Brisbane City. I live in Logan Central. I can get off a station earlier most workdays on the way home and walk 6km through Karawatha Forest which is flat on the way home. I can also get off two stations early one day a week and walk through Kuraby Bushlands and Karawatha forest which is nearly 10km. I have done both before, but haven't been doing that lately.
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Re: Bushwalk conditioning

Postby Warin » Sun 06 Oct, 2019 7:44 pm

Your pushing yourself too hard.
Wait untill you recover from the last thing .. then ..

Use the stairs at work rather than lifts.
When you can do that for the week and not feel it then add short walks after work .. Start at 1 km and build up.

The key is not to hurt yourself but gradually build up. Don't start with 3 km .. start with 1 km each day, next week 2 km and so on .. gradually does it.
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Re: Bushwalk conditioning

Postby ChrisJHC » Mon 07 Oct, 2019 9:21 am

My prep for the Larapinta included doing 6km walks in my hiking gear every Tuesday and Thursday night on the way home from work.
Luckily I have a park on the way home that includes hills and - in my opinion just as important - uneven ground.
Adding in a longer weekend walk of around my target distance that included some serious hills and more uneven ground just rounded it off.

When travelling made sure I used the hotel gyms to do a serious session on the cross-trainer.

Started off with a half-weight pack then progressed to three quarters then full weight.

Seemed to work pretty well.
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Re: Bushwalk conditioning

Postby Ant71 » Mon 07 Oct, 2019 6:06 pm

Hi this time 3 years ago we had just finished the Overland Track. This time 4 years ago I could only just walk 3km. I am 48 and a bit overweight we started at 3km and slowly built it up to 5km then made the mistake of jumping up to 10km and I ended up with Planter Fascia so try and build up slowly. We pushed through and started training with our full packs. We absolutely loved it.
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Re: Bushwalk conditioning

Postby Hallu » Wed 16 Oct, 2019 12:09 am

Although it wasn't a multi day walk, I've just completed a 3 week trip to the Alps. I estimate I walked a bit more than 200 km total and with around 12 000 m of elevation gain. First time I've done this in such a scale, but in the Alps if you don't walk there's not much to see. Out of the 21 days I think I walked 18 days, always around 5-7 hours. I used to live in Grenoble so would hike every other week end, but now I live in Paris and just do a bit of flat walking once a month or so. What kept me in good shape I think is gardening. I am more or less in charge of planting at a 2000 m² shared urban garden, and that will keep someone in shape believe me. Lots of weeding by hand, transporting and laying out mulch, sieving compost to sow in, transplanting stuff, installing treillis, but most of all, that instrument of torture : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaff_cutter The one we use is manual, like this : http://www.hache-paille.top/images/hach ... ites-1.png but without the engine. Imagine turning a 20 kg wheel for an hour, meeting great resistance when you cut green grass. It's supposed to be for straw, but we use it to make a mulch out of all the weeds we pull out in the garden and the tree and shrub branches we collect after pruning. You only fill a 100 L bin after an hour behind the wheel, and that's only enough to mulch a 3-5 m² plot. Also, a good thing to keep in shape : no beer. I know it's cruel...
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Re: Bushwalk conditioning

Postby jobell » Fri 13 Dec, 2019 2:34 pm

I spent a whole year preparing physically for the AAWT. Gradually longer walks, working to reduce excess body weight, strengthening excesses and in the second half of the year doing hill repeats on all and any hills of all sizes. One such hill was no longer than 50 metres and maybe 30’ incline but I would do 20 or 30 laps up and down it as quickly as I could. It paid off, the climbs on the AAWT didn’t bother me. Although the descents weren’t as fun! I was entirely disciplined. In hindsight, not so sure where I found either the energy or the enthusiasm for all that exercising. I love an adventure but I hate training!


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