How to Train for a Thru-Hike
How to Train for a Thru-Hike
Prior to the Pacific Crest Trail, I had been told to believe that the only way to truly be “in shape” was to be a runner. Like, a marathon runner. For over a decade, it was engrained in me that unless my body/cardiovascular system could support running consistently 5-6 days a week, I was out of shape. But I liked lifting weights, yoga, biking, hiking, going on walks… was I always out of shape then?
Thru-hiking completely changed my mind and my body.
I now believe that though running is a fantastic way to improve your cardiovascular health and overall body tone, that there is more to fitness (and life) than running. This is coming from someone who now enjoys running and recently completed a half marathon. It is a component of my active lifestyle rather than the focus.
In preparation for the Pacific Crest Trail, I did a combination of walking (with and without my weighted pack), hiking (with and without my weighted pack), strength training, hot yoga, and running. Even though I still wound up sore for the first few weeks, I believe that a combination of training is the best way to prepare for a thru-hike.
Note that this also depends on your initial fitness level when starting to train for an endurance event such as this. The amount of movement your body is accustomed to in the months (years?) prior to prepping for the trail will change how and how much you need to train.
I also want to note that any advice given here is to be given in the spirit for which it is intended. Just anecdotal pieces that may help you on your backpacking journey. It should be used in tandem with direction from your physician. And if you have any ability differences or health concerns to continue to work with the medical professionals in your life.
Training for the Appalachian Trail
In preparation for my upcoming thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, I have been focusing on physical training that will not only help me complete the trail, but also help me attempt to complete it in 100 days. 100 days is not fast compared to the new record that was recently set by Tara Dower (40 days!), but it is fast for a typical person and time span. And I would categorize myself as someone who has grown into a standard hiker with generally typical fitness.
As mentioned above, I am varying what I do on a daily basis to best prepare me. I have broken down what works best for me into 5 categories.
Walking
Hiking
(Hot) Yoga
Running
Strength Training
For the last month I have been working with a fellow native Michigander, Coach Jeff Wilson, to help primarily with the strength training component.
Jeff has been a strength & running coach for over 14 years and has worked with countless individuals, helping them achieve their desired goals. Whether that be qualifying for the Boston Marathon, working through injuries, getting healthy and full of energy again, or getting people stronger so they can do the things they most enjoy in life. Jeff is a holistic minded trainer and believes that good movement, strength, and solid food is the foundation of a healthy mind and overall life.
He has graciously offered some insights into what strength and conditioning can do for overall health, specifically what it can do for endurance athletes. You will see some training takes from both of us throughout this post - including an example strength training plan from him!
Walking
Leeann:
This may seem like the most basic of training advice, but there is a reason for it. Besides the outstanding and irrefutable empirical evidence that walking improves your overall health, hiking is just fancy walking, so it is in the most basic sense.. the same movement. Additionally, thru-hiking can hurt in the beginning because jumping from inactivity to 8, 9, 10+ hours on your feet is such a change.
I have learned to love going on walks with friends, taking my dog on an extra long walk, or getting excited about audiobooks/podcasts and having alone time that a solo walk provides.
For thru-hike training, I recommend walking with your pack on. This can start out minimally with 5 pounds and increasing the weight from there. One of the biggest adjustments of thru-hiking is dealing with the extra weight of your pack. This also puts more pressure on your feet and gives your body a chance to adapt.
Hiking
Leeann:
For all the same reasons that simple walking is good for you, hiking mimics. Hiking as a form of preparation is the best way to train. In fact, a solid majority of the hikers I met on the Pacific Crest Trail did minimal training and just said that they will “get in shape while on the trail”. Though initially this was a bit shocking, they were not wrong.
Your body will adapt to the uneven terrain, the inclines, the descents, and more over time. But this also leads to you perhaps being more sore in the beginning of a hike than you may need to be.
I would recommend doing some preparation hikes with elevation gain and loss. Additionally wearing your pack (with the incremental weight increases mentioned above) will be instrumental in having your body feel what a typical day on trail will feel like. It can be daunting after your first weighted pack hike and the assumed soreness that will occur to know that will be your day in and day out. BUT your body will learn over time.
Yoga
Leeann:
Yoga for hiking is truly my secret weapon and my favorite of all of the methods of training. I’ve been lucky enough to have a hot yoga membership this winter and dive into my practice. I will be sharing an in depth Yoga for Hiking post in the next few weeks as I’ve partnered with a yoga teacher to share helpful insights. Watch out for that!
Running
Leeann:
As mentioned above, I have had a complicated relationship with running for a dozen or so years now. I use it as a tool in my overall training toolbox, but it isn’t the main focus. I have been doing some short runs recently to encourage my body to 1) remember that it is okay for my heart rate to be high and sustained and 2) help with a potential plateau of training.
I have learned to enjoy running, making running part of my normal weekly routine. Two months after finishing the PCT, with little to no training, I was able to run a sub 2-hour half marathon. Thru-hiking makes you fit in ways I never thought possible!
Coach Jeff Wilson:
I have been a runner my entire adult life and then some. I started when I was 14 and after my first race, never looked back. I've always loved it and it has been the closest thing to the word passion as I can get. I've met a lot of great people and most of my adult life has been shaped by my running circles, grad school, business and such. With that said, I've learned that running isn't the end all be all of fitness. When you're in the midst of training for a big race, let alone training year round over and over again, it can seem like it's the only thing that matters.
Let's get real. Once you get used to running, it really brings you life in a way that most things don't. I might be biased but I've trained for many different sports and trained many people over my life, and most avid runners say the same thing. I found out the hard way, though, that training so consistently for endurance work and basically only endurance, eventually leads to other problems. Not just physically either.
The more important lesson was that I learned fitness was something that took many tools to be successful, and ironically, how to be better at running too. When you look at something so specific like a thru hike through the AT, you need to have a well rounded approach. I will finish this running section on a really positive note too. Running will help you mentally in ways most things can't. There's something about the never-relenting nature of continuing to push that can shape you in ways that most fitness elements cannot, which can really help prepare for such a long journey as the AT.
All that to say, read our sections on strength training and why this is even more important than you might think. If I had to choose one for people to prepare their bodies, other than hiking with your pack on of course, I'd say get stronger.
Strength Training
Leeann:
When I got off of the Pacific Crest Trail, I was hesitant to begin lifting weights again because it had been “so long” aka 6 months. I was pleasantly surprised to see that even though I had not had a consistent strength workout split, that I had gotten much stronger.
Fun fact: I have consistently lifted weights since 2015 and have historically enjoyed it much more than cardio workouts.
Because the Appalachian Trail is known for steep ascents and descents, I knew that I had to focus on strength more than I had for the PCT. I had been doing a decent amount of weights (high repetitions, moderate weight) to build endurance muscle tissue - cue Coach Jeff Wilson!
Coach Jeff Wilson:
With my years of working with various individuals, I've found that strength training stands alone in its importance for the body to function and move well both short and long-term. Whether your goals are to run faster, feel overall better or even live longer, strength training is very much at the top of the hierarchy. This doesn't take away from the endurance side of things, nor am I ignoring the vast benefits or endurance work on cardiovascular health. Really, though, either path will only take you so far.
On that note, an event such as a long trek along the Appalachian Trail is one where both focuses are needed, but where I'd put an emphasis on two things here. Strength training that prepares you for the actual reality that you're about to deal with, such as practicing stairs with your pack on. Which has a cardiovascular and strength benefit. Then the other piece would be more simply all around strength.
When I first spoke with Leeann about what she was doing already, she had a solid handle on getting in a lot of strength work. She was already doing 4 days per week with a lot of reps. I was like, “dang girl!” So what we modified was adding some variety to her mix, along with some heavier variations of some exercises while adding some new types of exercises that would directly help her hiking.
Now more generally speaking, what people miss when they strength train is they focus mostly on what they think they need to do based on the event. Which upfront, I get. It's why runners for decades just did a lot of reps for strength training, because running is an endurance sport. Makes sense right? Well, partially. However, simply put, your body needs a mixture of high repetition, low weight and low repetition, high weight. This works your muscles differently and allows for more of an all around foundation to build on.
So you might be thinking, “but I'm about to hike 20 miles a day, why do I need heavier lifting?” Well, quite simply, your body craves it. The average person doesn't think they need this. However, it's one of the most important factors in longevity and even areas such as fall statistics in the elderly. Power isn't just for “athletes.” It's necessary for humans. Your body needs to be able to produce more force, for example when you're really tired and hiking up a hill.
This is where both endurance and strength come together like peanut butter and jelly. When you want to get better at running, you typically run more. When you want to get stronger, you lift more. Now imagine these two combine like the Avengers coming to fight Thanos. You need different skills to be able to withstand the brutalness of what you're about to do.
Strength Training Plan
What I based most of Leeann’s training off of was basically the following:
2 leg days
2 upper-body days
The types of movements I choose from are:
Squats
Hinges
Upper-body push
Upper-body pull
Carry
Lunge/Single Leg
Anti-rotation
Rotation
Then from there, I decide certain small things that are specific to the person's pain-points or weak points. For example, someone doing a thru-hike does not need back issues while hiking day in and day out. You'll inevitably have some back issues, carrying a 35-40 lb pack of course, and we don't want to add any extra weight to your baggage you're bringing. Plus you never know what challenges you'll face 2 months in. Your body and mind need to be prepared for what's ahead.
A couple of muscle group areas you don't want to forget about for a thru-hike are:
Calves & feet (don't just think your footwear will do it all for you)
Hip flexors
Back muscles & postural muscles
Abs and obliques (the obliques and back sometimes feel like the same problem)
Inner thighs (this one has a lot to do with knee pains)
Glutes (this one is already probably on your mind, but it is literally the middle ground to all the things that happen in your movement)
An example full body day that I would write based off the above may look like this:
1a) Dumbbell Goblet Squat
1b) Dumbbell Calf Raises
2a) Barbell RDL
2b) Barbell Shoulder Press
3a) Dumbbell Curtsy Lunge
3b) Dumbbell Farmers Carry
4a) Dumbbell Windmills
4b) Dumbbell Renegade Rows
Of course, this is just a snippet of what could be done over several months. The more important list to look at is the one above with the types of exercises. Most programs stick to only a handful and you don't want to skip out on the carrying exercises, the rotational work and even something as simple as the calves (I know calf raises are boring 😴 ). You want to strength train for both your event/fitness desires, but also for the desire to have a well oiled machine to live life with.
I'm excited to hear how Leeann's future journey’s are impacted by the overall approach she's taking and also how this info can help you. I love that she has a well rounded approach including exercise like yoga. The mind, body and spirit are all necessary for a thru-hike such as the AT!
More about Coach Jeff Wilson
Jeff works in Colorado Springs with many different types of individuals, runners, hikers, and every day peeps wanting to rock life at any stage, and be able to pick up their grandkids along the way. He works with clients, one on one, and in small groups & classes. He also coaches people from afar like Leeann! As a fun add-on, he works part-time with the Men's Cross Country Team at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs as their strength & nutrition coach.
He's a crazy runner himself and has recently ran the Pikes Peak Ascent and has gotten into more long long-distance running. He enjoys playing his guitar, watching sit-coms, learning, reading and the Lord of the Rings. Also his cat Forest.
You can reach out to him via email at coachwilson10459@gmail.com or follow any one of these links to work with him.
Website: jeffwilsonpersonaltraining.com
Try 2 FREE week of strength training just like Leeann by reaching out to Coach Jeff Wilson by clicking here!
