Fantastic! Just so you know, I'm just giving you everything because I don't know exactly where you are yet, having only met you a few days ago. I'd rather run the risk of telling you stuff that you already know than leave anything out that might serve you somewhere down the line. I don't know if I'm an "expert" or not, but 25 years of hiking and weight lifting has taught me a few things.
Okay. So. Workout routines.
First things first: what do you perceive as your weak areas? Notice I didn't ask where you actually ARE weak, just where you PERCEIVE that you are. The body takes its instructions from the brain.
You've probably seen this on the trail and in the gym: If you're in a bad mood, depressed, thinking about something debilitating (anything other than anger), you've probably noticed yourself slowing down, getting unnaturally tired, feeling a little weaker than usual. Then again, when you are chatting and laughing with friends, time flies, you can hike all day, you are stoked. You can do that without an entourage, all you need is your fabulous brain. It's going to be you and you out there for that great adventure so start building
that muscle first. Build your ability to focus. Gym rats without focus are just monkeys throwing heavy things around, they're not really training. Any dedicated body builder in here will tell you that.
An athlete with the ability to focus on something to the exclusion of everything around him is one powerful mo fo. If you can laugh in a blizzard, get horny over memories during a downpour, and sing to yourself while you backtrack a lost trail, you're on the right path, pun intended. The human body operates at its peak when happy. Back in Denver at my old body building gym, my buddies and I used to tease each other incessantly and laugh our asses off. Guys would stare at us, wondering why we weren't growling and snarling and acting all pissed at the weights, like we were doing battle. It's because we knew a secret: getting angry can make you strong for a few minutes if you can keep it up but being happy will keep you strong all day long without any extra effort. No need to work up any steam, we were already at maximum. You should have seen these guys lift. I felt like I was in the presence of superheroes, even rubbed elbows with the Denver Broncos once or twice. Great guys. Our boxing team took home titles every year.
From a physical standpoint, think about where you get tired first in your body. Is it your quads from doing inclines? Then, train like a sprinter and do some jumping exercises up and down high blocks or three stairs at a time, then balance with some hamstring work. Is it your back from the weight of your pack? Work the muscles that help the back move smoothly and target the spots that talk to you first.
http://home.comcast.net/~wnor/lesson6musclesofback.htm Also, test different ways to arrange your pack and adjust your straps. Maybe a strap could be padded, maybe another one needs to be longer. Test wearing your pack tighter and looser for incline and decline. Get all your gear
absolutely soaking wet in the tub and then weigh it to see what your max gear weight will be, water bottles filled. That is what your knees and feet will be absorbing, worst case scenario.
Here's a brainstorm: pay a visit to a chiropractor and get an adjustment. Take notes on the bones and joints they adjust and ask them which muscles affect those bones. Let them know your plans (ignore them when they get wide-eyed and say you're crazy) and ask them what they think would be in your best interest to strengthen or loosen on YOUR body--not just anybody who's "gonna go hikin", but YOUR body, specifically. Stretching and relaxing certain muscles is often a far saner route to alleviate a problem area than attempting to strengthen everything around it and force it into allignment. At the end of your trip, see the same chiropractor again and compare notes. This will give you a springing-off point for future training.
Here is a great site for exercises once you've targeted your areas:
http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.htmlIn a nutshell, and you already know this, you aren't training for bulk and you aren't necessarily training for cardio (because you've already got that). You are training for a very particular kind of portable strength. Every body is different and no one rule applies to the entire planet. Experiment with between 10 and 20 reps and then adjust from there by adding weight, not reps. Concentrate on core muscles--abs, obliques, lower and middle back--for balance and don't neglect your arms. I don't know how much scrambling you'll be doing but upper body strength is an essential, especially in an emergency. Do pull ups while weighted down with the equivalent weight of your wet pack, narrow and wide grip. Do rope climbs in the gymnasium the same way. (Work up to these two, don't just start with the full weight.) Have some fun with an indoor rock wall if you have access to one.
You will design a custom lifting routine for yourself over time. I suggest trying a bunch of different stuff and seeing what feels good. I do a Push-Pull-Leg routine where on one day, I do all upper body exercises that require a pushing motion, two days later I do all the pulling moves, and two days after that I do legs. Abs I sprinkle in as I go. Others train one or two muscles a day, then rest for three days in between due to the high intensity of such. Keep in mind that the closer the move is to how you will actually be using your body, you more it will serve you. I mean, you aren't going to be seeing many rowing machines out in the forest, are you? :wink:
Regarding your usual cardio routine, work in interval training with running and walking on hills, walking up and running down, then running up and walking down. Interval training is still scientifically proven to be the fastest, most thorough method to increase blood oxygen capacity. And it will come in handy when you are running from cougars. Just kidding.
This is all just my own experience, take only what makes sense to you.
That's all I can think of at the moment, had a long week. Hey, I want to track your progress as you go out there, will you be checking in on the internet during the trip? I'd be more than happy to supply you with dirty jokes for the duration. What are training friends for? :D
Baby Herc
PS: The smart-alecky smile on your avatar is priceless. It's plain to see you're all over this.
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But for the days I can't make it out into some deeper woods, I'd like to get a pretty rigorous routine going at home.