STRENGTH TRAINING - A Backpacker?s Guide to Making Every Ounce Count: Tips and Tricks for Every Hike (2015)

A Backpacker?s Guide to Making Every Ounce Count: Tips and Tricks for Every Hike (2015)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

STRENGTH TRAINING

Aguy once told me that if you want to lighten your pack, lose some weight. When he saw the puzzled look on my face, he explained a bit further. I was a few pounds overweight and needed to lose some weight—and still do. If you are a few pounds overweight, start working out and lighten some of your own personal weight.

It made sense to me to lose some weight, but pounds instead of ounces, and he was right. The trip will be easier on your knees and back just as it will be with carrying a lighter pack.

Cardio is a great way to burn calories. Run or even walk around the neighborhood a few times a day, or a couple of times a week. Stretching and yoga are other activities that can help. When I am not healing from surgery, I work out using the P90X program, and built into the program is an hour and a half of yoga. It makes me sweat more than the kickboxing portion.

Working out with weights and doing the heavy lifting to rip your muscles is another way to burn fuel. As your muscles heal, it takes protein to fuel the healing process. I dropped about twenty-five pounds with P90X in about three months, and I ate more than I have in my life.

Therefore, if weight training is the path you take, check with your doctor to get recommendations on your limitations and such. Watch what you eat while here in civilization, and remember you can’t eat here what you eat on the trail, unless your life, here in civilization, has you walking ten-plus miles every day.

Shaving weight from your pack is as easy as looking at your pack differently. I have enjoyed sharing my thoughts with you, and I hope this book helps with converting you to a Gram Weenie.