Originally Posted By: Steve C
Originally Posted By: bruce
The treadmill say I climbed over 6000 feet in those 4 hours so that's good enough for me. Hopefully I'll be ready this coming Monday for Whitney once again.

Bruce, please let us know how it goes. I am wondering how the treadmill will compare.

...seems to me, based on the physics of it... on a treadmill, even though you set the angle to simulate a climb, you aren't actually lifting your body weight and the pack "up" against gravity, so no net work done. That is strictly theory, of course, and we know it requires work for your body to stay on, and keep up with, the treadmill. Anyway, that's why I am curious how the treadmill compares to the real thing.


A treadmill is essentially the only thing I did to prepare for my last Whitney hike. Similar to what bruce was saying, I'd set my incline to 15 degrees and go at ~3mph for 45 mins, take 10 mins, and then do 45 more.

Being a teacher, I don't get a lot of weekdays to get out and hike, and my kids take up my weekends. So aside from a hike up the Ski Hut trail on Baldy about three weeks prior, the treadmill and I were together nearly nightly during the week for a few months before my Whitney ascent. We made it just fine, and I really couldn't tell much of a difference between this last hike and the one prior where all I did was hike outdoors on trails. Except for being two years older. That part is always gonna suck.

One day I'd like to hike the entire John Muir Trail and not leave a single footprint. -Randy Morgenson