Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion The Windows

Rod -

To risk the obvious - why don't you just go hiking? as opposed to doing stadium stairs? The desert ranges - Inyos, Panamints, Cosos, etc are great places for winter hiking. Some of the best hiking in SoCal is in DV, and it's just cooling down enough now to make it sane. And there's lots of peaks and hills within an hour of Santa Clarita.

And Bee - you asked for suggestions - I don't know where in Northern CA you live, but if you want to get in shape for hiking - why don't you just hike? So-called "core work" is fine, I suppose, but don't over-analyze this - nothing puts you in shape for hiking but hiking. If you want to be in good shape for Whitney, then do 2-3,000' of elevation gain/loss on the weekends between now and you'll have few problems making the summit or any other 14'er.

Kevin -- I hear you, but I have always felt that being a weekend warrior was never quite enough for keeping in shape, generally speaking. I work out every other day no matter what goals I have set for myself, so I thought that I might as well tailor the workouts towards a specific activity.

B

(BTW, I kind of agree that hiking isn't very technical, thus,I agree that if ya wanna hike.....than go hike!)

I do hike Kevin. I just have this thing called work during the week. I do my cardio work outs 3 times a week in the AM before work.It is too dark in the AM before work to run the nearby hills and too dark after work. My local Jr. College has lights on at 5:30 AM. I like running stairs at my local Jr. College as oppossed to treadmill or track running for lots of reasons.It is outdoors, it is less pounding on my knees and back and it is the best workout I can get in a short time frame.45-60 minutes running stairs is an amazing workout.I then work out at my own gym a couple times a week also.I am off track for the first time in 4 years but tomorrow AM the train rolls again.

Rod, I'll be thinking about you! I started doing something called HIIT, High Intensity Interval Training. I'll do the stairmaster hard for 15 minutes and then jump on the weights and do chest or triceps (whatever I didn't do last) for about 10 minutes. Then I jump back on the stairmaster and do it hard again. Then back to the weights. Sometimes I'll slow it down and then go as hard as I can for 60 seconds. It just kills me, especially if I do the entire hour of stairmaster in 15 minute intervals.
My problem is, it's really tough.....and then I want to eat everything when I get home :-) In the two weeks I've done it though, my legs feel stronger.
Today was my day off completely. Yea, and my kid made brownies!

Sounds like a tough work out Joe.That sounds like a circuit work out.I do a similar type where I use special isokinetic resistence machines that work on fast twitch fibers. I do a 45 second set as fast as I can.Then I switch to another machine and do another 45 second set. So I go from a chest incline bench, to a military bench, then a arm curl machine,leg extentions/leg curl,torso twist,leg squat,etc.I repeat this circuit 3 times.Then it is physio ball for core strengthening and finish off with stretch bands and some easy yoga. We have to get at it don't we? Use it or lose dang it.

Wait a minute Rod! I thought you had fallen into sluggery.

And now you're talking about all the workout things you do. Makes my 3x per week look ...weak.

Yes Steve that has been my work out for the past 4 years. Did I mention I have taken a break? Tomorrow I run the stairs. Tuesday it is back to the circuit training.You and Laura were enough of the push I needed to start up again.I have been procrastinating and feeling guilty.Now It is back on.Heck if we have a group hike I don't want to left in the dust crying like a baby.Besides I promised DUG if he needed me to come get him in the back country I would do it.There is gonna be some pain this week.

Bring some ice cream when you come on in............................................DUG

Hey, wait a minute. That's MY trick...

So Rod, You are telling me that crying like a baby isn't normal? Man, how am I gonna tell this to my wife when I'm asking her to slow down.

OK I didn't hit the stairs but I did get a 30 minute walk and some core work in. It is a start back to my regular rigorous workouts.Joe crying like a baby is OK in my world.I am actually in better shape than I thought I would be.I certainly am not in prime shape.Tomorrow it is either stairs or circuit work out.

Rod, staying in "prime shape" is not a goal I can aim for. I just don't see how anyone with a life outside the gym could hope for that. Life has to many other good things to enjoy.

But staying in "good shape" is what I try to maintain. Then when a big hike is near, I can increase the workout frequency or intensity without making any huge changes.

Don't kill yourself with the workouts. If you do, you will probably quit after a few times.

I hear you Steve. By prime shape I don't mean training for a big hike or 15 rounds with Tyson.My work out goals are just to keep in good cardio shape,sustain good muscle tone, maintain joint movement and flexibilty. My workouts are only 45-60 minutes per day, 5 days a week. It is enough to keep me feeling good. I had worked out 3 years before I ever even considered climbing Whitney. When I decided to climb Whitney I added an extra day of stair climbing so I was working out 3 days a week in the gym doing circuit training and 3 days running stairs. Crazy thing was that when I was training 6 days a week hard, I was the heaviest weight I had been in many years. Yes some increased muscle tone but I just ate too much justifying it cuz I was working out so much. If you see my pictures on Whitney in 2007 I was 4o lbs heavier than I am now.
In 2008 I went back up Whitney with 30 lbs shaved off my pack weight and 40 lbs on my personal weight. It is a lot easier to climb Whitney with 70 less pounds unless your name is Laura.

Actually, Rod, funny you should mention the weight thing. I remember when I climbed Whitney, I had spent the previous two years shaving weight off my own bod. When I put the pack down for a break at Lone Pine Lake, I had the revelation that I was now able to take all that weight (I had lost between 50-60 pounds) ON and OFF my body at will.

So, no matter what the pack weight, I still smile about that. Especially since I've been at the same "fighting weight" for the past 8-9 years. (Well, except for the winter coat last year, but I'm not gonna let THAT happen again!)

-L

Both weights (pack and personal) can be reduced. It is a matter of choice. It was certainly easier to remove 30 lbs off my pack than it was to lose that weight off my body.
The one point I forgot to make was that I didn't lose weight working out. I only lost weight dieting. F'ing calorie reduction.