A hike in the Allegheny National Forest, circa 1980, from the Gerry L. Reynolds Collection, used with permission.
Recently
I was reading an article titled, “How To Prepare For
Your First Outdoor Adventure”, in American Outdoors Guide magazine. The author, Dana Brenner, wrote about the
importance of getting into shape before you head out
into the wilderness and his words made me think of a lesson plan that I had
written in 2015 for a class that I was teaching. Always remember, if you aren’t in good physical
shape before you go into the wilderness, you could get hurt or have medical
emergency, which would ruin your fun and worse could put you and your rescuers
in danger too!
Adventuring
in the wilderness puts demands on your cardio-respiratory
system. Additionally, backpacking, canoeing,
and portaging puts stress on your shoulder joints, in fact for paddlers, shoulder
injuries are one of the top five injuries!
In a three-part series, originally published in 2014 in the May, June
and July editions of Field & Stream (HERE, HERE and HERE), author Michael R. Shea explained a three-phase
program developed which had been developed by Under Armour pro-staffer Cameron
Hanes, on how to become fit for the outdoors.
I have adapted his program by adding in shoulder exercises which were recommended
by Christopher Crowhurst, in his article, “Shoulder Exercises for Kayaking and
Canoeing”, HERE, to help get you from zero to wilderness
shape in three months.
Remember,
ALWAYS check with your physician before starting any physical fitness
program. Also, these exercises are
written for someone who is already reasonably strong. If you find that you are unable to complete
all the repetitions, work up to it.
So,
why not start today!
Getting
Into Wilderness Shape
Graphic by the Author.
Now
is the time to start getting into wilderness shape. Month one, emphasizes cardio, strength, and
flexibility drills, starts today.
1. Slow and Steady
Weeks 1 - 2
Start
out slow, as Cameron Hanes says, “Most people never make it outside because
they think they need to run a marathon”, So walk, don’t run, for 30 minutes
every day. Don’t
push it, especially right at the beginning, but don’t take it too easy either’
try to maintain a brisk pace.
If
running is a problem for you, due to bad knees or something else like that, bicycle
instead. Bicycling is a good alternative
to running. But remember if you switch
bicycling for running, the goal is to give your cardio-respiratory system a workout,
so as the author Michael R. Shea wrote, “Try to maintain a brisk pace, but
don’t push it”.
Weeks 3 - 4
During
weeks three and four, start interval training.
Split your walks into intervals, beginning with one minute of light
jogging, followed by five minutes of walking.
Increase the amount of your running, until by the end of the month you
are jogging for the entire 30 minutes.
If
you have switched to bicycling do the same thing. Start by pedaling slowly for one minute and
then pickup the speed for the next five minutes. Gradually increase the minutes of fast
pedaling until by the end of the month you are pedaling fast for the entire 30
minutes.
2. Strong Like Bull...
Weeks 1 - 2
 |
Planks and side planks, they do the body good! From Wikimedia, by Jaykayfit, HERE and HERE.
To
build up your strength, everyday start with three sets of planks. Start in an elevated push-up position and
hold it for 20 seconds. Next after a short
rest, do a side plank by getting up on one arm and then hold this position for
20 seconds. Switch arms and repeat. After the planks, do four sets of 10 push-ups
and 10 squats.
Weeks 3 - 4
During
weeks three and four, lengthen the amount of time you hold your plank times by 20
seconds each week until you can hold both the plank and the two side planks for
a full minute. Also add more push-ups
and squats, so that by the end of month one you are doing four sets of 20 of
each, every day.
3. Joint Health
Flexibility
and stretching are particularly important, because soft tissue injuries like
sprains and strains can severely limit your ability to manage routine
wilderness chores and your ability to move through the wilderness. All in all, they aren’t much fun, so get
flexible and exercise those joints!
Weeks 1 - 4
Arm
raises, arm circles and arm rotations should be done daily to loosen up and
stretch the joints in your arms.
Arm raises, an excerpt from “Shoulder Exercises for Kayaking and Canoeing”, HERE.
Do
arm raises, by standing up straight with your arms at your sides, your palms
flat against your sides and your feet shoulder width apart. Next raise your arms out straight from your
sides until they are at shoulder height with your palms facing downwards. Hold this position for a count of fifteen
seconds and then lower your arms to your sides again. Repeat this 10 times.
Arm circles, an excerpt from “Shoulder Exercises for Kayaking and Canoeing”, HERE.
Arm circles start out like arm raises. Stand up straight with your feet shoulder
width apart and raise your arms until they are horizontal at shoulder height,
with your palms facing downwards. Next,
while keeping your arms straight, move your hands in small circles about 12
inches (30 cm) in diameter, completing 10 circles. Repeat this exercise in the opposite
direction, also completing 10 circles. Lower
your arms and rest, before raising your arms to the horizontal again and
complete 10 large circles of about 24 inches (60 cm) in diameter. Next repeat this exercise in the opposite
direction, also completing 10 circles.
Arm rotations, an excerpt from “Shoulder Exercises for Kayaking and Canoeing”, HERE.
Again, arm rotations, start out like arm raises. Stand up straight with your feet shoulder
width apart. Raise your arms until they
are horizontal at shoulder height, this time with your palms facing up. Swing your arms forward while keeping them
horizontal and rotate your hands so that your palms are facing down. Hold this position for fifteen seconds and
then reverse the movement back to the starting position and hold for another fifteen
seconds. Repeat this exercise 10 times.
Two types of chair dips, an excerpt from “Shoulder Exercises for Kayaking and Canoeing”, HERE, modified by the Author.
Chair dips should be done every other day. Start by placing two chairs facing each other
about three feet apart. Sit on one chair
while placing your feet on the other.
Grip the edges of the chair you are sitting on, on either side of your
hips. Slide forward until your arms and
feet are supporting your weight on opposite chairs and slowly lower yourself
until your elbow is close to, but not quite 90o. Hold this position for the count of 5 seconds
and raise yourself back up to the chair seat.
Repeat this exercise 10 times.
If you are unable to complete one repetition of
this exercise, you can modify it by using just one chair and putting your feet
on the floor. Also,
if you can’t do 10 chair dips, do as many as you can in week one and have a
goal to add two more repetitions in each of weeks two to four
Pull-ups, an excerpt from “Shoulder Exercises for Kayaking and Canoeing”, HERE.
Pull-ups are another exercise
that you should every other day. First find
a pull-up bar that is capable of supporting your body weight. It should be high enough to allow you to
grasp it with your arms slightly bent.
Don’t use a bar that is so high that to reach it your arms have to be straight. Grip the bar with you palms facing forwards,
away from your face, lift your knees towards your chest and raise yourself up
until your chin is level with the bar.
Hold this position for 5 seconds and then slowly lower yourself until
you have straight arms, keeping your knees pulled up to your chest
throughout. Repeat this exercise 10
times.
If you are unable to complete
one repetition of this exercise, you can modify it by using a lower bar and
keeping your feet on the ground. Also, if you can’t do 10
pull-ups, do as many as you can in week one and have a
goal to add
two more repetitions in each of weeks two to four.
Getting Into Wilderness Shape
Graphic by the Author.
In month one you started
with some introductory exercises. Month two
is all about building up your endurance.
All you need is your pack, and a couple of gallon jugs of water. “Forget the gym for now”, Cameron
Hanes the Under Armour pro-staffer says, “Just get outside”.
1. Pick Up the Pace
Weeks 5 - 8
Gradually increase last
month’s 30-minute cardio sessions to a full hour. Unlike last month, run or bike every other day
and gradually increase your running or biking time by 10 minutes a week during
weeks five to eight, until you are running or bicycling for a full hour.
Now just like Jack and
Jill, hike up a hill! On the days you
are not running or bicycling, load a day pack with a gallon jug of water (this
is about 8.3 pounds or 3.8 kilograms), find some hills and “get hiking”,
as Cameron Hanes says.
Continue hiking every
other day for all of month two and month three and as the weeks go increase the
weight you are carrying by adding more water and water jugs to your pack, by
half gallon (about two liters) increments, until you have reached four full gallons,
which is a weight of 33.2 pounds (15 kilograms).
A gallon of water weighs about 8.3 pounds (3.8 kilograms), photograph by the Author.
Pro-tip! When you reach the top of the hill, dump out the
water, this will save your knees on your journey back down the hill.
2. Carry Your Weight
Weeks 5 - 6
Just like last month, keep
doing your planks, push-ups, and squats every day, just like last month, but this
month add four sets of 20 lunges. When
doing lunges, keep your upper body straight, stepping forward with one leg, and
then lower your hips until both of your knees are bent at a 90o
angle. One set of lunges is 20 lunges
with your right leg leading and then 20 lunges with your left leg leading. Do this exercise every other day.
Weeks 7 - 8
Continue the planks,
push-ups, squats, and lunges from weeks five and six, but in weeks seven and
eight put on your pack, loaded with a gallon of water in week seven, and two
gallons of water in week eight.
3. Go Long, Joint Health
A 16.9 oz (.5-liter) water bottle weighs just over one pound (.5 kilogram). Photograph by the Author.
Weeks 5 - 6
Keep those joints
flexible by continuing with your arm raises, arm circles, and arm rotations
from last month. In weeks five and six, do
10 repetitions of arm raises, arm circles, and arm rotations each, but now do
them while holding a 16.9 oz (.5-liter) water bottle in each hand1.
Continue your chair dips and pull-ups but
add two more repetitions to your best score from last month have a goal to add two more repetitions
in each of weeks five and six.
Weeks 7 - 8
Continue your arm raises,
arm circles, and arm rotations from weeks five and six, but in weeks seven and
eight, add 5 more repetitions to each exercise, for a total of 15 repetitions
each. Keep up your chair dips and pull-ups
but add two more repetitions to your best score from week six and have a goal to add two more repetitions in each of
weeks seven and eight.
Getting Into Wilderness Shape
Graphic by the Author.
1. Race into the Wilderness Season
Weeks 9 - 10
Just like last month, run
or bicycle an hour every other day, but now it is time to go for speed. When running try to reduce your mile pace by 30
seconds, and if you are cycling try to knock two minutes off your time. For example, if you are running a nine-minute
30-second mile, try to knock 30 seconds of your pace so that you are running a nine-minute
mile. And if you are cycling at a
6-minute mile, or10 mph, which is a good speed for a beginner, try to reduce it
by two minutes to a 4-minute mile, or 15 mph.
Weeks 11 - 12
Author Michael Shea
recommends that you find a 5K, half marathon or bicycle race scheduled for the
weekend before your wilderness adventure.
Preparing for the race and the resulting competition will focus your
training and increase your motivation.
Dumbbells, photograph by the Author.
2. Pump It Up
Weeks 9 - 10
Two arm dumbbell rows from a squat position, from Wikimedia, by Everkinetic, March 6, 2016, HERE.
Starting in week nine, begin
your exercise sessions with four sets of 10 dumbbell rows, done from a squat
position, lifting the weights from your knees to your chest. Then continue with your planks, push-ups,
squats, and lunges just like last month’s workout.
Weeks 11 – 12
Bench press with dumbbells, from Wikimedia, by Everkinetic, March 6, 2016, HERE.
Starting in week eleven,
add four sets of 10 bench presses and traditional arm curls with dumbbells to your
exercise routine. Start on the flat
bench, increasing the weight between sets, then move to the incline and decline
bench. Continue with your planks,
push-ups, squats, lunges, and dumbbell rows just like in weeks nine and ten.
Biceps Curl With Dumbbell, from Wikimedia, by Everkinetic, March 6, 2016, HERE.
3. Race Into, Joint Health
Weeks 9 – 10
Keep up your arm raises,
arm circles, and arm rotations from last month, but in weeks nine and ten do 20
repetitions each, while holding a 16.9 oz (.5-liter) in each hand water bottle
in each hand. Keep up your chair dips
and pull-ups but add two more repetitions to your best score from last month and
have a goal to add two more repetitions in each of weeks nine and ten.
Weeks 11 – 12
Keep up your arm raises,
arm circles, and arm rotations from weeks nine and ten, but add 5 more
repetitions to each exercise for a total of 25 repetitions each. Keep up your chair dips and pull-ups but add
two more repetitions to your best score from last month and have a goal to add
two more repetitions in each of weeks eleven and twelve.
Remember to get into shape, before you head
out into the wilderness! Photograph by
the Author.
Hopefully this will give
you some ideas on what to include in an exercise plan and help get you from
zero to wilderness shape in the next three months. Now get a physical and a doctor’s okay on
your exercise plan and get out there and get wilderness ready so you can you
head out on an adventure.
Don’t forget to come back
next week and read “The 120 Degree Rule ©”, where we will discuss when it is and
isn’t safe to be out on the water.
I hope that you continue
to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at BandanaMan
Productions for other related videos, HERE. Don’t forget to follow me on both The
Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE,
and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube. If you have questions, as always, feel free
to leave a comment on either site. I
announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at
bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.
That is all for now, and
as always, until next time, Happy Trails!
Notes
1
Since water weighs about .07 pounds per ounce, a 16.9 oz (.5-liter) water
bottle weighs about 1.10 pounds (.5 kilogram).
Sources
Brenner, Dana; “How To
Prepare For Your First Outdoor Adventure”, American Outdoors Guide,
December 2021, Vol. 1, Issue 5, [©2021 Engaged Media, LLC, Durham, NC], pages
50 to 57
Crowhurst, Christopher, “Shoulder Exercises for Kayaking and Canoeing”,
Paddling Light,
http://www.paddlinglight.com/articles/shoulder-exercises-for-kayaking-and-canoeing/,
accessed 12/29/14
Shea,
Michael R.; “Getting Into Elk Hunting Shape: Phase 1”,
Field & Stream, May 2014,
http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/hunting/deer-hunting/2014/05/get-elk-shape-phase-one,
Accessed 9/11/14
Shea, Michael R.;
“Getting Into Elk Hunting Shape: Phase 2”, Field & Stream, June
2014,
http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/hunting/2014/06/get-elk-hunting-shape-phase-2,
accessed 9/11/14
Shea, Michael R.;
“Getting Into Elk Hunting Shape: Phase 3”, Field & Stream, July 2014,
http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/hunting/2014/07/get-into-elk-hunting-shape-part-three,
accessed 9/11/14
Wikimedia, “Bench Press
Dumbbell”, by Everkinetic, March 6, 2016, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Weight_training_diagrams#/media/File:Bench_press_dumbbell_2.svg,
accessed April 30, 2022
Wikimedia, “Biceps Curl
With Dumbbell”, by Everkinetic, March 6, 2016, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Weight_training_diagrams#/media/File:Biceps_curl_with_dumbbell_2.svg,
accessed April 30, 2022
Wikimedia, “Planks”, by
Jaykayfit, November 21, 2013, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Plank.jpg,
accessed April 23, 2022
Wikimedia, “Side Planks”,
by Jaykayfit, November 21, 2013, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Side_Plank.jpg,
accessed April 23, 2022
Wikimedia, “Bent Over Two
Arm Triceps Extension With Dumbbell”, by Everkinetic, March 6, 2016, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bent_over_two_arm_triceps_extension_with_dumbbell_1.svg,
accessed April 30, 2022
No comments:
Post a Comment