Read: Hiking Hazards Mitigation Tips
Hike Fitness: An Important Component of Hike Safety-Individual & Group
Fitness is considered as a pillar of our personal security. Fitness is specific. Or rather, to be fit for a hike, is dependent on the specific parameters intrinsic to the hike of focus. Therefore, you should not say/think/believe that because you may be “fit” specific to the intrinsic parameters of your gym workout regimen, that you’re fit to hike a 5000+ft mountain, at moderate and above slope gradient, over a 5+km distance. This statement of mine adheres to the exercise principle of “Specificity”.
To be fit for a hike, you must expose your body (physical & mental-minimum) to the conditioning features of the hike. And the ideal environment and time for this is during your training/program periodization. Not on a hike that you’re not aware of your pre-fitness capacity(s), and threshold (range & duration). Failure to do so can increase your risk of experiencing adverse outcomes on a hike, such as a medical emergency. And this at the minimum can reduce the beneficial experience of other hiking members participating on the hike, to say the least.
Hike Fitness-Building Program Tips
To ensure you have the minimum baseline fitness for a hike, here are some considerable program-building tips:
- Ensure you’re aware of the total hiking distance; expected/approximate hiking duration; and estimated overall hiking difficulty.
- Consider the load you will have to carry. This feature will definitely increase your minimum fitness requirements (energy stores, vo2 capacity, etc.,) specific for the hike.
- Consider the environmental conditions (temperature, oxygen saturation, wind…) these factors, along with those in 1 & 2, will further require a higher baseline of hike fitness.
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Once you have the factors above considered, then consider the duration of time you will need to build yourself up to the minimum required fitness. 3-6 months of training at 3 days weekly, for a 1 day hike should elevate you to the minimum ftness.
For hikes that are beyond 1 day, and at very high altitudes, such as the Andes Mountains, & Mount Everest, fitness conditioning for up to 1 year (3-4 days weekly) should be the standard.
About The Author
Oshane Bryant: BSc Geology, Geography Minor; ACE CPT since 2012; Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) Accelerator Graduate-2018 cohort; Licensed KUKIBO Martial Arts & Self Defense, Senior Instructor; CSA Certified Executive Protection; OB Fitness Founder & Managing Director.
