Training ideas

[TheMunroMan]

Okay so this isn't quite Gear or Equipment lol

I want to try and back as many Munros as possible next time I'm up there and wondered if anyone had any good ideas as to how to raise my fitness/stamina while at home? I don't have any big hills near by and can't stand gyms. Obviously I'm walking a lot, but I'm keen to do more to make the most of my trip!

So if anyone ones got some pointers I'd appreciate it???

On equipment - A few years back I used to get real pain in my knees on my ascents. But since investing in an Indo Board (meant for surfers), I've not had any problems, it assists with my balance, I generally practice squats and standing on one leg while balancing. I found this improved my knees ability to go down as well as up, a lot.

[walk aboot]

I find doing a bit of cycling helps with overall stamina/fitness, and it's not troublesome for the knees .

[TheMunroMan]

Cheers, I'll put that on the list

[Merry-walker]

Cycling is EXCELLENT and will help enormously. I also go on the cross trainer as I feel, for me, this also works the muscles required when climbing as well as stamina and getting the CVS working.

Not yet worked out what I can do to help with strengthening the descending muscles, but I'm not that experienced yet.

[skuk007]

I find lots of lunges soon makes my knees ache - so must be doing me good?

[wurzel]

I don't have any big hills near by ...

I've noticed that a number of the people who post here and detail the really long arduous multi-munro routes they've done appear to be (or have been) hill runners. So, you could try running even if you've some modest sized hills nearby. The ones nearest me are only 200m above sea levels but I can do a 10km route with a total 400m of up and down that gets the legs burning on the uphill bits. I can now run (just about) hills that got me out of breath just walking 12 months back, so it must be doing some good. I'm hoping this will get me fit enough for some long walks with lots of vertical ascent when I get back to Scotland next.

[brpro26]

Find the tallest block of flats or office building and use the stairs, Up and Down, as many times as you like. That will sort you out in the jelly leg dept.

Another one is to stand with your back against the wall(or doorway), feet about 2 foot in front of you. Then slide down until your legs are at right angles, back still against the wall. Hold for 20secs then back up again. Repeat in reps until your thighs are burning.

[thomas]

I find doing a bit of cycling helps with overall stamina/fitness, and it's not troublesome for the knees .

thats what i thought . i trainend for the 3 peaks challenge for 7 weeks in jersey which has no hills by the way . in august . now i am a scaffolder i worked 11 hours a day then walked 9 miles a night on the flat . ah still was in pain on nevis because ah wasnt mountain fit!!!

[davelancs]

I've found that cycling will help me with getting up hills but the descents seem to use a different set of muscles. At the end of a long day it's a bit scary to find that the last downhill bit is to be done on wobbly legs. Especially on icey paths in winter.
I 've used the cross trainer. Try working it backwards. I think it helps the descent muscles a little.

[Gythral]

Fit toe clips or step in pedals to your bike & pull the pedals up as well as pushing down, this should help the knees while descending!

[TheMunroMan]

Yeah, I think I've got the knees under control. For me it was a question of core balance. I just need to work on the stamina

[tomshaw]

Cycling is excellent for stamana/aerobic fitness without promoting knee probs..don't forget to have a good leg stretching regime after re Quads/hams/calfs...doing this will also reduce the chances of knee problems.
Swimmimg is also a good idea (crawl) and is not at all detremental to the joints!

[stuart mclovin]

Swimming is the best form of exercise, you will be using all the muscles in your body, it will give you an excellent cardiovasculatr workout and it takes pressure off your joints.

if you're looking to build muscle specifically on your legs i would recommend you use the leg press machine in a gym, calf extension machine and try using the resistance bands by attaching one to a wall and round your waist then try running as far from the wall as possible. These are all relatively light exercise in comparison to Squats etc which will put tremendous pressure on your knees.

[monty]

Hi Munroman,
Some excellent suggestions here. I find that running during the week to keep the cardiovascular system functioning well and then hill walking at the weekends works for me. Walking uphill is akin to doing hundreds of squats so including squats (no need for weights) during your weekly training is a bonus. Cycling is also an excellent leg muscle workout that doesn't put too much pressure on the knees so it is a good exercise which also helps recovery from knee problems.

I find that no amount of walking on flat terrain (i.e walking 4 or 5 miles a night around your town) helps improve uphill walking fitness. I find that this flat walking will help someone starting up walking but once you have acheived a level of fitness on the flat its very hard to move faster or work harder in order to improve your fitness.

Swimming is an excellent all round exercise but because the muscles are supported in the water I dont think it helps with hill walking. In fact when I was doing pentathlon a long time ago swimming was counter productive to the running phase. However some people might feel it works for them.

[Caberfeidh]

Go to Braemar, go into the woods and make loud, resonant stag-bellowing noises. The ensuing chase through the hills with a pack of angry stags on your tail, hell-bent on either goring you to death or making little stags with you will prove excellent exercise.