Papa Sierras: Training

Getting in Trail Shape

We're generally active people, but taking on something as grueling as a thru hike requires a high level of physical fitness and we don't want to wait until the last minute to try and get in shape for something like this and risk injury or not finishing simply because we could have been more well prepared. So, after taking into account recommended literature from Yogi's PCT Planner, and various other sources we came up with the following regimen to try and get ourselves into trail shape. We thought we would post it, partly because we had to sit down and come up with it anyway, but also maybe to serve as a template for others to use since we feel it is a very comprehensive plan that has been effective so far.

Mondays: Strength

Tuesdays: Cardio

Wednesdays: Rest

Thursdays: Strength

Fridays: Cardio

Saturdays: 10+ mile walk/hike

Sundays: Rest

Here is a breakdown of our Strength and Cardio routines that we have started with. We didn't list the weight to start with because that will be different for every person. As a rule, we started with a weight that we were able to complete each exercise's repetitions while both "feeling the burn" but maintaining proper form as to not cause injury to ourselves. For Strength exercises, we will increase our weight by 5lbs every 2 weeks until we feel we are where we want to be, and for the cardio exercises, we will add 2-3 minutes to every interval every 2 weeks. We are also considering building in some sprints on our weekend walks/hikes, but again this is just our base point plan. Happy hiking!

Strength
Horizontal Bench Press
Repetitions	12 to 15	12 to 15	10 to 12	10 to 12
Inclined Bench Press
Repetitions	12 to 15	10 to 12	8 to 10	6 to 8
Butterfly Press
Repetitions	12 to 15	12 to 15	10 to 12	10 to 12
Sitting Row
Repetitions	12 to 15	12 to 15	10 to 12	10 to 12
Shoulder Pull-Downs
Repetitions	12 to 15	12 to 15	12 to 15	12 to 15
Back Hyper-extensions
Repetitions	15	15	15	15
Curls
Repetitions	12 to 15	12 to 15	12 to 15	12 to 15
Hammer Curls
Repetitions	12 to 15	12 to 15	12 to 15	12 to 15
Tricep Push-Downs
Repetitions	12 to 15	12 to 15	12 to 15	12 to 15
Tricep Push-Outs
Repetitions	12 to 15	12 to 15	12 to 15	12 to 15
Squats
Repetitions	12	10	8
Leg Extension
Repetitions	15	15	15
Leg Flexion
Repetitions	15	15	15
Lunges
Repetitions	12 to 15	10 to 12	8 to 10
Groin Flexes
Repetitions	12 to 15	10 to 12	8 to 10
Groin Extensions
Repetitions	12 to 15	10 to 12	8 to 10
Calf Raises
Repetitions	15 to 20	12 to 15	10 to 12
Sit Ups
Repetitions	50	50	50
Horizontal Leg Raises
Repetitions	12 to 15	12 to 15	12 to 15
Hanging Hip Flexors
Repetitions	12 to 15	12 to 15	12 to 15
Bicycle Crunches
Repetitions	20 to 30	20 to 30	20 to 30
Lat Lifts
Repetitions	20	20	20