Aubrey and her dog do a stair workout
My roommate, Aubrey, would like to hike Hells Canyon with me this summer, but she has no backpacking experience. Our agreement is that if she will follow my training program for the next month, then she can go on the trip. She’s agreed and is working very hard. Because she doesn’t have a car, I’ve designed these workouts so that they can be done at our local park. These exercises were suggested to me by the personal trainer Nikki Becker.
So I will hereby christen the Aubrey Jangraw in town workout, week #1
Things you will need: A set of stairs, hand weights, and a backpack loaded with 20-30 lbs.
Part 1
- Start by walking with the weighted pack on for 15 minutes to warm up.
- Do a set of stairs followed by ten squats with the backpack on. Repeat for a total of three times.
- Do the same thing only this time with lunges. Repeat for a total of three times.
- Do the same thing with sideways squats. Rinse and repeat.
By this time , you should be working up a pretty good sweat. If you don’t feel like you are working hard enough, you may need to find a more challenging set of stairs or add more weight to your pack. Or you may simply want to add more sets.
Part 2
Aubrey pumping iron
Upper body strength building (3 sets of 10 reps)
- Shoulder shrugs- with one weight in each hand, shrug your shoulders and think, “Why is Addy telling me to do this?” And I’ll say, not in your head, mind you, “Backpackers often overlook upper body strength, and it’s important, especially for women.”
- Deltoid raise- With straight arms, raise the weights so that they are even with your shoulders.
- Bicep curls- I think your gym teacher may have taught you these.
- Tricep curls- behind the head
Core strengthening (25 each)
- The squirm- Lay on your back with your knees bent. Alternately reach for each ankle without sitting up.
- Butterfly curl up with twist- Do a sit up with your fingers loosely holding your head and then turn to one side.
- Cycling- But without a bike, see?
- Seated bent knee tuck- Sit on a bench with your knees bent. Balance on your bum and bring your knees up towards your chest.
- Wall reach- Put your legs straight in the air (with or without a wall), point your fingers and reach up to your toes.
- Crunch- You may have seen this one before.
- Back crunch- Lay on your stomach with your legs straight. Pull up your chest and let your head curl back.
- Contralateral superman- On your stomach, extend your arms and legs into the air and say, “Wheee!” Alternately touch down your opposite hand and foot.
Follow all of this with stretching and a cool down walk. Good job!
Doing this workout 2-3 times a week combined with other physical activity is a good way to start getting ready for your first distance hike.
