Best gym workout to keep your bushwalking legs?

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Best gym workout to keep your bushwalking legs?

Postby ChrisJHC » Wed 11 Apr, 2018 12:36 pm

I travel a lot for work and want to make sure that I’m doing the best workout while I’m away to keep my legs in shape.

I typically allow 30 mins for aerobic / leg work (eg cross-trainer / cycle etc) then 30 mins for strength - mainly upper body.

The hotels I stay in usually have a good range of equipment.

What are people’s thoughts? Note that my knees won’t let me run but anything else is okay.


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Re: Best gym workout to keep your bushwalking legs?

Postby wildwanderer » Wed 11 Apr, 2018 12:54 pm

Squats are good. Most hotel gyms have dumbells you can use. Doesnt need to be heavy weights.

Squat will help legs and your back/core muscles. Which is great for hill climbing/decending and supporting loads on your back.

I also like the cross trainer for building cardio fitness. (Which helps for everything)

Disclaimer. Works for me..may not work or be appropriate for you
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Re: Best gym workout to keep your bushwalking legs?

Postby Zapruda » Wed 11 Apr, 2018 1:25 pm

Obviously the best work out for bushwalking is bushwalking but in lieu of that I would suggest stair climbs (stair master, stepmill) with a pack on. Squats are all good and well and have their place but you need that sustained cardio to build up and maintain a base. Bushwalking is an endurance exercise after all.

Steady and sustained cardio at or below your lactic threshold with very brief bursts of high intensity is how I train for marathons, trail running, bushwalking and skiing.

Ed Viesturs has some well earned insights - http://blog.eddiebauer.com/2013/01/28/e ... objective/
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Re: Best gym workout to keep your bushwalking legs?

Postby Lamont » Wed 11 Apr, 2018 1:49 pm

Anything where you are shifting your own body weight with the leg's prime movers should be your goal. One of those walking machines where you can vary the resistance would be absolutely perfect. If you can simulate going up hills even better. If you can use your arms as well you will consume even more kilojoules also! (Speaking from my quals in Applied Physiology). Greater use of muscles. Win-win.
Then you can stroll your way across to the hotel's mini bar and enjoy a wee drop of the good stuff. Cheers.
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Re: Best gym workout to keep your bushwalking legs?

Postby wildwanderer » Wed 11 Apr, 2018 2:39 pm

Zapruda wrote: Squats are all good and well and have their place but you need that sustained cardio to build up and maintain a base. Bushwalking is an endurance exercise after all.

Steady and sustained cardio at or below your lactic threshold with very brief bursts of high intensity is how I train for marathons, trail running, bushwalking and skiing.


Id argue that if a person is doing multiday walks with 10kgs+ on their back then squats (or another resistance exercise that works the core/legs/back) are very important. You can be cardio fit but its not much good if you injure your back while putting on your pack after lunch because your not used to the weight and muscle fatigued. Personally speaking doing weights has helped tremendously with muscle fatigue on big hills particulary at the end of the day etc. My legs used to give out.. they no longer do. Also helps when you need to use arms to pull yourself up a scrambling section etc.

Some people have demanding jobs eg tradesmen, outdoor workers etc so they already get plenty of strength training just doing their job. But for office warriors I think moderate strength training at the gym is important. Also depends on build. Some people are naturally big and strong.. others less so.

Cardio is very important as well. Strength training and Cardio work in tandem to produce a good outcome for bushwalking.
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Re: Best gym workout to keep your bushwalking legs?

Postby GPSGuided » Wed 11 Apr, 2018 3:35 pm

If the OP has problematic knees, then I’d ask what the problem is first. If it’s the wear surfaces, then anything leading to excess weight bearing should be avoided eg. Heavy weights. Otherwise I’d say brisk walks to maintain agility and focus on the cardio eg. Swimming/stationary bike would be good. Weights training may build up muscles and are anaerobic, not sure how valuable they are unless one is preparing to carry heavy packs. For day walks, it’s the agility and cardio endurance capacity that matters.
Just move it!
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Re: Best gym workout to keep your bushwalking legs?

Postby ChrisJHC » Thu 12 Apr, 2018 8:59 am

GPSGuided wrote:If the OP has problematic knees, then I’d ask what the problem is first. If it’s the wear surfaces, then anything leading to excess weight bearing should be avoided eg. Heavy weights. Otherwise I’d say brisk walks to maintain agility and focus on the cardio eg. Swimming/stationary bike would be good. Weights training may build up muscles and are anaerobic, not sure how valuable they are unless one is preparing to carry heavy packs. For day walks, it’s the agility and cardio endurance capacity that matters.


Too many years wear and tear through carrying heavy loads mixed with a lot of basketball. When I had an arthroscopy the surgeon told me not to run if I could avoid it.
I can happily hike for 25-30 km a day on multi-day hikes but can’t run more than 1-2 km without hobbling for the next few days.


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Re: Best gym workout to keep your bushwalking legs?

Postby CasualNerd » Thu 12 Apr, 2018 9:30 am

I find that strength carries over to endurance far more than people think. Squats did way more for mountain biking than riding ever did.

For bushwalking though, squats for base strength and core strength (don't use a machine, use a barbell). Once you get heavy squats under control everything load bearing gets easier. Then lunges - especially walking lunges with a long stride and a barbell.

If you're keen try jumping excercises, wall balls, burpees, pullups, anything that gets your body working as a whole unit.
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Re: Best gym workout to keep your bushwalking legs?

Postby 10001110101 » Sat 21 Apr, 2018 6:28 pm

People always say that the best way to get fit for bushwalking is bushwalking. Put a pack on and get out there and walk some hills. While this is somewhat true, if the best way to get fit for a football game was to play football then teams would just play games everyday instead of practicing.

Putting load across your back and bending your knees (obviously with any current injuries taken into account) would be just about the best thing you can do to increase your preparation for putting a pack on your back and tackling a steep climb.

Some of the best indicators for longevity are lower body strength, grip strength and VO2 max (essentially, cardiovascular fitness and aerobic endurance). Two out of three of those things are especially important for hiking. As an aside, high grip strength is also associated with healthy blood pressure.

Squats, lunges, loaded walking, pulling or pushing a sled, etc. I'd also say odd object training would be of great benefit to anyone with hiking and bushwalking as a hobby. Lifting a sandbag and using it for squats, lunges, walking, etc. A 20kg bag of sand is only a few dollars from bunnings (I'd recommend putting it inside a canvas bag or wrapping it with duct tape or something similar, unless you don't mind sweeping sand up for a week after it splits, there are some detailed instructions online on how to build a relatively bombproof one, or I can provide details if needed). Spend a bit of time shouldering, squatting, lunging, walking, loading a 20, 30 or 40kg bag of sand (my biggest sandbag weighs 45kg), and all of a sudden shifting around a 12kg pack doesn't seem so difficult. Obviously start light over short distances and adjust according to your adaptation.

Another thing to look into is injury prevention. Being stronger in general is very protective from injury, and for specific injuries seen in hiking (knees, ankles, lower back, etc) squatting with good form and appropriate weight is quite protective of these areas.

If running is out for cardio, try things that are lower impact like elliptical trainers, exercise bikes, airdyne bikes, rowers, etc. I have a bike trainer in my garage that I got from Aldi on the cheap and I can hook my own road bike into it. If it's too hot or raining I can spend 20 minutes on the bike and still get some great quality work in. Interval training on a bike or airdyne gives you incredibly good results for the time invested and carries a very low injury risk.

As has been said above, basic strength movements with a barbell and some decent high quality cardio have great carryover to fitness and injury prevention out in the bush. You can mix things up with some odd object training (eg, a sandbag) to keep things interesting and give you some options for home training.
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Re: Best gym workout to keep your bushwalking legs?

Postby Hughmac » Sat 28 Apr, 2018 6:30 pm

I'm a long term walker with the same knee issues (courtesy of Aussie Rules). Can't do big weights or run long distances either. My weight training for walking consists of low weight/high rep squats, and 300mm steps with a 30-40kg bar. I mix that with high resistance intervals on a stationary bike and sprintwork at the local oval. I also do a bit on my shoulders to ease the pack weight. No question though that the best prep is to throw 20kg in your pack and find a big hill.
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Re: Best gym workout to keep your bushwalking legs?

Postby Neo » Sat 28 Apr, 2018 9:13 pm

Walk the hotel stairs, sing gospel
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Re: Best gym workout to keep your bushwalking legs?

Postby drakkar » Tue 01 May, 2018 1:07 am

CasualNerd and 101 have pointed you in the right direction.

You haven't mentioned if you know how to use kettlebells, if you don't, spend some time reading up on them. Squats, lunges and swings will tick cardio and strength if programmed correctly. Look up Andrew Read for this.
I'm a huge fan of deadlifts for overall strength, but it's rare to see a hotel gym having a good place to do them. (and with knee issue's getting a coach. NOT a pt. to guide you through correct technique a few times is worthwhile) Farmers walks are great too, but might be too much load.

Rowing machine, coupled with chinups+pullup, pushups, dips, ab roller and some other core stuff will cover off all the stuff you won't get on a stair climber. Can be put into a circuit if you need that style workout.

Lastly, mobility is usually overlooked. Again, best suggested by a physio due to your injury's. But I can recommend a video on youtube by Andrew Lock as a base to work off with alot of ways to keep your back moving.
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Re: Best gym workout to keep your bushwalking legs?

Postby ChrisJHC » Tue 01 May, 2018 10:29 am

Thanks, all,

Off to Singapore today so I'll give it a try in the gym once I get there.
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Re: Best gym workout to keep your bushwalking legs?

Postby Huntsman247 » Tue 01 May, 2018 11:01 pm

There's a thing called Insanity workout. It looks so stupid but it's an awesome workout. Works your whole body and you don't need any gym equipment. It's high interval training so you improve your cardio too.
You will hurt so bad for the first 2 weeks of doing it. But it gets you to a pretty good level of fitness fast.
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Re: Best gym workout to keep your bushwalking legs?

Postby PedalRoll » Fri 04 May, 2018 2:10 pm

Jump rope.

With weighted ropes (not weighted handles) you get the ultimate workout. Upper body, core, legs, cardio.
Check out Crossrope, jump rope dudes or others.
Typically HIT workouts with other exercises incorporated.

I started the Jump Rope Dudes (formally Zen Dude Fitness) workouts and i got flogged into shape really quick.

Absolutely perfect for someone who can run due to bad knees or ankles like myself. If you jump rope with correct technique then it’s super low impact.

Only workout I will do now. Once you get a base level of fitness going then it becomes really fun and you can start doing tricks.
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Re: Best gym workout to keep your bushwalking legs?

Postby drakkar » Sat 05 May, 2018 7:35 pm

Huntsman247 wrote:There's a thing called Insanity workout. It looks so stupid but it's an awesome workout. Works your whole body and you don't need any gym equipment. It's high interval training so you improve your cardio too.
You will hurt so bad for the first 2 weeks of doing it. But it gets you to a pretty good level of fitness fast.


I'm currently reading a very interesting book on programming of training at the moment and longevity as my recovery times are blowing out. (Run strong by Andrew Read)

It's claiming short term that High Impact Intervals/training can be good, but longer term you hit 'overtraining' which I'd say I'd never have suffered from... But some of the thing's he highlighted I almost definitely have.
And that your training across the week for long term fitness should be around the 70% average max effort. ie some work outs at 80% effort offset by workouts at 60% effort.
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