by 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.