Training for Mountains: Urban Hiking

M and I got creative with our workouts because the winter took so long to thaw out. We set up a home gym and did weight training through winter. I also downloaded an app called 7Min Full Workout where you do 12 body weight exercises for 7 minutes; basically 30 sec for each workout with 10 sec rest. The workout was intense and we would do the circuit three times through. It was effective but I got bored quickly. We then got a gym membership at Planet Fitness. Membership was $10 per month but M and I didn't like it. As soon as things warmed up, we canceled our membership and started training outside.

Besides indoor training, M and I practice for the mountains with urban hiking. We strap on our backpacks and walk around town. We choose routes with the most elevation change within walking distance, even though WI is pretty flat. To make the workout more intense, we gradually add weights to our backpacks to simulate backpacking conditions. Today, we hiked with 35 lbs packs and also found a park near us with a relatively steep hill. The hill is about 50 ft tall with a 30 to 40 degree incline. We generally do a minimum of 10 hill climbs with our packs and try to do 4-5 miles of hiking per day. Though we may get curious looks when we hike through town, we find it is the most effective way to train for the mountains.

Urban hiking

Urban hiking

Hill climbs at the park