Training bad for hill fitness??

JP100

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I know this does not make any sense, but I am young, and generally pretty 'fit' in the scheme of things, I have never trained to hunt, nor done any real 'training' for 5 years or so. Generally my job has kept me fit(various guiding jobs/farm work etc)

Recently I have started some limited training(body weight stuff and weighted sand bag), only pretty minimal and definitely not going hard out.

BUT when I go for a walk up a hill I seem to be worse than I was before hand?
I never get sore legs, yet now I feel my legs run out of juice pretty quick?

Can weight training in some aspects be bad for hill fitness?

Change in muscle type and energy usage??

Seems counter productive I know, but thats my experience.

The only reason I want to train is to try and strengthen my knees up as to protect them long term, I am inclined to do heavy pack outs for 'fun' at times. which I know is not good.

Anyone else had this experience?
 

Jordan Budd

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I think if you building on muscle then there will be more muscle to feed oxygen to and you’ll run out of breath faster. On the flip side you’ll probably do better as far as longevity with heavy pack weights, and heavy packs overall I would think. I just try to find a good balance. I do a lot of hiking with a pack for training to prep for the real thing as realistically as I can.

I’m a little different being a girl I have to lift to get the muscle, where some guys may not need to.


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FURMAN

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I have personally noticed the more muscle I put on the harder it is to keep my cardio fitness up similar to what Jordan is saying. If I were you Joseph I would not change a thing. You and Tim are beasts on the mountain.
 
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Can weight training in some aspects be bad for hill fitness?

Change in muscle type and energy usage??
The answer is no.
I train world class mountaineers like powerlifters.

Unless you're a super outlier on a huge amount of performance enhancing drugs there's simply no way to build enough muscle to impede hiking performance. Hypertrophy does not happen that fast.

Likely whats happening is you're either maladapted to hiking or you're not giving your body enough time to recover between exercise sessions.
 
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I'm not an expert.

I do think you need balance in workout. If you only do weights and no real cardio, you'll be weak in the cardio arena. If you only do cardio, you'll be weak in the strength arena.

From a recently listened to podcast, it appears the army has done some studies on conditioning regimens suitable to their needs. I'm not saying they are right, but they talked about how those that were great runners struggled with rucking and those that were good at rucking, struggled with running. Makes sense to me.

My goal is to be balanced. I want to be in good cardio shape, but be strong for rucking. So I do both cardio and weights.

Take it for what it's worth. In life, balance is the key. This is no different.

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From a recently listened to podcast, it appears the army has done some studies on conditioning regimens suitable to their needs. I'm not saying they are right, but they talked about how those that were great runners struggled with rucking and those that were good at rucking, struggled with running. Makes sense to me.
Fitness is ABSOLUTELY specific to task.
There is no such thing as general fitness.
The closest thing there is to "general fitness" is absolute strength. Everything you do takes a percentage of your absolute strength. The stronger you are the easier everything else is. The caveat to this is that the pursuit of strength can impede on other training variables.
 
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JP100

JP100

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The answer is no.
I train world class mountaineers like powerlifters.

Unless you're a super outlier on a huge amount of performance enhancing drugs there's simply no way to build enough muscle to impede hiking performance. Hypertrophy does not happen that fast.

Likely whats happening is you're either maladapted to hiking or you're not giving your body enough time to recover between exercise sessions.

I think overtraining/ not recovery is my issue. but Im only training like 1-2 days a week, maybe 2 hours per week. I cant train any less haha.

The problem is my job/work is too much load perhaps, and I cannot rain ontop. So im stuck never recovering

- - - Updated - - -

I have personally noticed the more muscle I put on the harder it is to keep my cardio fitness up similar to what Jordan is saying. If I were you Joseph I would not change a thing. You and Tim are beasts on the mountain.

its all relative. what is 'fit' for me and fit for someone else is different haha.
 
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Listen to your body and give yourself time to recover. If your job is physically demanding, don't do your lifting on your only days off. Schedule a complete rest day or two per week where you don't do either.
 

307

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I'm betting that the difference is between your ears.

Also, you didn't mention speed. Maybe you're going faster with the added strength and increasing aerobic load in that way?
 
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I think overtraining/ not recovery is my issue. but Im only training like 1-2 days a week, maybe 2 hours per week. I cant train any less haha.

The problem is my job/work is too much load perhaps, and I cannot rain ontop. So im stuck never recovering
If you base a program on how much you can do you're fighting a losing battle.
You base programs on how much time you have to devote to recovery.

When I write programs the first priority i account for are the days in a training cycle the athlete has to do absolutely nothing. The next variable I account for are the hours between training sessions that they can do absolute nothing. I call these Zero Days and Zero Hours.

Training doesn't happen in isolation. Even for my full time pros. They have other demands outside sport that has to be accounted for in their training schedules.
If your job is physically or mentally stressful you have to account for that stress in your training and especially in your recovery.
 
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I think it's possible for your body to put on muscle faster than your cardiovascular system adapts. I'd been running for years before I got back into lifting. I started TRT when I started lifting and quickly put on 20 pounds. I continued the same 4 mile every other day running routine. My run times went up for awhile until my body adapted.

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I think it's possible for your body to put on muscle faster than your cardiovascular system adapts. I'd been running for years before I got back into lifting. I started TRT when I started lifting and quickly put on 20 pounds. I continued the same 4 mile every other day running routine. My run times went up for awhile until my body adapted.

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It's physiologically impossible to add muscle that fast. Even for genetic superfreaks on tons of PED's
 
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JP100

JP100

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If you base a program on how much you can do you're fighting a losing battle.
You base programs on how much time you have to devote to recovery.

When I write programs the first priority i account for are the days in a training cycle the athlete has to do absolutely nothing. The next variable I account for are the hours between training sessions that they can do absolute nothing. I call these Zero Days and Zero Hours.

Training doesn't happen in isolation. Even for my full time pros. They have other demands outside sport that has to be accounted for in their training schedules.
If your job is physically or mentally stressful you have to account for that stress in your training and especially in your recovery.

When my zero days are zero......haha

Thats my main issue.
Have too much happening in my wee life to fit in what I personally want to achieve(training wise) on top.

There will be time eventually, but I guess I will just have to try and wait it out.

Thats the main reason I have not trained for the last 5 odd years, I just cannot fit anything else in(physically) with out going backwards I feel.
 
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It's physiologically impossible to add muscle that fast. Even for genetic superfreaks on tons of PED's
I didn't even offer a time frame. I offer my experience to try to offer helpful information to people. You on the other hand comment to try to grand stand your education. The human body is complicated and valuable. Every time we think we have it figured out, we look back and realize we were wrong. All the science that you routinely state as "facts" will one day be looked back upon by future generations who say I cant believe we thought it was that simple.

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I didn't even offer a time frame. I offer my experience to try to offer helpful information to people. You on the other hand comment to try to grand stand your education. The human body is complicated and valuable. Every time we think we have it figured out, we look back and realize we were wrong. All the science that you routinely state as "facts" will one day be looked back upon by future generations who say I cant believe we thought it was that simple.

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Your “experience” is exempt from the laws of physiology.
“Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs but no one is entitled to their own facts.”
 
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Your “experience” is exempt from the laws of physiology.
“Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs but no one is entitled to their own facts.”
You're married to your doctrine and will never open your mind to anything else. That's totally cool, and I have no doubt it works great for you and others you advise. However, the purpose of a forum is to get the collective experience of all that are willing to offer up their experiences. To jump on and trash everyone that's not advising power lifting as the solution to every performance question, seems a little out line.

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You're married to your doctrine and will never open your mind to anything else. That's totally cool, and I have no doubt it works great for you and others you advise. However, the purpose of a forum is to get the collective experience of all that are willing to offer up their experiences. To jump on and trash everyone that's not advising power lifting as the solution to every performance question, seems a little out line.

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There are principles of physiology that have to be abided by in order to achieve a training effect. No one, is exempt from the those principles. In other words, no one is special.
The "doctrine" you speak of is sports science. Being open minded is very much a part of what I do.

A forum is a meeting place for the exchange of ideas on a particular topic. Ideas and claims are open to be challenged.
If claims are made that are outside the realities of the limitations of physiology someone like myself is going to call BS!

Everything that is discussed on "fitness" forum is tested on a scientific level, somewhere. There are people who make their living testing it. There are people who make their living compiling and examining the data. There are people who make their living applying that data in real time.

I apply data that directly relates to the strength and conditioning of athletes who perform in a mountainous environment.
Part of that is the effects of muscle gain on endurance.
 
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When my zero days are zero......haha

Thats my main issue.
Have too much happening in my wee life to fit in what I personally want to achieve(training wise) on top.

There will be time eventually, but I guess I will just have to try and wait it out.

Thats the main reason I have not trained for the last 5 odd years, I just cannot fit anything else in(physically) with out going backwards I feel.
Don't use that as an excuse. Do as much as you can whenever you can, and you'll be better off for it. Your body will adapt. Just stay at it.

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