Physical Preparation for Hiking

[Tony]

When we want to hike do we need to prepare ourselves physically? I have a friend who wanted to go with on a hike but he doesn't do this often. He likes to experience my hikes because of my stories. The problem I see is that he might not make it as he has a lot of weight and easily gets tired.

 

[IndianaHiker]

Must will tell you that yes you should condition. However I don't I am 43 6ft 1 and 210 lbs. SO that means I am about 15 to 20 lbs over ideal weight. I work as a pharmacy technician so I stand all day but not physical job by any means. I am still able to throw a 40 to 40 lbs pack over my shoulders and hike 13 to 15 miles in a day over pretty hilly ground.

For you friend I suggest start out small and work up. Take shorter hikes and take your time. I average about 2 to 2.5 mph. No that isn't pushing it to hard but it is a comfortable pace for me. Let your friend lead and set the a pace that is good for him. I have found that the body will condition itself if given a chance. Just start small and slow but continue to get out. Also remember a lot of hiking is mental more than physical.

 

[Philly]

Walk around the park first and see how he copes up with long distance walks. If he is OK with that then you can have a short hike up a small hill then you go to a higher or longer hike on the next trip. Do it slowly and don't bring your friend to a very long hike on his first day.

 

[Betty]

That's a very good question. The last you want to see happen is that you get 3 miles away from anything and all of a sudden your friend can't continue for some reason. Take a long walk with him first and see how he does.

 

[Frederico]

Excellent question and I agree with the earlier replies. Conditioning should be built up slowly over short walks, in different conditions (plain, forest, inclined, weather!). Another consideration is that he properly broken-in boots !

 

[ChadTower]

You should be able to tell mostly by looking if your friend is in condition to do the hike. Cardio isn't usually the problem in a reasonably conditioned person. The problem will be his feet. You don't want to get him 8 miles out and discover his feet are too blistered to continue. More than anything else, make sure he wears the right footwear, it is properly broken in, and he has toughened up his feet enough to believe he can make the trip without a problem.