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Hill
Walking Training Programme Prepared for The Wee Binnian
Walkers by Veronica McCann, Club President and Alan Morrison, Principal
Recreation Officer, Craigavon Borough Council. Walking for exercise is the safest way to get fit
and keep you fit. The rules of safe exercise are very simple and if followed
the likelihood of doing yourself harm is remote. You start off slowly and
gradually build up the body’s ability to respond to the increased physical
demand. You need to feel that you are raising your pulse and respiration
rates by your exercise effort but never to the point where you experience
breathlessness or excessive discomfort. For the more scientifically minded there is a
formula which can be used to work out roughly the pulse rate that you should
be trying to achieve in order to get the maximum benefit from an exercise
session: 220 minus your age in years
divided by 3 multiplied by 2 will give you this target pulse rate. Keeping
your pulse at this level ensures that you are exercising safely. The fitness levels achieved through walking however
are in direct relation to the duration and intensity of your walking regime.
If you only want to achieve a reasonable standard of fitness as part of a
healthy lifestyle this can be done by building up gradually to 20 minutes
brisk walking on flat ground 3 to 4 days a week. If on the other hand your
goal is to become a hill walker your training requirements will be much more
demanding as the stamina requirements are so much greater. As well as meeting
the demands of a possible 600 metre ascent you also have to be able to
negotiate a variety of terrains. The 12 week exercise programme that follows is
designed to raise your fitness from it’s present level to that required for
hill walking. The programme starts from a very basic level so depending on
your existing level of fitness you can assess the entry level most
appropriate for you. It is worth mentioning here
that if you have any medical condition or are very overweight it would be a
good idea to get your doctor to approve your plans. Fitness for Hill Walking This programme is designed to
take fit flat walkers up to the standard required for hill walking at Level 3
i.e. 8- 10 km with a height gain of 600 metres or greater in 4 to 5 hours. Week One 3 Walks of 20
minutes on flat ground Week 2 3 Walks of 20 - 30
minutes on flat ground. Start to think about how fast you are walking and
what is the right training pace for you, brisk but still within your comfort
zone. Week 3 2 Walks of 35 – 40
minutes on flat ground Week 4 2 Walks of 20
minutes and 1 of 40 minutes on flat ground, Now is the time to start picking
the pace up a bit. Swing your arms as you walk and get a bit of rhythm going Week 5 2 Walks of 30
minutes on flat ground and 1 of 30 minutes which includes uphill slopes Week 6 1 Walk of 30
minutes on flat ground and 2 of 30 minutes that includes uphill slopes Week 7 1 Walk of 40
minutes on flat ground and 2 of 30 minutes that includes uphill slopes Week 8 Treat yourself – go
somewhere pleasant like a beach or forest park and have 2 good 1 hour walks
and 1 walk of 20 minutes on flat ground. Week 9 You should be
feeling a lot fitter by now and have a good idea where you like to walk and
the pace you can walk over different types of ground. Walk at least 4 times a
week for 40 minutes making sure there are plenty of up and down slopes. Week 10 1 Walk of at least
2 hours incorporating rough ground as well as 2 other short walks. Week 11 4 Walks of 1 hour
on hilly ground. Make sure that you are keeping your effort levels up. A bit
of breathlessness without distress is Ok at this stage. Week 12 Take 3 of your
longest most challenging walks and ENJOY You can now go to the hills with confidence knowing
that you are able to meet the stamina challenge that hill walking presents
and that the fitter you are the more enjoyable the experience will be. |
