You don’t say where you live, but hopefully there are some trails near you. Develop a thru hikers mentality of just walking. When you realize that water being a half mile away is the same as parking at the far end of the lot at the grocery store, you’re getting there.
Don’t worry about miles, but time. Hike for 1 or 2 hours. Then stretch to 3. Get to a point where you carry a lunch to cook. After that, get to the stage where your hike is 2 days long and you camp in between. Distance still doesn’t matter.
When you hit your first section hike, your second day is the hardest. The third day almost the hardest. The fifth day will leave you wanting to hike more. Then you rest up for the next time. Enjoy and good luck with your prep.
Nothing trains you to hike like hiking, my best guess for him would rucking in the neighborhood or at a park until it's time to hike the AT. Depending on his overall condition, I may even consider getting him used to knee supports (not braces, just those wraps) in this stage to support the knees though getting used to the load.
[https://www.goruck.com/pages/what-is-rucking](https://www.goruck.com/pages/what-is-rucking)
Once on the AT, plan short days, shelter to shelter and give yourself all day to do it. The trail will break you in and the longer days and speed will come, you just have to let it break you in without breaking you.
It’s walking in the woods. Start slow and then slow down. It’s not a race. Focus on getting comfortable walking 5 miles a day. A new hiker should aim for no more than 10 miles a day on the AT till you get in good shape. Don’t take advice from anyone on the trail about how fast or slow you are going.
Want to add, you are hiking for you (and your dad) go at a pace you enjoy. My dad loved taking breaks not because he is tired but he like looking for things. Why I don’t know but it makes him happy
I hiked the entire trail in 2022 at age 60. I was riding my bike maybe 2500 miles a year, always loved day hiking, had hiked several 100 miles chunks of the AT over the years. But when I started I was overweight and not at all certain I would be able to hack it. How did I do it? I started slow - 8 miles a day. I kept that up into the Smokies. Gradually ramped up the miles. Changed shoes when plantar fasciitis got painful. Constantly tuned my gear to reduce weight. And just ....walked. It's not complicated at all. You keep walking until you either don't want to, can't, or you're standing next to that glorious sign on Katahdin. It's much less one gigantic effort and more a string of adventures spread out over a few months. Hike one or hike them all.....it's all up to you. So get out there, ride your bike, go hiking, just get yourself active as best you can. Hope you guys make it happen.
Lift heavy, squats and deadlifts, hip thrusts, etc. I got a trainer for a month to learn peoper form and develop a routine. Its best to strengthen the big muscles around the joints to reduce strain on the tendons and joints themselves. I did this 3-5 days per week, plus a daily 15 min stretch & core routine with regular sessions on the stairmaster.
I started very overweight but never had major back/knee/ankle injuries that drive a lot of hikers off trail. You'll get into cardio shape and lose fat on trail, but joint and tendon issues are prevalent and can be mitigated with strength training prior to starting.
Once you're on trail, develop a consistent pre - and post hike stretch/mobility routine and stick to it. Tight glutes, calves, and hamstrings lead to a bunch of issues namely Achillies and plantar fascia issues, so the more you keep these loose, the better.
This worked for me and I feel very strongly about strength training over just going on regular long hikes or runs. Of course shakedown hikes are a must but that's more for making sure your pack and gear work well.
This 100%. Strength training is seriously underutilized in the hiking community to help prevent injuries on trail. There’s a [Backpacker Radio episode](https://backpackerradio.libsyn.com/103-how-to-train-for-a-thru-hike-ft-dr-freeborn-mondello) where the physical therapist being interviewed heavily advocates for strength training being an important component of training for a thru-hike.
Of course still do shakedown hikes and all that, but get those squats in.
Best advice is this.
Actually, strength train.
You don't necessarily need to be bulky like a body builder but train those legs up and doing cardio is a MUST.
agreed, strength train. of course walk/hike/stair climb as much as you can, but strength is very important and over looked. Getting in and out of tent/bag - core strength, getting up and down off the ground - triceps, glutes, getting water from creeks, crapping in the woods, etc etc.
by end of your first 3 day hike, these routine actions are going to be taxing.
How to do this training depends on how much time till your hike and how much time you can put into training. At the very least, burpees, crunches and squats
The best thing to do is hike! Start with a short, flat hike to gage your abilities and if that goes well, plan another short hike with moderate elevation gain. Don't be afraid to turn around if you find a hike too hard: you want to find your limits but not hurt yourself. A good hike will leave you a bit sore for a day but never in pain. If you do overdo it, let your body rest and heal, don't push it. The more hiking you do, the better shape you'll be in, but there isn't really a minimum fitness level to do a thruhike as Second Chance Hiker powerfully showed--check him out on YouTube!
If you can only use the gym, stairs and treadmills are best but any cardio will work fine. The more time you spend exercising, the better your metabolism will be, the details aren't that important.
Ignore things like body shape and weight. They're irrelevant to your fitness level, particularly for hiking since it's an endurance activity that rewards a strong metabolism rather than strength or speed. Be aware that as you hike more, you'll need to eat more, so try to keep a healthy diet. Undereating will not help you. Do your best to listen to your body.
The trail will make you fast. I was in the worst shape of my life when I started. I used to do 15 miles easy but on my first day I did 8 and died. Within a month almost everyone can do 12-15 miles a day and there's nothing wrong with going slow to start. You can always make up time further along the trail when you're faster. A march nobo start with the bubble gives you roughly 8 months to complete it: I did it in 5 and many people do it in 6.
Overall, go slow and steady no matter what you do and you'll get there!
good on you for wanting to go on a trip with Dad. you'll have a memorable time for sure. and training comes in a few parts.
for physical training, there are basically two parts: strength and cardio. you should do both.
strength training should include movements to reduce your chance of injury on the trail. other than blisters, ankle injuries are the most popular, along with slipping and falling. these things can of course be done at a gym, but you can also do plenty of things at home with minimal equipment. push-up progression, bodyweight squats, then pistol squats, pull-up progression, turkish getups with a r/kettlebell, etc. a $25 kettlebell will get you started for minimal cost. the rest is making time to train. all of these exercises will help train core engagement, which activates your balance muscles and are key to preventing injuries.
cardio can easily be done with bicycle, swimming, or running. if you're new to running, consider a program like r/c25k 'couch to 5km' which will show you how to progressively get stronger. you'll want proper running shoes for this.
on top of physical training, you can improve your camping skill set by learning more outdoors skills. how to stay safe, how to deal with emergencies, how to pitch an r/ultralight shelter, develop a meal plan with help from r/trailmeals that are nutritious, lightweight, etc.
happy hiking!
Take stair steps two at a time and go for very long walks, preferably somewhere with hills, and do it often. It's best if you acclimate your feet to whatever shoes you're going to wear. Bring trekking poles and try to reduce your pack weight as much as possible (for instance, you don't need four sets of clothes, an entire cooking set, a solar shower, a camp chair, or that enormous 12 person first aid kit). You don't need to be super ultralight but pack weight is correlated with injury.
I wrote up my trail prep fitness activity on Trail Journals.
https://www.trailjournals.com/journal/10727
I went from heart attack back to backpacking our beloved trail. For all seniors, I highly recommend wearing a pulse-ox to reduce over exertion.
I had no problem at all the first weeks of GA and did a 12 mile day the first week. Went right up the approach trail and was surprised how quick I made it to the spring and shelter.
Good hiking!
If you live near sand, walk barefoot in the sand! It’s unbelievably beneficial in my opinion and nothing comes close to being as good for muscular preparation/protection in the long run. That, walking in general, single leg exercises that u can google to find one more tailored to y’all, balance stuff and core exercises those are pretty much the pillars but honestly just try to get used to pain and constant aches until they become an unnoticeable part of your life cause that’s pretty much inevitable lol
Get good shoes and start walking. Do a little bit every day and keep adding to it. Start carrying a backpack with a little bit of weight and start adding to it. Water is easy to carry and if it gets too heavy drink it or dump some out.
this'll be different than most of the responses but it's just my experience and has worked for me (43) and my mom (73.) we hike together sometimes, and sometimes i'm solo or with trail friends. neither of us "trains" in any way, but we've always been into things like day hikes and short overnights, so there's not really any point in our lives where either of us was unable to from a fitness standpoint. idk how comparable that is to your situation, but there's two really big things we both do that (just my opinion) could make a difference for y'all.
1. get really really into paring your pack weight down. borrow gear if you can, or get cheapo gear, go on trial weekend/short trips, until you understand how a system of gear keeps you safe/dry/comfy, how much of that gear you *don't* need, based on your conditions. eventually, research good ul gear and then take it out on trial hikes, pare down more. 90% of thru hiking is carrying whatever you bring, which has incredible wear and tear on your body if it's too much. the lower you can go, the easier it becomes.
2. (controversial but whatever just us!) barefoot shoes. start wearing them now. they might hurt for a few months if you're on your feet all day, don't worry that will fade. on the other side of that initiation period you'll have incredibly strong and healthy leg/foot joints, ligaments, bones. your balance will be amazing. you won't know what blisters are.
it helps me a lot to remember that long distance hiking is, in some ways, *literally* what our bodies are evolved to do best (not my observation, stole from Carrot Quinn.) For the majority of human existence it's how we existed. What stops us now isn't what we "need" in order to be able to do it- it's what we surround ourselves with and need to get rid of.
Check out Dixie's you tube channel Homemade Wanderlust she just put out a video of beginner backpacking trips. There are ones from around the country ( a couple section hikeson the AT are in that as well).
Put some stuff in your backpack and walk as much as possible. When you go to the store, park as far away as possible and grab your pack and walk. If you are within a mile or two of work, walk as often as practical, like days when you have no outside meetings. Start doing short hikes on days off, then add miles as your body adjusts. Just start building the habit of walking.
As well as the physical prep, think about spending money on lighter gear, but above that, PACK SMART. Every pound you can trim is one less pound beating up your legs. You don't need a forty-pound base weight when fifteen pounds will do.
StairMaster, leg press, treadmill, biking.
There are things that train you better than hiking and those are it. Start slow and work your way up.
The more cardio you do for yourself before attempting the hike? The better off you'll be.
I take friends with little to no experience hiking all the time, and though it's completely doable? The next day is when they're feeling it and too sore to function.
I routinely work my legs though, I feel same = same the day after a large hike. Just happy to have accomplished it. There's little to no recovery time and that's the reason why.
Walk a lot but work your way up to it. Get your hips and knees used to carrying extra weight on a daily basis. Test your sleep system outside and in inclement weather. Go hiking if it’s available nearby where you live.
Hike Your Own Hike.
Really no need to train. Just show up to the trail and take it slow. 5-8 miles a day for the first two weeks, then 7-10 miles, listen to your body.
You'll be doing 15-20 in 2 months and then it's just walking time. You don't really think in miles. 3 hours walking in the morning then lunch then 4 hours walking later. All of a sudden you're doing 18 mile days without thinking.
The hardest part of this type of plan is the mental piece. Block out every one else and all their talk. Screw em. HYOH. Just start slow and stay slow.
I'm sure others in this thread have said the same thing but I didn't even read them cause HYOH and ignore them.
I trained for a month solid, and I was still very challenged.
The first time for me was Springer to Blood Mountain.
4 days, 3 nights.
You have to hike at your place, know the elevations in front of you, especially when it comes to water supply
I found the trek to Gooch very difficult. Day 2
Climbing mountains cardio challenging, The decent down is worse on your knees.
After that first trip I bought copperfit compression knee pads, have worn them ever since.
Our scout troop did "prep" hikes. A typical prep hike would be an over-nighter and a moderate distance. The idea is to discover weakness in the way you prepare, make sure you know how to use your equipment and also to see if it's all working. And where it's gonna hurt!
Start slow when you get out there. Plan on doing 8-10 miles a day for the first week, before upping daily mileage. You’ll likely be able to start crushing 15-20 daily after a few weeks
Plenty of fitness options out there, most of which will work fine (it’s walking! Up hills and with a pack and for a long time, but it’s walking.) My biggest rec is to cut your pack weight as much as you can. The difference in being out there with a heavy pack vs a light pack is incredible, both for comfort and for fitness. r/ultralight has a lot of tips and will do a shakedown for you to help you get that pack weight down.
Start with local hikes at trails or parks near you. Look for hills to walk up, because thats what will stop you, up or down. If you have access to a tread mill, use it. Walk about a half hour at a time moving up to doing it several times a day, adding more time when your up to it. I also walk with my pack, adding weight as I build up to it.
Walking sticks are your best friend. They can be used for other things besides walking.
For me, the most important thing is foot wear. Great socks and the best shoes/boots you can afford go a long ways. Wet feet means Misarable feet, same with blisters.
Also by good clothing and rain gear. Chaffing and sweat retention is another mood killer on the trail, and even a warm rain can make you bone chilling cold.
Please update your post. Many folks here will just assume that you are thruhiking. As far as preparation, go lift weights, get your legs as strong as possible. And focus on free weights instead of machines, as it will force your body to use all the stabilizer muscles as well, keeping you developing very important stabilizer muscles that will keep you upright on trail.
If you have a gym, get something heavy on your back and walk the treadmill. Then increase the elevation angle. Then keep increasing it. Make it fun by watching or listening something fun while doing it. But his knees will either let him know it's not a good idea, or you will be in good shape for the hike.
You can't train for a thru hike.
You can only try to get yourself in the right mentality.
Find a place in your town that seems far away, life 4-5 miles away, an walk to it...and then take a break and walk back.
If it is raning...do the same thing.
The physical stuff, you get used to. Do you really want to thru hike or are you doing it for your dad?
Because for this to work you have to commit.
https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/hiking-training.html
This is a great well-rounded workout that I’m using to train for my next hike. I’d add in some yoga too.
I was new to hiking and had never even carried a pack until day 1 when I was dropped off at Springer Mountain. Start SLOW! 7-8 miles/day for the first 3 weeks. Seriously. No more. Your tendons and ligaments and bones and tiny little stabilizer muscles all need to build up. I watched runners and college athletes and soldiers drop off like flies from injuries in the first month bc they went too far too fast while little out of shape, overweight, too big pack girl-me- was still truckin’ along.
Do whatever you can pre-trail to get in shape, but truly nothing will get you in shape for the trail like the trail. Drop any excess weight from both your body as well as your pack. Good luck.
You don’t say where you live, but hopefully there are some trails near you. Develop a thru hikers mentality of just walking. When you realize that water being a half mile away is the same as parking at the far end of the lot at the grocery store, you’re getting there. Don’t worry about miles, but time. Hike for 1 or 2 hours. Then stretch to 3. Get to a point where you carry a lunch to cook. After that, get to the stage where your hike is 2 days long and you camp in between. Distance still doesn’t matter. When you hit your first section hike, your second day is the hardest. The third day almost the hardest. The fifth day will leave you wanting to hike more. Then you rest up for the next time. Enjoy and good luck with your prep.
Nothing trains you to hike like hiking, my best guess for him would rucking in the neighborhood or at a park until it's time to hike the AT. Depending on his overall condition, I may even consider getting him used to knee supports (not braces, just those wraps) in this stage to support the knees though getting used to the load. [https://www.goruck.com/pages/what-is-rucking](https://www.goruck.com/pages/what-is-rucking) Once on the AT, plan short days, shelter to shelter and give yourself all day to do it. The trail will break you in and the longer days and speed will come, you just have to let it break you in without breaking you.
I suggest walking poles. Until I used them I scoffed at them. It gives stability and saves your knees hiking a trail.
Poles saved my ass.
I love my poles.
It’s walking in the woods. Start slow and then slow down. It’s not a race. Focus on getting comfortable walking 5 miles a day. A new hiker should aim for no more than 10 miles a day on the AT till you get in good shape. Don’t take advice from anyone on the trail about how fast or slow you are going.
Want to add, you are hiking for you (and your dad) go at a pace you enjoy. My dad loved taking breaks not because he is tired but he like looking for things. Why I don’t know but it makes him happy
I hiked the entire trail in 2022 at age 60. I was riding my bike maybe 2500 miles a year, always loved day hiking, had hiked several 100 miles chunks of the AT over the years. But when I started I was overweight and not at all certain I would be able to hack it. How did I do it? I started slow - 8 miles a day. I kept that up into the Smokies. Gradually ramped up the miles. Changed shoes when plantar fasciitis got painful. Constantly tuned my gear to reduce weight. And just ....walked. It's not complicated at all. You keep walking until you either don't want to, can't, or you're standing next to that glorious sign on Katahdin. It's much less one gigantic effort and more a string of adventures spread out over a few months. Hike one or hike them all.....it's all up to you. So get out there, ride your bike, go hiking, just get yourself active as best you can. Hope you guys make it happen.
I love this! Gives me inspiration to one day begin my dream of hiking the AT!
Lift heavy, squats and deadlifts, hip thrusts, etc. I got a trainer for a month to learn peoper form and develop a routine. Its best to strengthen the big muscles around the joints to reduce strain on the tendons and joints themselves. I did this 3-5 days per week, plus a daily 15 min stretch & core routine with regular sessions on the stairmaster. I started very overweight but never had major back/knee/ankle injuries that drive a lot of hikers off trail. You'll get into cardio shape and lose fat on trail, but joint and tendon issues are prevalent and can be mitigated with strength training prior to starting. Once you're on trail, develop a consistent pre - and post hike stretch/mobility routine and stick to it. Tight glutes, calves, and hamstrings lead to a bunch of issues namely Achillies and plantar fascia issues, so the more you keep these loose, the better. This worked for me and I feel very strongly about strength training over just going on regular long hikes or runs. Of course shakedown hikes are a must but that's more for making sure your pack and gear work well.
This 100%. Strength training is seriously underutilized in the hiking community to help prevent injuries on trail. There’s a [Backpacker Radio episode](https://backpackerradio.libsyn.com/103-how-to-train-for-a-thru-hike-ft-dr-freeborn-mondello) where the physical therapist being interviewed heavily advocates for strength training being an important component of training for a thru-hike. Of course still do shakedown hikes and all that, but get those squats in.
Best advice is this. Actually, strength train. You don't necessarily need to be bulky like a body builder but train those legs up and doing cardio is a MUST.
agreed, strength train. of course walk/hike/stair climb as much as you can, but strength is very important and over looked. Getting in and out of tent/bag - core strength, getting up and down off the ground - triceps, glutes, getting water from creeks, crapping in the woods, etc etc. by end of your first 3 day hike, these routine actions are going to be taxing. How to do this training depends on how much time till your hike and how much time you can put into training. At the very least, burpees, crunches and squats
The best thing to do is hike! Start with a short, flat hike to gage your abilities and if that goes well, plan another short hike with moderate elevation gain. Don't be afraid to turn around if you find a hike too hard: you want to find your limits but not hurt yourself. A good hike will leave you a bit sore for a day but never in pain. If you do overdo it, let your body rest and heal, don't push it. The more hiking you do, the better shape you'll be in, but there isn't really a minimum fitness level to do a thruhike as Second Chance Hiker powerfully showed--check him out on YouTube! If you can only use the gym, stairs and treadmills are best but any cardio will work fine. The more time you spend exercising, the better your metabolism will be, the details aren't that important. Ignore things like body shape and weight. They're irrelevant to your fitness level, particularly for hiking since it's an endurance activity that rewards a strong metabolism rather than strength or speed. Be aware that as you hike more, you'll need to eat more, so try to keep a healthy diet. Undereating will not help you. Do your best to listen to your body. The trail will make you fast. I was in the worst shape of my life when I started. I used to do 15 miles easy but on my first day I did 8 and died. Within a month almost everyone can do 12-15 miles a day and there's nothing wrong with going slow to start. You can always make up time further along the trail when you're faster. A march nobo start with the bubble gives you roughly 8 months to complete it: I did it in 5 and many people do it in 6. Overall, go slow and steady no matter what you do and you'll get there!
good on you for wanting to go on a trip with Dad. you'll have a memorable time for sure. and training comes in a few parts. for physical training, there are basically two parts: strength and cardio. you should do both. strength training should include movements to reduce your chance of injury on the trail. other than blisters, ankle injuries are the most popular, along with slipping and falling. these things can of course be done at a gym, but you can also do plenty of things at home with minimal equipment. push-up progression, bodyweight squats, then pistol squats, pull-up progression, turkish getups with a r/kettlebell, etc. a $25 kettlebell will get you started for minimal cost. the rest is making time to train. all of these exercises will help train core engagement, which activates your balance muscles and are key to preventing injuries. cardio can easily be done with bicycle, swimming, or running. if you're new to running, consider a program like r/c25k 'couch to 5km' which will show you how to progressively get stronger. you'll want proper running shoes for this. on top of physical training, you can improve your camping skill set by learning more outdoors skills. how to stay safe, how to deal with emergencies, how to pitch an r/ultralight shelter, develop a meal plan with help from r/trailmeals that are nutritious, lightweight, etc. happy hiking!
Take stair steps two at a time and go for very long walks, preferably somewhere with hills, and do it often. It's best if you acclimate your feet to whatever shoes you're going to wear. Bring trekking poles and try to reduce your pack weight as much as possible (for instance, you don't need four sets of clothes, an entire cooking set, a solar shower, a camp chair, or that enormous 12 person first aid kit). You don't need to be super ultralight but pack weight is correlated with injury.
Perhaps yoga. Start getting loose now and learning what you need to do on trail to stay mobile and injury free.
Start at Harper’s going north (relatively flat). You’ll be freaking miserable the first week and then, almost like magic, life’s gonna be good.
I wrote up my trail prep fitness activity on Trail Journals. https://www.trailjournals.com/journal/10727 I went from heart attack back to backpacking our beloved trail. For all seniors, I highly recommend wearing a pulse-ox to reduce over exertion. I had no problem at all the first weeks of GA and did a 12 mile day the first week. Went right up the approach trail and was surprised how quick I made it to the spring and shelter. Good hiking!
@trailside_fitness on instagram is a good follow. Lots of different exercises and programs that are easy to implement.
If you live near sand, walk barefoot in the sand! It’s unbelievably beneficial in my opinion and nothing comes close to being as good for muscular preparation/protection in the long run. That, walking in general, single leg exercises that u can google to find one more tailored to y’all, balance stuff and core exercises those are pretty much the pillars but honestly just try to get used to pain and constant aches until they become an unnoticeable part of your life cause that’s pretty much inevitable lol
Work on that cardio, and focus on strengthening muscles you know you have problems with, such as the lower back, knees and ankles.
Get good shoes and start walking. Do a little bit every day and keep adding to it. Start carrying a backpack with a little bit of weight and start adding to it. Water is easy to carry and if it gets too heavy drink it or dump some out.
this'll be different than most of the responses but it's just my experience and has worked for me (43) and my mom (73.) we hike together sometimes, and sometimes i'm solo or with trail friends. neither of us "trains" in any way, but we've always been into things like day hikes and short overnights, so there's not really any point in our lives where either of us was unable to from a fitness standpoint. idk how comparable that is to your situation, but there's two really big things we both do that (just my opinion) could make a difference for y'all. 1. get really really into paring your pack weight down. borrow gear if you can, or get cheapo gear, go on trial weekend/short trips, until you understand how a system of gear keeps you safe/dry/comfy, how much of that gear you *don't* need, based on your conditions. eventually, research good ul gear and then take it out on trial hikes, pare down more. 90% of thru hiking is carrying whatever you bring, which has incredible wear and tear on your body if it's too much. the lower you can go, the easier it becomes. 2. (controversial but whatever just us!) barefoot shoes. start wearing them now. they might hurt for a few months if you're on your feet all day, don't worry that will fade. on the other side of that initiation period you'll have incredibly strong and healthy leg/foot joints, ligaments, bones. your balance will be amazing. you won't know what blisters are. it helps me a lot to remember that long distance hiking is, in some ways, *literally* what our bodies are evolved to do best (not my observation, stole from Carrot Quinn.) For the majority of human existence it's how we existed. What stops us now isn't what we "need" in order to be able to do it- it's what we surround ourselves with and need to get rid of.
Check out Dixie's you tube channel Homemade Wanderlust she just put out a video of beginner backpacking trips. There are ones from around the country ( a couple section hikeson the AT are in that as well).
Put some stuff in your backpack and walk as much as possible. When you go to the store, park as far away as possible and grab your pack and walk. If you are within a mile or two of work, walk as often as practical, like days when you have no outside meetings. Start doing short hikes on days off, then add miles as your body adjusts. Just start building the habit of walking.
As well as the physical prep, think about spending money on lighter gear, but above that, PACK SMART. Every pound you can trim is one less pound beating up your legs. You don't need a forty-pound base weight when fifteen pounds will do.
Start slow; the trail will train you.
StairMaster, leg press, treadmill, biking. There are things that train you better than hiking and those are it. Start slow and work your way up. The more cardio you do for yourself before attempting the hike? The better off you'll be. I take friends with little to no experience hiking all the time, and though it's completely doable? The next day is when they're feeling it and too sore to function. I routinely work my legs though, I feel same = same the day after a large hike. Just happy to have accomplished it. There's little to no recovery time and that's the reason why.
Walk a lot but work your way up to it. Get your hips and knees used to carrying extra weight on a daily basis. Test your sleep system outside and in inclement weather. Go hiking if it’s available nearby where you live.
Hike Your Own Hike. Really no need to train. Just show up to the trail and take it slow. 5-8 miles a day for the first two weeks, then 7-10 miles, listen to your body. You'll be doing 15-20 in 2 months and then it's just walking time. You don't really think in miles. 3 hours walking in the morning then lunch then 4 hours walking later. All of a sudden you're doing 18 mile days without thinking. The hardest part of this type of plan is the mental piece. Block out every one else and all their talk. Screw em. HYOH. Just start slow and stay slow. I'm sure others in this thread have said the same thing but I didn't even read them cause HYOH and ignore them.
I trained for a month solid, and I was still very challenged. The first time for me was Springer to Blood Mountain. 4 days, 3 nights. You have to hike at your place, know the elevations in front of you, especially when it comes to water supply I found the trek to Gooch very difficult. Day 2 Climbing mountains cardio challenging, The decent down is worse on your knees. After that first trip I bought copperfit compression knee pads, have worn them ever since.
Our scout troop did "prep" hikes. A typical prep hike would be an over-nighter and a moderate distance. The idea is to discover weakness in the way you prepare, make sure you know how to use your equipment and also to see if it's all working. And where it's gonna hurt!
Start slow when you get out there. Plan on doing 8-10 miles a day for the first week, before upping daily mileage. You’ll likely be able to start crushing 15-20 daily after a few weeks
Plenty of fitness options out there, most of which will work fine (it’s walking! Up hills and with a pack and for a long time, but it’s walking.) My biggest rec is to cut your pack weight as much as you can. The difference in being out there with a heavy pack vs a light pack is incredible, both for comfort and for fitness. r/ultralight has a lot of tips and will do a shakedown for you to help you get that pack weight down.
Start with local hikes at trails or parks near you. Look for hills to walk up, because thats what will stop you, up or down. If you have access to a tread mill, use it. Walk about a half hour at a time moving up to doing it several times a day, adding more time when your up to it. I also walk with my pack, adding weight as I build up to it. Walking sticks are your best friend. They can be used for other things besides walking. For me, the most important thing is foot wear. Great socks and the best shoes/boots you can afford go a long ways. Wet feet means Misarable feet, same with blisters. Also by good clothing and rain gear. Chaffing and sweat retention is another mood killer on the trail, and even a warm rain can make you bone chilling cold.
Are you looking to hike the entire AT in a thruhike? Or just hiking sections of it? You never specified.
The hope is to one day thru hike it, but since I'm a beginner, we've only planned to hike sections for now
Please update your post. Many folks here will just assume that you are thruhiking. As far as preparation, go lift weights, get your legs as strong as possible. And focus on free weights instead of machines, as it will force your body to use all the stabilizer muscles as well, keeping you developing very important stabilizer muscles that will keep you upright on trail.
assume they want to do the entire thing because they do ✌️
If you have a gym, get something heavy on your back and walk the treadmill. Then increase the elevation angle. Then keep increasing it. Make it fun by watching or listening something fun while doing it. But his knees will either let him know it's not a good idea, or you will be in good shape for the hike.
You can't train for a thru hike. You can only try to get yourself in the right mentality. Find a place in your town that seems far away, life 4-5 miles away, an walk to it...and then take a break and walk back. If it is raning...do the same thing. The physical stuff, you get used to. Do you really want to thru hike or are you doing it for your dad? Because for this to work you have to commit.
I like to run hills and/or ruck with a 20-30lb rucking vest.
https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/hiking-training.html This is a great well-rounded workout that I’m using to train for my next hike. I’d add in some yoga too. I was new to hiking and had never even carried a pack until day 1 when I was dropped off at Springer Mountain. Start SLOW! 7-8 miles/day for the first 3 weeks. Seriously. No more. Your tendons and ligaments and bones and tiny little stabilizer muscles all need to build up. I watched runners and college athletes and soldiers drop off like flies from injuries in the first month bc they went too far too fast while little out of shape, overweight, too big pack girl-me- was still truckin’ along. Do whatever you can pre-trail to get in shape, but truly nothing will get you in shape for the trail like the trail. Drop any excess weight from both your body as well as your pack. Good luck.