Viewing 24 posts - 1 through 24 (of 24 total)
  • Will weight training help?
  • steve-g
    Free Member

    I am fairly unfit in a cardio kind of way but i do go to the gym 4 or 5 times a week to use the free weights, my question is this….

    I have signed up to do a 100k walk for charity in July, obviously I will be doing loads of walking as training but would working on my legs in the gym help or hinder me? Would building up big leg muscles make the walking easier, or would it mean that they tired quicker? Anyone with any experience on this out there??

    Steve

    grumm
    Free Member

    Think you just need to do a lot of walking really.

    clubber
    Free Member

    Unlikely that heavy weights will help your walking unless you’re going to be carrying a really big rucksack up hills. Light weights/high reps will help though as it’ll build your aerobic capacity and that’s what you’ll be using for a long event like yours.

    TooTall
    Free Member

    Endurance needs build up. I have a few mates who do Ninjmegen Marches and other road marches – they claim there is no substitute for the miles under your feet.

    roper
    Free Member

    Like the other posts, if you are carrying all your supplies you might want to do a little work on strengthening your back but other than that it’s just putting the miles in.
    You should also practice eating on the go too. some people can get bad indigestion exercising and eating so you might need to get your digestive system used to it.

    Which event is it?

    sofatester
    Free Member

    eerr, walk more?

    mrmichaelwright
    Free Member

    weight training will help only with strength, if you feel your legs need to be stronger then it will help.

    steve-g
    Free Member

    Its Oxfam trailwalker, Petersfield to Brighton in mid July.

    I live about 5k from work so im doing 10k a day there, longer walks at the weekends. So I will get the miles in, and yeah i guess high reps conditioning work at the gym rather than muscle building would make sense

    midlifecrashes
    Full Member

    Chose your shoes/boots for July now and start to get some miles in, include a couple of weekend with 12 mile plus days back to back, you don’t want to start a multiday walk on a new pair. Nothing weights can do here unless you have a specific injury to work on.

    footstomper
    Free Member

    I live about 5k from work so im doing 10k a day there, longer walks at the weekends. So I will get the miles in, and yeah i guess high reps conditioning work at the gym rather than muscle building would make sense

    if you where going to the Gym 4 times a week to build a better physic then there is no reason for you to quit the free weights. 2 nights do high reps low to mid weight and 1 night do heavy reps 1 night vascular, this way you will cover both needs.

    glenh
    Free Member

    Walk walk walk!

    jamesca
    Free Member

    your unlikely to put so much muscle on that you will tire quickly……unless you are going to start necking steriods etc.

    steve-g
    Free Member

    Sorry, i didnt mean build muscle all over I mean purely on my legs, would bigger leg muscles tire more quickly

    aracer
    Free Member
    aracer
    Free Member

    …though I find a wonderful irony that both pictures on the front page of The Walking Site have people running in them.

    jimmy
    Full Member

    walking 100k’s about stamina not strength. Just walk and walk and walk. Up and down hills ideally, with the bonus of making it a touch more interesting.

    Alternatively, if you can cycle 50km, I reckon you could walk 100km easy. And cycling is way more fun. Walking IMHO is bottom of the fitness chain. Not saying anyone can walk 100k, but if you’re fit for more active / intense stuff, walking’s a breeze (physically not mentally).

    aracer
    Free Member

    Have you ever tried walking 100km, jimmy?

    sofatester
    Free Member

    I have a feeling someone is an armchair athlete!

    What do you think aracer? 😆

    IanMunro
    Free Member

    Alternatively, if you can cycle 50km, I reckon you could walk 100km easy.

    Definitely. If your body can cope with 2 hours excersise it stands to reason that 10 time that won’t be a problem 🙂

    grumm
    Free Member

    As midlifecrashes says – make sure your boots fit you properly and are well broken in. The most likely thing to make it really unpleasant will be blisters etc.

    There is some stuff called compede (sp?) you can put on likely places to stop from getting blisters.

    TooTall
    Free Member

    Compeed is no substitute for well broken in boots and good socks.

    My mate who is doing Nijmegen (that’ll be 50km a day for 4 days – in July) again this year was out on his first 10 miler today. Gives you an idea of how early he starts his preperation and he does it every year.

    avdave2
    Full Member

    The wife of one of my colleagues did it last year. She only stepped in with about a month to go as a replacement for someone who injured themselves in training. She made it but I don’t think she plans to do it again. The most important thing is your feet, the SDW which the route mostly follows will be as hard as concrete in July. Her husband went as support and kept the blisters at bay at each of the checkpoints. He reckons it’s stopping at these points and looking after the feet that is the way to get through it. He saw many of the younger or less experienced walkers set out too fast and fail to deal with problems early leaving them crippled with blisters and having to abandon. On the contrary many quite elderly experienced walkers completed it without any problems. The Ghurkas man the checkpoints and they enter several teams who don’t mess about with walking and run the whole way.

    NZCol
    Full Member

    Ive done a few 100Km+ offroad runs. I would do a lot of core exercises. This helps support your pelvis and will assist with your overall ability to not fall apart. Leg strength will come from walking. Do lots of core, maybe start with some pilates and augment with some yoga. Seriously.
    Get soenm decent shoes, personally i’d be using running shoes with decent padding unless its offroad. Foot care is really important so i would make sure you goop your feet (you can use vaseline or any other sort of friction reducing cream. I don’t like vas but heaps of peopel do). Take a spare pair of socks with you and rotate them every few hours – that works wonders. You might also consider diong some run/jog in there as this changes your gait and will again make it less likely you will fall apart. Its the repetition that tightens, well, everything and f ucks you up royally. I wouldn;t get too obsessed with walking everywhere all the time, just be sinsible and build upa good base then maybe add some jogging and biking in. That with yoga and a bit of swimming should get you up to speed. Good luck, you;re mad.

    aracer
    Free Member

    personally i’d be using running shoes with decent padding unless its offroad.

    It is offroad, but I’d still choose to use running shoes myself unless it’s really wet.

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