how to train To Carry a heavy pack

Do you want to know How To Train For A Heavy Pack? This is one of the most common questions I hear from hikers and trekkers. But unfortunately (like many things in the hiking world) the usual advice isn't much help...

Common answers like 'go hiking with a backpack', 'build up slow' and 'get your pack fitted' are really nothing more then common sense. And in my eyes, they don't do much to solve the actual problem...

The goal of this article is go beyond the generic answers that have been shared hundreds of times and give you some genuine and practical strategies to help you best prepare for the rigors of heavy pack hiking.

When it comes to training for a heavy pack, there are a number of things you want to consider.

These include:

• Pack walking (both on the trail and during intervals)
• Strength training
  
• Core development
• Recovery practices

Read on to learn what they are, why they are important and how to apply them in your training!

pack walking

Obviously the most specific way to train for a heavy pack, is to train with a heavy pack. But before you just load up and hit the trail, lets go into a bit more detail...

As anything in the training world, a bit of structure and a bit of planning will go a long way to increasing the effectiveness of your workouts and minimising any risk of injury.

There are two types of pack walking you want to include in your prep:

Trail Pack Walking

This is simply hitting the trail on your training hikes and loading up the pack.

The main concern here is doing too much, too soon.

So a few good principles to follow here include:

• Try not to increase the time on your feet by more then 20% each week
• Start with 5% of your total body weight in your pack
• Increase pack weight by 5% every 4 weeks
• When loading up your pack, make sure you spread your load evenly. This means don't use dumbbells or weight plates. Instead good options include: bags of rice, water bottles or dog food.

For a full rundown on how to plan your trek training, click here

Overloaded Pack Walking

This is where you will be loading up your pack HEAVIER then you would on the trail. The idea here is to overload the muscles and get them incredibly strong. But obviously this is not practical (or safe) to do on your longer trek training...

So the answer here is to do Interval Training.

By breaking up your work with rest intervals, you can increase the stimulus on the body in a practical and effective way (which is also very time efficient!).

Here is how you do it:

1. Find a (very) steep hill that will take 10+ minutes to climb
2. Load your pack up with 10-25% of your body weight in water bottles
3. Climb the hill (the intensity should be that your legs are burning but you are not too puffed cardiovascular - a good judge of this is that you should still be able to carry a conversation)
4. Empty the bottles out at the top of the hill (to save your knees)
5. Return to the bottom and refill bottles
6. Repeat 3-4 times

* Each week you will alternate between increasing the weight of the pack by 5% and by adding another interval

Example Programming:

Week one: 4 sets, 10% total body weight
Week two: 4 sets, 15% of total body weight
Week three: 5 sets, 15% of total body weight
Week four: 5 sets, 20% of total body weight
etc

Strength training

We all know strength training is a great way to gain strength in your legs... And obviously any strength in the legs is going to transfer over into helping you with a heavy pack on your back.

But strength training involves a lot more then just a few squats and lunges.... To get the best benefits you want structure and progression. Which will ensure you are reguarly challenging yourself, while limiting the risk of injury.

I will also note, while the legs are going to be taking most of the load, it is still important to include some upper body here. 

Example 12 Week Plan:

Week 1-4: Prep Phase

• This phase is designed to learn the movements proficiently and get some initial gains in strength.
• Complete 4 sets of 10-12 repetitions of each exercise
  
  

Week 5-8: Strength Phase

• Now that your body knows the exercises, it is time to load them up a bit heavier - so you can get your best gains in strength!
• Complete 4 sets of 6-8 repetitions of each exercise

Week 9-12: Muscular Endurance Phase

• Complete 4 sets of 20 repetitions of each exercise
• This shouldn't be considered a high intensity 'cardio' workout. Weights and tempo should be chosen here which elicits a 'burn' in the muscles, but doesn't get you too out of breath. A good judge of this, is that you can still carry a conversation.
  
  

With this plan you can keep the exercises the same, just change the weights in each phase to be appropriate for the repetition ranges.

Don't know how to create a strength workout? Read here to learn how!

Train The core

Having a strong core is essential to help stabilise the spine, allow efficient movement and prevent your lower back taking over the load! But this goes a long way beyond doing endless planks and sit ups...

Modern core training is not about creating movement. It is about teaching the body to resist it. Doing this you can train the core to stay stable and safe, no matter what happens on the trail.

When training the core for a heavy pack walk, you want to be training three particular movement patterns:

Anti-Extension

This involves teaching the body to prevent excessive 'extension' of the back. This is particularly relevant of heavy packs, as if you are hyper-extending you back when you get tired - you will be at a very high risk of pain!

Great example exercises here include:

• Deadbugs
  
• Rollouts

Anti Lateral Flexion

Anti-lateral flexion exercises are those in which we resist side-bending. This is particularly relevant to heavy packs, as if we take a wrong step or slip, training this will prevent you from losing your center of mass and potentially falling or injuring yourself.

Great examples exercises here include:

• Side planks
• Suitcase carries

Anti-Rotation

Finally, anti-rotation training prevents your body from (you guessed it) rotating. Particularly rotating in the lumbar spine. The uneven and unstable nature of the trail, combined with the heavy pack, makes this a real possibility. So training this can be very beneficial at protecting you from pain and injury.

Great example exercises here include:

• Pallof presses
• Single Arm Dumbell Bench Press

Recovery

When you are training for a heavy pack walk, your body is going to take A LOT of load! And this is going to put you at a relatively high risk of overuse injuries, such as plantar fasciiits, shin splints and knee pain.

So you really need to ensure that while you are training hard, you are recovering just as hard!

There are a few good ways to do this:

Mobility Sessions

On days when you are not training, don't call it a 'rest day'.. instead call it a recovery day! You should be using these days for a designated stretching and foam rolling routine. This should only take between 15-30 minutes, but can make a massive difference in aiding recovery, reducing soreness and preventing aches, pains and injuries.

A Full Nights Sleep

The value of a full nights sleep cannot be overstated when you are training hard. It is one of the single most important recovery factors for your body.

Having a full nights sleep is critical for allowing the body to repair, recover and adapt to the training. Not to mention it is essential for your mental health, happiness and immune function...

If you are training hard, make sure you are getting your 8 hours!

Other Options

There are plenty of other great options which can help aid recovery. Some other great options include:

• Pool swimming/walking (preferably cold water)

• Yoga
• Compression clothing (immediately after or during the night of a hard session)
• Light cardio

You now have some practical and actionable strategies on gow best to Train To Carry A Heavy Pack. Apply these into your trekking preparation and you will be well on your way to a safe, enjoyable and successful heavy pack adventure!