Camino Fitness Week Seven
Week Seven
(ten minutes reading)
Strength, balance, flexibility.
Congratulations. You are over halfway through the 12 week training plan. The daily dozen is finally easy, isn’t it!
Firstly, thank you for following along. We realize the trust that people place in trainers and the curriculum, and we know there are many choices. We know this works for most people, based on two decades of seeing successes in long distance walking and expeditions, and it’s a privilege to be involved in such an important process as training for a life affirming pilgrimage.
Your body is changing. Endurance is building. Each day’s exercises have extended range and ease of motion. Balance, strength and mobility are increased. Your body is different, more adapted and more efficient than at the start. For people who measure health markers, six weeks of this training is where many people begin to see changes in key numbers, numbers like resting blood pressure and A1C test (estimated average glucose (eAG)) results. Nothing can guarantee these changes, but adopting a lifestyle of healthy exercise outdoors is a game changer for personal and community health. Good habits are hard to break and we are now a group eight thousand people strong, and collectively moving the needle to better health, both physically and mentally.
The next six weeks are where we build on the foundations and habits you’ve created in the first six weeks. Generally speaking, it’s not unusual for the second half of this training to produce around twice the gains of the first. And this is to be expected because you’ve built a solid foundation from the start.
Important questions for this week!
This week the plan starts using additional packweight as a training tool. If you are training without weight, this is a great time to begin. And this raises some good questions?
~ How much (and what) will I carry in my pack?
~ What are ways to train for this?
~ Why is carrying weight a benefit to training?
~ Should I train with a pack, even if I intend to have my pack transported?
Since people began walking the Camino, many people carry everything needed on their backs? Many people have and do avail themselves of having some of their gear and clothing transported between nightly stops. And there’s the option to do both.
Whatever you intend to do, now is a great time to start experimenting with gear, clothing and packing.
Also, we want to not only embrace carrying a pack, but to get increasingly more comfortable or, dare we say - actually become attached to this most important companion which will serve us well as we walk the Camino. And this applies if you are carrying a lighter day pack, or carrying your whole home on your back! Nearly everyone on the Camino carries a pack of some kind.
You may be walking with weight already. If so, this week would be good to add 5 kg/12 lbs. It doesn’t need to be every day. Just two or three days walking and/or Daily Dozen with weight will make a big difference.
Our perspectives on training with weight:
If in training, if you become conditioned to carrying more weight than you’ll need on the Camino, your pack will feel light and not be a burden.
Walking with weight is one of the very best things we can do for increasing bone density and building core and leg strength. Walking with weight has even spurred a new trend of ‘rucking’, nothing humans haven’t been doing for thousands of years, but recent scientific data shows the benefits increase longevity by significant amounts. Turns out, carrying and lifting heavy things is really good for us.
Safety Safety Safety:
If carrying a pack is unfamiliar. The adage, “Bend at the knees - not the back” is spot on. Instead of leaning over to pick it up, do a squat and grab it with one or two hands. For an assist, you can lift onto the knee then pause, then stand up and swing it over the shoulder. Getting a friend to help is good as well. And as with the squat, exhale as you stand up and practice the concept of ‘neutral spine’ (see pic in comments).
Generally speaking, the pack ought be snug. You’ll want to be able to fit a flat hand down through the waist belt, but not a fist. And the shoulder straps work best when they are snug, not tight, to the top of the shoulder. The weight carries best if distributed evenly between the waist and shoulders or a little more on the waist. Most packs work best if the waist strap is sitting gently on the hips, on the iliac crest (bone which sticks out on side of hip). Here’s a useful video clip on pack fit from Outside Magazine
Hiking poles
~ Hiking poles help balance in the moment.
~ Walking without poles builds balance over time.
For this reason, our training recommendation is to do some training with them, and some without. Many people like using one pole and we think this is worth trying if you like a free hand but want some support.
A quick primer on pole length.
For general walking, adjust the length so that when you hold the pole with the tip on the ground near your foot, your arm makes a 90° bend at the elbow.
For long uphill sections, you can shorten each pole by about 5–10 cm to get more leverage and more secure pole plants. The steeper the slope, the more you can shorten your poles. Your poles should assist you in moving uphill without causing strain or fatigue to your shoulders and your shoulders should never feel as if they are in an unnatural, lifted position or as if they are being pushed up into your backpack straps. If so, you need to shorten your poles even more.
For long downhill sections, try lengthening each pole by about 5–10 cm from the length you set it at for general walking. Doing so will keep your body more upright for better balance.
Next steps - Putting it all together.
Consider adding your weighted pack to the first few standing movements of the Daily Dozen.
The most beneficial exercises will be the squat and the lunge. Doing these with added weight will boost hill climbing and descending ability. You can even use your poles for balance.
An obvious question is, why don’t I just add weight and walk outside. Walking outside with a weighted pack is great, and necessary…. However, adding weight to the Daily Dozen is safe because you are working in a controlled environment. You can add more weight to challenge yourself, and take it out if it’s too heavy, without having to risk being out there on the road and miles away from home with a too-heavy pack.
Another quick safety note. Injuries are more likely to occur coming downhill, this because of the additional impact from gravity on our feet and body. One thing many people do for training is to carry water weight which can be poured out at the top of a hill, thus lessening the impact on the way down.
How much weight to add for training.
If you do some Daily dozen squats with weight. One way to gauge a good amount is, think of the weight which you could safely lift one time, and try 10 squats with about ⅓ of that weight. As you increase this gradually over the next six weeks, you may well find that you can comfortably walk many miles with double what you will carry on the Camino. If you do, the enjoyment factor will go up a lot and the effort required each day will go down. Increased strength makes the pack feel lighter and the hills seem less steep and long.
Two more things for this week: Balance and Flexibility.
Balance.
Keeping this simple. Twice this week, stand on one leg and see how long you can go. Use a stopwatch and note your time. It might be three seconds or three minutes and whichever it is will improve with practice. The great news is that balance (factors are inner ear/visual cues and body control) increases with practice, at any age. Practicing standing on one leg a few times a week will increase strength, balance and efficiency of movement for nearly all people. Tip - focus your eyes on one fixed point in front of you, a picture on the wall, a tree… the focus will increase the length of time you can balance.
Flexibility:
The Home Stretch. Think of this as the Daily Dozen, but for after exercise. The generally accepted rule in athletic training today is to begin with Dynamic Movements (Daily Dozen) to prepare, and include static stretching afterwards when muscles are warm. The Home Stretch was designed with walkers/runners/cyclists in mind. How often? After every training session is best. (Look for the Home Stretch in Featured tab or in Fit By Nature book).
Summary.
We’ve added three new training actions in week seven. And this is on top of last week’s additions of Tempo and Interval Training. Thank you for following along. Everything added is intended to be purposeful and designed to create a well-rounded well-balanced level of fitness and readiness for the significant challenge which the Camino can offer.
In pursuit of the creed, ‘Education not Motivation’, we recognize that this is not a training plan for someone looking for a handful of tips and information, but for someone dedicated to learning a comprehensive plan for success and health, on and off the Camino
Our aim is that by the end of this program… you will not only take the Camino in your stride and complete your goal with confidence and grace… but that many people here will lead others doing the same.
Again, congratulations - we are half way through. You are already more prepared that most people on this path. Do take a moment to celebrate the accomplishment. You are well on the path!
