Keeping Middle Age at Bay

[Hunter]

I am now firmly into middle age and after a recent hike, I had to deal with sore knees and some mild back pain. This has led me to the conclusion that I need to pursue more physical conditioning such as weights and a more varied exercise program.

Currently I run about 6 days a week averaging 3-4 miles per day with an occasional bike ride throw in. I don't lift weights, but I have access to a gym. I am wondering if anyone knows of specific exercises that would help strengthen my knees and back or sources on the web where I could do additional research.

My goal is to through exercise, improve my conditioning today so I can hike for years to come. Any suggestions or personal experiences would be welcome.

 

[Papa Bear]

The best way to get in shape for hiking is to hike! But the rules for any conditioning apply: don't overdo it, build up gradually, be consistant.

I'm well past middle age and for the last two years have started doing lots of hiking (with about a 30 year gap from before). Guess what: I'm in much better shape now then when I started.

I tend to run in the winter (since I'm not close enough to really get into winter hiking, alas) and hike in the summer. This change of seasons is also good for the body. Certain muscle groups get a rest while your general cardiovascular system stays fit. No weight lifting. No Gym stuff for me.

Bottom line: to hike better, hike more, but gradually.

Pb

 

[Jim lombard]

I have stopped running because of the knee pain associated with it and hiking. I now power-walk 5-6 days a week at a fast rate over 4 miles. This seems to take allot of the pressure off my joints and I have had little or no knee pain on hiking trips. I also got a pair of poles for Christmas a few years back and find they help a great deal in reducing the impact on my nearly 44 year old knees.

 

[percious]

I'm not middle aged, but I second the poles. I have been recouperating from a severe knee injury since september. The poles definately decrease the pain you will feel at the end of the day.

You can condition your knees at the gym. If you have been a biker for many years, then you would probably suffer from the same thing I do, which is lack of symetry (sp.) in your muscles, which can lead to knee pain. I would recommend talking to a personal trainer about this if you have a gym near you and can afford it. They can tell you which exercises are best to do, and come up with a plan to strengthen those areas that need it.

Most of all, pay attention to proper posture when you are lifting, because it can make all the difference.

-percious

 

[kubik]

Weight training...

Hunter..
I am 55 and have hiked most of my life I also ski over a hundred days a season and have for the past 17 years. This past fall I began a moderate regimen of lifting, with concentration on my legs and core. it is the most significant thing I have done to improve my skiing and increase my endurance hiking.

Basically an inclined leg press and several isolated leg lifts, combined with overall body toning will help. Stronger legs help support your joints/knees and a more solid core will stabilize you in many activities, including hiking and skiing.

This is not muscle man stuff, but you will be amazed how fast you can increase your leg strength. I have increased from 250 lbs. inclined leg to over 400 in several months. You can increase your legs very quickly, they are mostly muscle any way. With hiking and some resistance training you can maintain and improve no matter your age..
Good Luck...

 

[sp1936]

This card-carrying AARP member suggests that you use poles, take Ibuprofen, and gradually get your running up over 5 miles/day. If your knee pain is chronic, get it diagnosed by an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine.

Steve

 

[JohnL]

If I were only going to do one weight lifting exercise it would be squats, preferably on a Smith Machine. Squats work all your major leg muscles and you can even do your calves with it. Squats will also strengthen your core muscles, lower back and abdominals. The key when it comes to helping your hiking, in my opinion, is not so much overall weight but number of repetitions. This will increase your muscle endurance. If you don't know how to do squats, get someone who will help you because you can hurt your back if you do them wrong. Your form during the exercise is key.

Other leg exercises are leg extensions (start out with low weights and NEVER straighten your legs at the top of the exercise) and leg curls (low weights, lots of reps, and stretch your hamstrings immediately afterward).

Lower back exercises include back extensions (you need an apparatus to do these) and dead lifts with low weights and lots of reps.

I stay away from Ibuprofen when hiking or exercising because the pain you mask could be causing damage to joints. Ibuprofen has also been attributed to cartilage degradation.

I use poles in the winter but discard them in the summer after the first hike or two. I have found that if you don't have chronic knee problems, you don't give your knees a chance to strengthen during the hike if you rely on the poles too much. Also, the smaller balancing muscles in your legs and ankles never get worked if you rely on the poles.

But, like PapaBear said, nothing beats hiking to train for hiking.

JohnL

 

[Silverback]

I'm 50, and I feel your pain.

Percious is correct. Muscle imbalance will contribute to knee pain. I coach cross country at a community collge and it is well known that the back of runner's legs tend to be stronger than the front. Try exercises that work the quads, lunges (don't allow your knees to go out past your toes), leg extensions on a machine (one leg at a time and you don't need to use much weight, just lift slowly and return slowly), and I agree with Papabear too, nothing trains you better for hiking than hiking. A modified squat (slide down a wall into a sitting position) might help as well.

You may want to reduce your running from six days per week to four, and work a stairmaster or hike hills on the other two.

 

[KenC]

I turned 50 this May! I cut running way back a number of years ago due to constant injuries. Those were more sport induced. But i have found that at 50, running more that a few days a week was just too much when you add a long day or weekend on the trail. Since i've cut that back i've had very few problem's. I do also bike and try to hike mid week also.

A good strength program helped a lot also. As mentioned a good trainer can set you up and it will be money well spent. Otherwise extensions and curls are good but don't lockout (fully extend and lock the joint)!

As far as poles... I let conditions determine. If its wet and slippery i use them especially on decent. If i'm tired with a heavier pack i may opt for them. I do not use them all the time for the same reason John mentioned.

Flexibility is something that is often overlooked. It only takes about 10-15 minn. to go through a good series of stretching exercises that i've found help a lot. The Glutes, Hamstrings, and Quads are BIG muscles and need to be kept flexible.

 

[Mad Townie]

Yet another voice of age crying in the wilderness:

The runners say run more, the nonrunners say stop running. I don't run. Somehow the pounding on my joints doesn't appeal to me, so if I need to submit them to it I want it to be on the trails and not on the streets.

Everything that's been said about various weight exercises is good. The one thing I would add is that you should avoid any really deep knee bends, especially when doing squats.

 

[Papa Bear]

Here's a few ideas besides just hike, hike, hike:

Keep (or get) your weight down. I find my body adapts to my weight, so more excercise just makes me stronger, not thinner. Gotta watch what you eat. Surprise!

Do your running on soft surfaces. I try to run on bridle paths for as much of my running mileage as possible.

If you got sore knees from your hike, not from your running, then build up the hikiing gradually. Especially the climbing part. Start with flat hikes. Don't do Denali the first time out

If you enjoy your running, don't stop. Do both.

Although biking may be the most fun and get you the most miles per hour, it's not particularly good cross training for hiking. Running is much closer.

I find going from a lot of running to a lot of hiking is easy. Going the other way (like I did last fall) is much tougher. Somehow hiking makes you bulk up more, expecially in the calves.

Make sure you're having fun, or you won't stick with it.

Pb, who is 61 and feeling fine.

 

[KZKlimber]

If your knees bother you on descents - this has worked for me:

1) As others have suggested, poles work wonders

2) Try downstepping with weights - this can be as simple as holding a full gallon jug of water in each hand and stand on a low step (first stair in the staircase works) and step down, transfering your weight to the lower foot. Bring the foot back up to the step and do the same with the other foot and continue alternating feet.

My knees no longer bother me on descents!

 

[JimB]

Hunter, I'll turn 48 in a few months so I'm also no spring chicken. One thing I have found is that it is very important to STAY in shape. You need to find fun activities that you can do all year round and use them to stay active and fit. I try to cycle a few times a week, sometimes with a fast group, and trail run on some of the other days. In the winter I'm always XC skiing or snowshoeing, usually with a backpack. If the weather and roads are good I might even fit a bike ride in just to keep the joints flexible and strong. I try to do at least one long hike a month, year round. Stretching is also important as you get older and less flexible. Just find some fun activities, including the gym if you are so inclined, and stick with it. Life is like water skiing. When you slow down, you go down , JimB.

 

[ken]

i turned 50 2 weeks ago - i don't run (too many things bounce) - i ride the bike when i can (but not during winter) - i snowshoe during the winter - - - - back about 10 years ago when i started on the longer distance, higher elevation hikes, going down bothered my knees - i started using poles and my knees stopped bothering me - - then it started getting to be a pain stopping and getting the poles out every time i started going downhill (you can go downhill a little faster using the poles, but they only slow you down going up and on the level) - i eventually stopped using the poles and have just been carrying them on my pack for about 8 years now (and my knees haven't bothered me lately) - i can hike just as good (or maybe even better) than i could when i was 20 (hope it keeps up) - - - i think beating your knees and feet around running may be something you should think about - - - another thing many hikers do is start with the advil the night before the big hike and every 4 hours after - they say advil relaxes the muscles but it has to build up over time... if it isn't muscle or tendons that are hurting you you should probably go to an orthopedic surgeon and have him order an MRI of your knees to see what is really in there.

 

[emtnek]

Some very good advice all over here.
Same experience with the poles, sometimes they are real good to have, especially on downhill.
I am too big to run and if I lost 10 lbs would still be too big to run. I am not a fan of that for overall fitness unless one tends to be slightly built and even then the damage accumulates.

Early 50's, quit running in mid thirties after years of distance including marathons. Decided it was too much pounding and even though I could break 3 hours I felt there were better exercises with less impact. My brother the doctor was a state champ distance runner in HS and very good in college and he recommended against the sport long term. Bike, hike, and the gym workouts that have been listed are excellent. Cross training is a good thing.

 

[dennis]

At 53, I have already finished the NE 111 and the Catskill 3500. The best two pieces of advice I have read here from my colleagues on this thread is to keep the weight down and use poles. Seeing to those two items has been a great advantage. Even though I use a treadmill, stationary bicycle, and weights, I've found that's not enough. Perhaps the old metabolism is slowing faster than I suspected. To beef things up, I have taken up snowshoeing again (on the Catamount Trail this past winter) and have returned to doing yoga and tai chi. I find the last two exercises help me stay stretched and limber as well as staying focused. Stretching my muscles, and focusing my mind have helped to alleviate some of the aches and pains that now become more frequent. If your knee problem is more serious, the advice about the orthopedic physician is very wise.

 

[paul ron]

Dealing with middle age

I've learned to hike slower, bike in lower gears and enjoy the views a little longer. Guess what, I actually see wild life on the trails now and notice waterfalls where I never even knew a stream existed. I got into my photography a bit more serious and am visiting all the places I did in my younger years to see it this time around.

Making great time to the top of the mountain has taken it's toll on my knees and I didn't see anythng in all those years.

 

[jfb]

Hunter,

As I also am approaching middle age, I've done a bit of research on the Internet to learn how to get the most out of my body for hiking. Some of the areas I researched were: how muscles work, the difference between fast and slow twitch muscle fibers, the difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercise, how the body burns glycogen vs. fat for energy and other interesting topics. Many of the articles were related to running, bicycling or other sports, but can also apply to hiking. Based on what I've learned and my own experiences, I agree with most of the previous posters that you probably could benefit most by taking longer, more frequent hikes. To build endurance, you should also try to go slower and keep your heart rate in the aerobic zone, typically below 140 bpm or so. Here's an interesting article: fast and slow twitch muscles

 

[spider solo]

Like a couple of the others who posted here I shy away from using poles (though I do own a pair.)
Over the years I have had both knees "fixed" (scoped) and untill I started an exercise program I had lots of knee pain particulary when resting. I found by building my leg muscles and overall fitness I greatly reduced or eliminated any pain.
Aside from the surprised look as you pass people using poles, who often think they are moving faster, it is worthwhile to stop and watch someone descending with poles.
With arms and legs both moving it is easy to see why we feel like we are going faster with them, but taking a minute to observe, there is much flailing of arms and legs...but the overall impression is that of a very sloppy method of propelling oneself along with much extrenous twisting and turning about.
Pehaps another way to state the same thing without beating it to death....
A few years ago I "tore my knee out " while beginning a multi day hike. I found that after fashioning a pair of crutches that I was pretty well unstopable. I could cross any stream and terrain (albeit very ungainly).
But the object was to get better and get rid of the crutches.... So what I'm trying to say is.... Don't sign on early in life for needing poles to hike.
My vote is to put it off as long as possible...there will be plenty of years waiting for us...needing canes and walkers to get about....no need to hasten the dependency.
These days snowshoeing is my primary focus...days of jogging are behind me.... so much of my exercise is with that in mind.
Like others I shy from ibuprofen so as not to mask anything ... but I am curious about glucosamine.