What if anything do you do to prepare for challenging portages prior to your trips to the Boundary Waters or Quetico?

I learned a valuable lesson when I returned to Quetico after a four decade hiatus. My training regiment, while fairly intense, did not sufficiently prepared me for carrying heavy loads over multiple long, hilly portages. After that miscalculation, in additional to my regularly exercise regime I now climb stadium “seats” with a 70-pound backpack for 30 minutes every weekend for 10-12 weeks prior to the trip. This makes those nasty portages much more manageable.

I put my stuff in other people's packs. I carry sleeping pads.

In the past I set the incline of the treadmill up and gradually increase the incline to maximum.
I do not walk around with packs...regular resistance training is better.
Started mine tonight. I will be more than ready come May.

I'll do weight training. Lunges and particularly squats with a barbell behind my neck. 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps. A lot of stretching and the usual pushups and dumbells. I have a swiss ball which is really good for core exercises. The better shape I can get in the more I'll enjoy the trip.

I mow the lawn with a portage pack on. I love the looks from people driving by. Especially the ones that go around the block for a second look.

Boy, Am I glad I'm not the only one who does that. People think I'm a goof hiking in the chalet with a bag full of brink on my back.

Nothing till about a month ago. Swimming. 1500 yards ever other day. Wanna be at 3000 yards in a month. Interval training with descending sets.

I walk circles at the rec center at the college that I'm employed at. There is a set of stairs that goes down the the lower level and I put them into my routine as well.

Also lift some weights as it helps getting the canoe up at the portages as well.

I run 4 miles every other day bike lift weights do push ups then maybe throw the canoe on once in a while for a walk down my long drive way

The first thing I do is try to reduce pack weight ;). I hill walk right around home - don't have to go to the stadium :). I also do some sand bag lifts - it's not 70 lbs., but neither are my packs.

I hike 4 1/2 miles 3 or 4 time a week at Oxbow park, lot of ups and downs, then I try to paddle 1's a week before my trips.

What???! Do you eat extra large meals to condition for Thanksgiving too?

One simple exercise is to grab two dumbbells and hold one in each hand. Then find something to step up on. If you are at the gym there should be adjustable step up boxes somewhere. Or there may be boxes meant for box jumps, or you could just use some stairs.

All you do is step up and step down as many times as you like. The nice thing about this exercise is that is you can easily scale it up or down by increasing weight, increasing height of the step, or increasing the number of step ups you do.

You can go as far as using a barbell with weight on your shoulders like you would for a squat and then stepping up on boxes with that on your shoulders.

If using the dumbbells you can also add in an extra bicep curl or shoulder press as you are stepping up.

It should help build up your core, legs, and shoulders.

Squats, Deadlifts and Cleans ;)

I do at least 60 flights of stairs every morning.

Hike the stairs at work mostly everyday.

Yoga.

quote inspector13: "
What???! Do you eat extra large meals to condition for Thanksgiving too?

"

Well Duh...who doesn't do that...been practicing for 30 years or more now...straight.

quote QueticoMike: "I do at least 60 flights of stairs every morning."

Just reading that made me look for a canoe rest...;-)

I hike 2 miles every other day with a 40 lb pack on trails in the woods with lots of ups and downs. This year I have two Kevlar canoes (one for each hand :-) so I will also carry a canoe and a pack up and down the hill out back. As I get older, it's better to endure some of the pain beforehand.

This next trip I have a couple of killer portages ahead of me. One is a mile uphill from Pine to West Pike. The other is not very long but on a scale from 1-10 it is a 10. It is from Pine to Vale. I'm going to start walking my dog every day and riding my bike.

quote Doughboy12: "

quote QueticoMike: "I do at least 60 flights of stairs every morning."

Just reading that made me look for a canoe rest...;-)"

Just to be clear that is 60 flights up and down. No canoe rest, but then again I'm not carrying a canoe on the stairway :)

Years ago I read an article about an interview with Neil Armstrong, the astronaut. He was asked about his exercise routine. He replied that he didn't exercise, he believed that God gave him a finite number of heart beats and he was not going to waste any of them.

I walk about four miles a day with the dog. It's down to the Kinni and then back up.

When I am at the gym I make sure to use all the machines that work the legs. Some are for knee strength and some for lifting but these are the ones I make sure I get in the workout. The Stairmaster with the real steps is what I find the most effective for specific portage training. I quit running 10 years ago and found that this machine gave me the same portage endurance because it is both strength and cardio training. A month before the trip I start carrying a heavy canoe around the yard. My goal is to toughen in the tops of my shoulders so they are not tender during those first days of portaging. Biking, day paddling and anything else I can turn into a workout fulfills the regimen.

quote ducks: "I mow the lawn with a portage pack on. I love the looks from people driving by. Especially the ones that go around the block for a second look."

Are you on a rider like kanoes?

quote ducks: "I mow the lawn with a portage pack on. I love the looks from people driving by. Especially the ones that go around the block for a second look."

It must be this and the pink flip-flops ;).

quote inspector13: "
What???! Do you eat extra large meals to condition for Thanksgiving too?

"

:) No, but I usually suffer the consequences!

Been considering something like this. Not sure if I can talk my boss into it though.

Many may not agree with following-- but it's a proven method.

People are different when it comes to getting in shape. I "used" to be quite in shape a LONG time ago in college. Now I'am back in the pool the training for an event at the age of 41. Things I have learned back 20 years ago , have not changed from contacting my previous coaches. The feeling you get when you workout for the first few times = screw this?? That is lactic acid PERIOD> It's a good pain. Continue on. Continue on *10. The best way to do this in my thoughts is interval training. Timed distance repeated.

Interval training works both the aerobic and the anaerobic system. During the high intensity efforts, the anaerobic system uses the energy stored in the muscles (glycogen) for short bursts of activity. Anaerobic metabolism works without O2,but the by-product is lactic acid. As lactic acid builds, the athlete enters oxygen debt, and it is during the recovery phase that the heart and lungs work together to "pay back" this oxygen debt and break down the lactic acid. It is in this phase that the aerobic system is using oxygen to convert stored carbohydrates into energy.

It's thought ( known by myself and many other athletes/former) that by performing high intensity intervals that produce lactic acid during practice, the body adapts and burns lactic acid more efficiently during exercise. This means athletes can exercise at a higher intensity for a longer period of time before fatigue or pain slows them down.

I have lots of joint, back, and knee issues - the physical therapist at Park Nicollet (MPLS) gave me a set of exercises, stretches and free weight things to do. (Squats, curls, core)

I had me second new knee installed over the winter and I am committed to be ready for a May trip.

But here is the best part, the kids and grandkids carry all my stuff. I outfit, pack, cook and drive. It is a great trade.

So as Old Salt said, "I put my stuff in other people's packs"!

I don't really do anything different than the rest of the year. Lifting 2-3 times a week and something more cardio based on the other days. (biking, basketball, etc)

I carry heavy buckets of maple sap up snow covered hills! My heart rate soars and my legs burn. After a couple of weeks I should have no problem with any portage

quote ducks: "I mow the lawn with a portage pack on. I love the looks from people driving by. Especially the ones that go around the block for a second look."

last year I was mowing my lawn with my granddaughter on my shoulders.

I just try to stay active all year long. Skiing all winter, hauling maple sap in spring, splitting and hauling firewood is summer. Hiking, steelhead fishing (bushwhacking). It all adds up.

I consider my longest portage for the upcoming trip, then figure out how many times I have to walk around my yard to equal that portage. Then a couple months before the trip I start carrying my royalex canoe (about 68 pounds) around the yard a couple times a week until I can carry it twice as far as my longest portage without stopping. When I flip up a rented kevlar canoe for the first portage it feels extra light.

Not very scientific, but seems to work for me.

I do cardio all year - elliptical, bicycle riding, walking. On weekends I hike with a pack that has some weight to it. In the gym I do overhead presses of 50-60 pounds to condition for lifting a canoe and portaging with it. I also do some curls.

The best thing you can do us make sure the weight of the pack sits on your hips rather than unsupported on your back. That makes a huge difference.

I read all the descriptions of the most challenging portages and then plan to avoid them.

quote JoeWilderness: "

quote ducks: "I mow the lawn with a portage pack on. I love the looks from people driving by. Especially the ones that go around the block for a second look."

Are you on a rider like kanoes?"

LOL nope :) not a self propelled either. I have to mow the lawn every few days anyways so I figure I mind as well double dip and get the muscles ready for portaging while I'm at it.

I also alternate between jogging, rollerblading, and biking for cardio work. I need to get in some more strength training.

boonie....... I teach in the town I live..... they'd lock me up and throw away the key

Living the principles while working to create my dream career.

Mind body soul connection with balance strength and stamina

I am in NW Tucson for two months. Hiking in the Catalina Mountains regularly with a small pack will make a big difference. I have also started yoga 3 days a week. In the past month I found a great improvement in my balance, leg strength and hiking endurance. We will be camping in the Catalinas next week so will carry a heavier load.
When I am home in Minnesota I run 4-5 times a week, lift (although you would not know it by looking at me!) 3 days a week and do a wide variety of lower body exercises 3 days a week.

quote QueticoMike: "

quote Doughboy12: "

quote QueticoMike: "I do at least 60 flights of stairs every morning."

Just reading that made me look for a canoe rest...;-)"

Just to be clear that is 60 flights up and down. No canoe rest, but then again I'm not carrying a canoe on the stairway :)"

+1, used to be a bit more around your level, but comfortable with what I do on stair master, and then treadmill with weights.

No wonder you can pick up all those big fish so easy! ;)

i found that no matter how much you work out the bad carries are always bad.what made a difference for me was just loosing some of that winter weight and taking long walks with the dogs.the years when i took early trips in May and went out "cold" so to speak the portage was harder than in the Fall when i had all summer to get out and move around.
to make the portage less difficult i make three trips with lighter loads and take my time.

I bought a indoor bike trainer last fall, and ride that to a lung searing sweat three or four times a week.

I get out there & enjoy it. Local to start. Weekend hikes of different lengths & difficulty. Years ago I joined the LI Greenbelt trail org & they sent me tons of detailed maps of locally maintained trails. I choose different terrains & carry a weighted daypack to start, then sometimes move to a portage pack. I have several parks with trails where I live with different features. Flat, sandy hikes to 5 mile Stump pond loop which has lots of short up & down hills & wild gnarly roots to step over. Sometimes I climb the bluffs on the North Shore or the Moraine in my own town for some vertical challenge. Head Upstate to bag a peak on a day trip for more elevation. Paddle the Nissquogue River when the tide is heading "the wrong way".

Last year we went to a part of the Adirondacks that was loaded with steep, impressive Eskers. Wow. A few times I had my hands on the ground for balance & grip. I felt prepared for that trip, yet it was a challenge. Well worth the effort.

quote WhiteWolf: "Many may not agree with following-- but it's a proven method.

The best way to do this in my thoughts is interval training."

Agree 100%. The crossfit gym I've been working at the last four years is all about it. Also, the most effective practice we did in CC was breaking the team in two groups. Group one runs a 400 inside 75 seconds. At 75 seconds group two leaves while group one rests 75 seconds. Repeat 15 more times. Then we'd run 20 100s w/in 2-3 seconds of our PR with a short break in between.