Getting fit for bushcraft

[h2o]

Take laxatives before you go out, that'll shift a pound or two!

but then you will need to carry 10 kilos of toilet paper!!!

 

[spamel]

but then you will need to carry 10 kilos of toilet paper!!!

If you're a hardcore bushcrafter, you should be using leafs or moss with bits of twig in it!

 

[andy_e]

If you're a hardcore bushcrafter, you should be using leafs or moss with bits of twig in it!

Or in the spirit of the famous joke ... a nice soft rabbit.

 

[fast but dim]

navy seals fitness ebook:

http://books.google.com/books?vid=I...ver&dq=strength+conditioning&as_brr=1#PPR7,M1

 

[malcolmc]

I regard bushcraft as a tool to use for my comfort when I’m out hiking. To my mind you need a reasonable level of fitness if you’re travelling in a remote or isolated area to get yourself out of trouble if things go pear shaped. It’s for that contingency that I need to be fit, not the bushcraft activities themselves. For me it means being able to carry 30Kg over 30Km in 6 hours, not counting breaks. I also look to be able to lift my own weight - could be important that one. That’s well below what the military types need and achievable for a civi as a leisure activity; I, at my advanced years, could do that 12 months ago. Whilst I generally do need to get from A to B before dark I will tend to walk as slowly as that objective allows; the slower you travel the more you see.

Having said that, since surgery last year I’m having to work hard to get back to my previous level of fitness; at present I’ve built up to a load of 9Kg (that’s just my belt kit without any sharp thingies) and the maximum distance I’ve managed is 12Km. That took me over 2 ½ hours and , the snag is, it was on the level on a good path. What has helped is physiotherapy support from the NHS (which I had to shout for; it’s not seen as a normal activity to go walking in the hills you know). Personally I’m not going to venture into somewhere like the Brecon Beacons until I can do better, the one thing I don’t want to do is to get myself into a position where I have to call on others to get me out of trouble.

When I lose the physio support I’d like to find a web site where I could enter my current capacity, the capacity I want to attain and receive a programme of exercises to achieve it. I tried to find such a site before I got support from the NHS, the British army web site for fitness advice doesn’t really cover targets appropriate for civilians. If anyone knows of a site aimed at improving civis’ fitness I’d be grateful for a link. Thanks.

 

[sandbender]

Fishy, look at this site...

http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/start-how.html

Everything you need from regimes, demo videos to nutrition advice

"World-Class Fitness in 100 Words"

"Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat. Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, C&J, and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast. Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense. Regularly learn and play new sports."

Above all

Have fun

 

[Minotaur]

I regard bushcraft as a tool to use for my comfort when I’m out hiking. To my mind you need a reasonable level of fitness if you’re travelling in a remote or isolated area to get yourself out of trouble if things go pear shaped. It’s for that contingency that I need to be fit, not the bushcraft activities themselves. For me it means being able to carry 30Kg over 30Km in 6 hours, not counting breaks. I also look to be able to lift my own weight - could be important that one. That’s well below what the military types need and achievable for a civi as a leisure activity; I, at my advanced years, could do that 12 months ago. Whilst I generally do need to get from A to B before dark I will tend to walk as slowly as that objective allows; the slower you travel the more you see.

Having said that, since surgery last year I’m having to work hard to get back to my previous level of fitness; at present I’ve built up to a load of 9Kg (that’s just my belt kit without any sharp thingies) and the maximum distance I’ve managed is 12Km. That took me over 2 ½ hours and , the snag is, it was on the level on a good path. What has helped is physiotherapy support from the NHS (which I had to shout for; it’s not seen as a normal activity to go walking in the hills you know). Personally I’m not going to venture into somewhere like the Brecon Beacons until I can do better, the one thing I don’t want to do is to get myself into a position where I have to call on others to get me out of trouble.

When I lose the physio support I’d like to find a web site where I could enter my current capacity, the capacity I want to attain and receive a programme of exercises to achieve it. I tried to find such a site before I got support from the NHS, the British army web site for fitness advice doesn’t really cover targets appropriate for civilians. If anyone knows of a site aimed at improving civis’ fitness I’d be grateful for a link. Thanks.

As I said above I would look at the US Marine stuff, they put a lot of time and effort into the design and implementaion of their stuff.

One thing you need to do is make sure you spend extra effort on the muscles around the injury.

The simplest system is to walk everyday, a shorter distance but with more weight, and keep increasing distance/weight.

 

[malcolmc]

As I said above I would look at the US Marine stuff, they put a lot of time and effort into the design and implementaion of their stuff.

One thing you need to do is make sure you spend extra effort on the muscles around the injury.

The simplest system is to walk everyday, a shorter distance but with more weight, and keep increasing distance/weight.

Thanks for that Minotaur.

As I expected my session with the physio this morning was my last. He's given me some exercises to build upper body strength but anything further and I'm on my own. The surgery I had was across my stomach, afterwards it took 3 months before I could walk properly again. It came as a surprise to me how quickly you lose strength from your muscles when you don't use them; I couldn't carry anything for those first 3 months.

Walking with an increasing load is the main way I'm tackling getting my strength back but it is so slow to show results
.

I feel I was sold a bit of a dummy before the op – told I would be back to normal in 3 months; turns out normal is defined as able to walk from the car park to the supermarket and transfer shopping from trolley to car, oh, and watch TV. You live and learn.

 

[JohnL]

Walking with an increasing load is the main way I'm tackling getting my strength back but it is so slow to show results
.

I am not an expert here, but I would say that walking will build endurance, not strength. if you want strength do weight/gymn type work. I do not really think that walking whith lots of weight is a good idea, especialy if you have not built up to it very slowly. If you have a good fitness level you will be able to cope with the weight when you need to.
There is an interesting vid herehttp://www.extreme.com/royalmarines/news_article.asp?sID=10
that shows how guy with no weight carrying experiance still managed to do ok when loaded up.

I told myself a few months ago I was going to build up my walking distance but still havent done much. Managed 18 miles in 4hours 30 last week including navigating, but had no weight on me.

 

[EdS]

though training for bushcraft involved eating hearth stews cooked on a fire and drinking home brew.

 

[Tengu]

I thought so too.

Your right, endurance is different to strength

 

[Minotaur]

Thanks for that Minotaur.

As I expected my session with the physio this morning was my last. He's given me some exercises to build upper body strength but anything further and I'm on my own. The surgery I had was across my stomach, afterwards it took 3 months before I could walk properly again. It came as a surprise to me how quickly you lose strength from your muscles when you don't use them; I couldn't carry anything for those first 3 months.

Walking with an increasing load is the main way I'm tackling getting my strength back but it is so slow to show results
.

I feel I was sold a bit of a dummy before the op – told I would be back to normal in 3 months; turns out normal is defined as able to walk from the car park to the supermarket and transfer shopping from trolley to car, oh, and watch TV. You live and learn.

My brother had his appendics done in his fourties, and it put him on the sick for over six months. The stomach muscles are the stabilizer muscles so you use then for everything. I know a lot of sport people and they go private for physio. You could try pliates or yoga, which spends a lot of time on that group of muscles.

I am not an expert here, but I would say that walking will build endurance, not strength. if you want strength do weight/gymn type work. I do not really think that walking whith lots of weight is a good idea, especialy if you have not built up to it very slowly. If you have a good fitness level you will be able to cope with the weight when you need to.
There is an interesting vid herehttp://www.extreme.com/royalmarines/news_article.asp?sID=10
that shows how guy with no weight carrying experiance still managed to do ok when loaded up.

I told myself a few months ago I was going to build up my walking distance but still havent done much. Managed 18 miles in 4hours 30 last week including navigating, but had no weight on me.

The weight is not about weight carrying, it is about making the distance you can walk everyday or every other day, harder.

You want to increase your distance, but only have a hour three times a week, so carry a rucsac with a weight in it.

Your right, endurance is different to strength

Yes, and No. They are basically two sides of the same coin. The easiest way to look at it from our point of view is that strength is a sprint, and endurance is a marathon. The same muscles are used, but the way they are used and trained is different. Strength training is about the most you can do, and endurance training is about how often you can do it. A lot of modern weight systems train both often at the same time because you get better/stronger mucsles.

though training for bushcraft involved eating hearth stews cooked on a fire and drinking home brew.

True, but by the time I have got there and built the fire lately, I just want to go to sleep, and not enjoy the view, or the brew..

Note to self, must check on brew.