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December 11, 2024 By Anusha Subramanian 15 Comments

Fitness For Trekking: Tips To Get You Started!

Get fit for trekkingIn my blog titled ‘Trekking is not difficult if you know how to walk’, I talked about how going on a trek is not such an arduous task. I also mentioned a few dos and don’ts that would help first-time trekkers. In this blog, we’ll talk about fitness for trekking and how to prepare.

Trekking up a mountain or just hiking across the countryside is a wonderful activity to indulge in. Believe me, it is such a joyous and rewarding experience. However, one must be prepared! Most people heading off on a trek must be at a fitness level where they can truly enjoy the trek. Unfortunately, leading a busy life and lacking a specific fitness regime leaves many trekkers less prepared than they should be. Fitness for trekking or training for a trek is no rocket science. Training smart and effectively helps to gain energy, which in turn will help you truly enjoy your trek.

Before Everything, Get Yourself Checked

Any adventure sport activity requires stamina and strength. Trekking is like any other athletic sport and before you embark on this path, it’s good to get yourself medically checked and consult your doctor. If you let your doctor where you are going for a trek –in India specifically, if you are trekking the Himalayas it is good to get a basic medical checkup done. You can also let your doctor know the conditions your trek entails. What altitude you would be scaling, the number of days the trek entails, the distance you would be covering per day, the change in altitude per day and the extremes of temperature that you are likely to encounter.

Once your doctor is aware of what activity you are going to undertake, they can advise you accordingly. But, in terms of getting some fitness tips, its better to discuss your activity with your personal trainer or somebody who is a pro trekker and well aware of the conditions in high altitudes, as they would be better equipped to give you the right guidance.

Fitness For Trekking 

Preparing for a trek is no different from preparing for a long distance run or a long distance trail walk. The only difference is that a trek is not a competition and you can walk at your pace and enjoy the serenity around you. For trekking, you need to adapt your body to stress and build on it slowly and steadily to be able to handle more stress in the future. The idea is to toughen your body to withstand extreme conditions of the trek. Walking for 5-6 hours in high altitude or even at an altitude of 3000 feet is taxing if you are not used to it or if you are not fit.

This is not achieved overnight. Your training has to start at least 3-6 months in advance for your body to get attuned to the stress levels it will go through. If you intend to take trekking or any outdoor activity seriously and plan to go on regular treks, then training on a regular basis would be helpful.

Trekkers need a balanced approach, strengthening the entire body, if you want to be successful and injury free during training and during the trek. It is therefore important to strengthen your weak links as well as the major muscle groups.

When it comes to trekking, having a strong back goes a long way alongside having strong legs and arms. So along with cardio, coupling strength training will not hurt but only help. Strength training will help build muscles. The key is to strengthen your stomach muscles as well as the surrounding muscle groups, known as the core.

Every trek involves climbing or descending significant elevations. Therefore, you need to prepare your body for climbing, descending, or both. It is important to vary your training to work the muscles and joints used as you climb and descend.

If you have varied terrain near where you live, that would be an ideal training topography. By taking longer walks up and down a hill trail, you simulate the conditions of your trek and work both the muscles needed for downhill as well as uphill. But, not all of us are lucky to have that perfect training setting. The best way to train is to build a few physical activities in your daily routine before you embark on the trek. Start with walking for about 1-2 hours on a flat surface for a week and gradually increase it to about 3 hours with walks on inclines for four or five days a week with a backpack weighing about 4 kg.

This is because on every trek, you will be carry a small daypack with at least 3-4 kg in it. Doing this on a regular basis will help you get used to it. If you work out in the gym, walking on the treadmill with a backpack at a 2-5% incline will enhance your endurance and also strengthen you.

The other ideal way to simulate your hill training is by climbing up and down flights of stairs. Repeating the process a number of times helps. Initially start with 20 flights of stairs. Then gradually build up to 100 flights of stairs. This number is highly subjective as flights vary in size and the amount of elevation you may climb in a day varies greatly. However, 100 flights is a reasonable goal that establishes a good base for preparing for your trek.

When walking up and down steps, try to vary which leg you lead with as well as whether you take one or two steps in a stride. By varying your steps, you better simulate real world conditions. It’s usually not the case that you can walk with a consistently exact stride. Sometimes you have to step over large rocks or reach down to a flat area. The more you simulate the conditions experienced on the trail the better prepared you will be.

Most people don’t realize that walking downhill is actually more taxing on the body. This is due to two reasons: First, there is more force on the body as you go downhill, especially with weight on your back. Second, as you descend, the muscles elongate when stressed, unlike when walking uphill.

Initially you can start climbing stairs without a pack on your back. As the trek dates nears say a month before the trek you can start walking with the pack and the weight.

Remember along with all this training, a proper diet and rest should not be forgotten. Finally, trekking should be fun! It should be enjoyed and not thought of as an arduous task. The goal should never be a race to a destination. The moment you think it’s a race and want to go ahead of everyone, you put yourself in trouble and miss the wonderful sights and experiences along the way.

We hope this article helps you trek and see more! Do leave your thoughts in the comments below!

#BeTheForce 

August 26, 2022 By GOQii Leave a Comment

#DiscoverYourTrail With The GOQii Trail Challenge 2022!

GOQii Trail Challenge 2022As the old saying goes – You can’t keep a good thing down, we are finally back with the next edition of the GOQii Trail Challenge! Thanks to the pandemic, it’s been almost 2 years since we challenged you to take this 50km journey with us where we explored something more than just nature.

We explored hardships, camaraderie, teamwork, motivation, inner strength, fortitude and most importantly, through the many stories that emerged from the GOQii Trail Challenge, we not only observed the beauty that nature held, but we observed ourselves deeply and discovered something new about ourselves! 

How The Trail Can Help You Discover Yourself? 

While we can throw in a couple of adjectives that might strike an emotion, there’s nothing in the world that hits home harder than real life experiences. 

One of our participants had never even done a trek, let alone a 50km trailwalk that requires a decent amount of preparation and training. In fact, she decided to take the challenge to prove her colleagues wrong – all of whom believed that she’d give up halfway. As the journey began, she realized that it’s not an easy feat. 

Pooja as she approached the finish line

Her partner gave up and while this participant thought she’d be alone, she discovered that GOQii is not just a brand but a family, as no one is alone on the trail. Another participant who had been walking solo, paired up with her and motivated her to reach the finish line. She said that every participant she encountered only motivated her to push herself. Somewhere, she believed that she couldn’t complete the trail but as she reached the finish line, in all that awe and surprise, she found a new sense of pride and confidence! You can read Pooja’s heroic journey here.

Shankar Sabadi walking with a makeshift splint

Speaking of heroic journeys, here’s one that taught us a lot about fortitude, determination and not giving up in the face of adversity. Despite encountering a severe injury on the trail, Shankar Sabadi managed to complete the 50km trail using a makeshift splint for his broken arm. His determination to complete the challenge was overwhelming, even for us. He exemplified what it means to not give up and push forward, no matter what.

Sanket Bhirud (L) along with Anusha Subramanian (R)

The previous trailwalk wasn’t just about the struggle of able-bodied people but we also had a participant who had a disability. Being blind, Sanket Bhirud was accompanied by Anusha Subramanian as they raised awareness about inclusion of disabled people in the outdoors. We learned here that no matter who you are or what your circumstances, with enough determination, strong will and good teamwork, you can overcome any hurdle or barrier.  

These are just a few stories from the GOQii Trail Challenge. While walking in the lap of nature, having to rely on your teammates and fellow walkers for support or even crossing a river, you might discover something about yourself that you never did before. It’s not just a trail walk, it’s about finding yourself!

A Few Other Reasons Why You Should Participate

Apart from discovering yourself, you can take the GOQii Trail Challenge to: 

  • Challenge the capabilities of your body and test your mental strength 
  • Connect with mother nature on a deeper level 
  • Enjoy a break in the heart of nature, away from the hustle and bustle of the city 
  • Meet and interact with like-minded people
  • Strike out the “achieve the impossible” target of your checklist for the year 

How Can You Participate In the GOQii Trail Challenge 2022? 

Anyone can participate in this event, as long as they are above 18 years of age. ELITE GOQii Players and past participants are eligible for a special offer on this year’s registration fee. 

The 50 km nature trail is in Mandangad, a village situated at the extreme north of Ratnagiri District in Maharashtra, approximately 4 hours from Mumbai. The journey to Mandangad will begin on Friday, 9th December, from the GOQii office in Mumbai by bus. The 50km trailwalk will be held on Saturday, 10th December 2022. We will return to the GOQii Mumbai office on Sunday, 11th December by 4.00 PM. 

You can register as a single participant or as a team of 2. Please visit www.goqii.com/gtc for more details! 

We hope to see you this year at the GOQii Trail Challenge 2022 as you #DiscoverYourTrail

#BeTheForce  

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