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Get vertical: our day-hiking guide takes your workouts to the hills for extra intensity

Men's Fitness, May, 2002 by Karen Berger

Why do professional mountain guides always look lean, cut, and as if they could jog to the summit without breaking a sweat? The secret: getting vertical. We're talking off the pavement, into the backcountry and up a mountain. Go ahead: Plant boot to trail and start hiking uphill. The promise: a high-intensity, low-impact workout that'll be lots more enjoyable than slogging along on a treadmill or stairclimber, all while advancing your efforts to maintain a fat-melting metabolism and a narrow waist. And the beauty of this workout is that you get to set your own level of challenge.

GAIN MORE THAN ALTITUDE

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Don't underestimate walking--you burn the same number of calories (about 100) walking a mile as you do running a mile (you're moving the same weight over the same distance). And to move that weight over that distance, you've got to work many of the same muscles--glutes, hamstrings, calves and quads. But start hiking uphill and something different happens....

* You're not only moving forward, you're weightlifting, because you've got to heft your body up a slope. Your heart works harder.

* Push the pace a bit and you'll find yourself up at the high end of your workout range. If you throw on a backpack and haul around some weight, you ratchet up the intensity even more. It's a simple equation: More work burns more calories.

* In most places--even places we think of as flat, like much of the Midwest--the earth turns out to be a pretty bumpy planet. About 40 miles away from my home near New York City, the Appalachian Range winds along the Hudson River through Harriman State Park. Most of the climbs top out at 500 feet, but when every mile is an uphill mile or a downhill mile, the elevation adds up. A 10-mile hike can easily require you to climb--and descend--2,500 feet (figure two Empire State Buildings and change). That translates into a whopping 1,500 or so calories burned.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE TERRAIN

What do those numbers mean to your body? This is where a lot of hiking newbies get burned. If you can run five miles, you might look down your nose at a five-mile walk--and that would be a mistake. City miles and backcountry miles aren't necessarily the same. Here's why:

* Steep grades and rough footing will work your quads, hamstrings, calves and glutes like your hardest leg day in the gym--something nonrunners can appreciate too.

* In most towns, even the steepest road doesn't exceed a 6-percent grade. On trails, 10 percent (a gain of about 500 feet per mile) is considered mild, and 20 percent is not unheard of. And remember: With every increase in grade at a given pace, your heart rate increases, giving you better cardiovascular endurance and, ultimately, more energy in your everyday life.

* Footway--how well a trail is constructed and maintained--can greatly affect how tough a hike will be. Rocks, roots and mud can all slow you down, especially on steep slopes. If you're on a challenging trail where you have to do a lot of rock-scrambling, your pace can easily slow down to less than 1 mph.

* You can find out about elevation changes from topographical maps (the ones that show the terrain of an area with those wavy, contoured elevation lines), guidebooks and profile maps, but maps don't show footway. To get a more complete picture, ask at a ranger station or consult a guidebook.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM YOURSELF

So, how much elevation and mileage can you do in a day? As with all workout routines, the answer depends on you and what you want for a payoff. Are you looking to burn fat with a fast-paced hike on hilly terrain? Do you just want to enjoy a sunny Saturday on a local trail, taking the time to stop and take in every vista? Maybe you're looking for a romantic, active date in the great outdoors. It's all possible with hiking--you just have get to the nearest trail to get started.

* As a starting point, figure 2.5 mph plus a half-hour for each 1,000 feet of elevation gain.

* On gentle downhill slopes you don't have to add extra time (you'll probably be going faster), but on steep downhills with lots of obstacles you should factor in an extra half-hour for every 1,000 feet.

* Long-distance hikers sometimes cover 25 miles with as much as 5,000 to 6,000 feet of elevation gain in a day, but they're two-legged machines, the never-say-die Terminators of the walking world. That doesn't have to be you. For a reasonably fit novice, an eight-mile day with 1,500 feet of elevation gain should give you a solid workout without leaving you limp, and limping. You'll reach the end of the trail having worked a variety of muscles, melted away maybe 1,500 calories or more, and boosted your endurance, all while in the palm of Mother Nature.

PREVENTING THE PAIN

Mountain hiking makes some demands on the body that you may not be used to--and that can lead to problems for the unprepared.

* The most common trouble zone: the feet. Going uphill, the ankle flexes, sometimes causing the heel to slip and rub against the boot. Going downhill, toes can get bruised if they press against the toe box.

Get vertical: our day-hiking guide takes your workouts to the hills for extra intensity

Men's Fitness, May, 2002 by Karen Berger

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