J Fit Weight Vest

I don’t hike nearly as much as I’d like principally because there are bills to be paid and mouths to feed. With that said, I often find myself not being in the physical condition I’d like to enable me to hike with ease. Usually somewhere around mile 10, my calves and quads start to burn and the bottom of my feet get fatigued. From that point on my level of enjoyment starts to decrease dramatically.

As much as I’d like to say the remedy for this is merely to hike more, the reality is that I simply don’t have the time right now. Therefore to build leg strength and endurance, my only choice is to exercise the necessary muscle groups when I have the time. Leg lifts, leg presses, dips, lunges, and calf raises are all part of my weight routine, but they haven’t given me as much result as I had hoped. Running, cycling, and elliptical cardio efforts have helped with endurance, but not much with leg strength.

To supplement my leg exercises, I decided to buy a weight vest. The first thing I noticed when looking around was how expensive the vests were and then how much more they were when shipping was included. Since weight generally determines the cost of shipping, this drove the prices up dramatically and made purchasing most vests unrealistic.

One vest I liked in particular was from J Fit. It was a 30 pound neoprene vest which seemed about right for the amount of weight I want my body to get used to carrying. It had padded shoulder straps, adjustable chest straps, and a pocket for a music device. It also came with a highly visible reflective tape which allowed the user to be more visible when wearing it outside. Although I didn’t like the increased “dork” factor, the reality is that reflective tape is a good idea being that if a car was bearing down on me, the weight of the vest itself would definitely slow my lackluster cat-like reflexes and thereby the shimmering of the vest itself may be the only thing saving me from becoming a permanent hood ornament.

Ultimately I found the J Fit vest for $57 and only $15 shipping. The seller used the new U.S. Postal Service boxes to his benefit as the slogan of “if it fits, it ships” meant that he could stuff 30+ pounds in a small box and ship it for a fraction of the cost other vendors were pushing. Granted, when I received the box it was completely demolished, but I got it safe and sound otherwise. I’ve worn it several times for everything from short-term hiking to 3+ mile runs and it works great for its intended purpose. Over time I hope it will help me become a better backpacker.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001P2PUUC/ref=ox_ya_os_product

Conditioning for the Hike

I meant to include this in an earlier post, but I simply didn't have any room to squeeze it in. One of my favorite forums is Backpackinglight.com and a member recently provided a link to an excellent article from Washington Trails Association on how to condition for a hike of any reasonable distance or amount of time.

For me, conditioning for nearly anything has been an uphill battle. Twelve years ago, and no kidding on this one, I was a college athlete who worked out 3 hours a day. Running up to 8 miles and hitting the weights for another 1-2 hours and even playing basketball for another two hours was a completely normal activity for me - each DAY. Many days I didn't sweat and I pretty much ran everywhere, not to get there quickly, but because my body had this "get up and go" attitude. I ate right, lived clean, and there really was no physical obstacle I ever thought would get in my way. Twelve years later, now sporting a Type 1 diabetic body that apparently laid dorment since childhood, and now knee deep in the confines of work and family, I still work out 3-5 times a week for about 90 minutes each day. Unfortunately, I'm convinced my efforts would be equally rewarded if I just ate a jelly doughnut. NONE THE LESS, I keep trying and pushing as I enjoy working out and the gains I do get allow me one less hurdle to overcome down the road. It is also a good stress reliever.

Funny enough, "conditioning" of any kind is completely irrelevant to some people. We'll just call these people "genetically gifted people on my hate list". You know the kind, average to mildly tall, skinny, long-limbed, able to become a cross-country runner with the simple purchase of a pair of new running shoes, and able to chow down on a pizza with ice cream on top just before hitting the trail. Essentially, these are the same people who could save the world of its energy problems if we could only find a way to bottle their non-stop motor.

With that said, the conditioning guidance attached is for the rest of us, the "you and me's" of the world who need to watch their diet, who need to exercise, and who need to be proactive about maintaining a certain level of fitness for any fairly challenging activity.

The article can be found at http://www.wta.org/magazine/WT-05-08-FEATURE-TRAINING.pdf. (If for some reason the link doesn't work, let me know and I'll e-mail you the file.) Fortunately, it is very short and to the point because, let's face it, none of us needs to read a 90-page documentary by short-short aficionado Richard Simmons or see the "after" picture of a successful diet and exercise program when we know all too often we are the "before" picture.

Have fun breaking a sweat.