I'm going on a working holiday in the Brecon Beacons for the NT in about 6 weeks time mending high level footpaths. (I did a week in Yorkshire in March which was great)
The reason I'm posting is that I was wondering if anyone had any tips on improving upper body strength in that time...I quickly learnt that it was my arms that suffered last time! I know swimming is a good all rounder but I never seem to get time to go, so I'm after something I can do at home after work!
Also doing a bit of promotion for the NT working holidays, I found them via the internet, however it is a great way of putting back into the landscapes we ruin walking over them in our boots! Has anyone else done one...maybe even the one i'm doing as I know they run it quite often there...in that case what was the base camp like!
He He, I was watching the helicopter dropping off the bags of stones on the Carmarthen Fans recently and think at the time of the poor devils that would be breaking their backs moving that lot!!
When I played rugby I did quite a bit of weight training geared toward upper body strength.
Lat pull downs, bench presses, chinning would be good. Also shoulder extensions standing and bending with a pair of fairly heavy dumbbells might help.
As with all weight training, don't over do it, don't try to rush your program along, and diet appropriately. This is particularly important if you have not done much weight training before!
I imagine that swimming would be ok for endurance but if your arms ache from lifting heavy stones then some basic powerlifting moves like deadlifts would be a good start. This is a good all round movement that will strenghten your legs and lower back. Your grip strength will improve as a result.
A common fault with this type of action is to try and bend your arms when you lift. Your back and legs are capable of moving fairly hefty loads when compared to your biceps which will take the strain if you bend youe arms when you lift.
But if you do nothing else, keep your back straight when lifting.
Well I am back from my week in the Brecons and we were building pitched footpath on the route up from Storey Arms to Pen-Y-Fan and dispite the hard walk up, four times in the week and hard work shifting stones it was worth it. The weather was fantastic not a drop of rain (except the last night!) and the views fabulous. The access warden who was running the site kept saying how lucky we were, some groups never get a glimpse of the view. We only had one morning of mist! I remebemer my first walk along that route a few years back...in the mist and rain of course!
I have posted a few photo's of the week on the gallery for everyone to look at. Next time you walk over pitched footpaths please think of all the hard work that has gone into it. And if you are wondering over the Brecons on NT land and come across one of the wardens, stop and say hello. they are really friendly guys!
Funnily enough, I was getting ready for a caving tip into Ogof Draenen a couple of weeks ago and was talking to two wardens supervising a group of volunteers rebuilding a dry stone wall.
Iwent up that way yesterday and the volunteers were still working at 16:30. That surprised me. Looks like punishing work. I thought of volunteering but I think I'm a bit past it. Walk yes, hard physical labour no. Must say they were a cheery bunch.
