Explode Into Spring!

Explode into spring!

If you've been dashing around like a demented dog all winter you can stop reading now, but what if you've been hibernating hard and the prospect of sunshine's finally tempted you out of your warm and cosy cave? Or maybe you've just discovered the hills and wonder how on earth you'll ever get fit enough to storm up Snowdon without collapsing like an old sponge cloth at the top.

Well don't panic. All the past Butcher's Dog articles are listed below, but we also have some general advice for easing back into the hills and making this your most mountainous year ever.

Ease back into things...

If you've had a winter lay off, it's tempting to throw yourself straight back into the fray. Unfortunately your brain probably hasn't sussed that your body isn't quite what it was, so you need to take it easy to start with. Keep the first weekend walk shorter than you'd normally attempt, or make sure there's an easy escape route or two if you do find you're not going as well as you thought.

Gradually increase the length and severity of your routes over the first month or so until you can feel your fitness coming back into play. You'll probably feel sore after the first couple of walks. It's nothing to worry about, though some gentle stretching before and after the walk may help to minimise the aches.

Don't blow too soon...

It's tempting to go storming off up the first big slope, but try to resist the temptation. Here's why - normal walking on the flat or downhill is a relatively low intensity activity, climbing uphill, however, is much harder and can increase your heart rate up to an above anaerobic levels, think panting and burning calves.

First, if you start too fast, you'll exhaust your muscle glycogen supplies early on in the day and be stuck with a plodding pace from then on. Second, if you really push things, lactic acid builds up in your muscles. The problem with this is that until you develop a tolerance to it, the after-products of the acid actively hinder the ability of the muscles to take up oxygen. As a result you'll feel heavy legged for the rest of the day. Don't worry, things will improve if you hit yourself hard regularly, but take it easy to start with.

Mid-week training...

If you walk every weekend, you'll soon build up some basic endurance and get your legs used to weight-bearing exercise, you can speed things up though, by adding some training mid-week.

Our favourite option is running because it's cheap and easy to do and uses the same muscles as walking. You can find a lot of excellent basic running advice on the Runner's World web site, but these are our quick tips:

• buy proper running shoes from a specialist shop
• start gently. If you have some fitness background try 20 minutes gentle running
• keep the pace gentle to start with - you should be able to talk as you run
• try not to run on consecutive days, rest is as important as running
• increase the time you run gradually - say five minutes a week - or you risk injury
• stretch before and after runs to reduce stiffness and muscle soreness
• ideally stick to soft surfaces which reduces jarring and injury

Running's not the only option. In the gym, treadmills and steppers are both exercises that relate to walking, same idea, start with about 20 minutes and build it up gradually. Cycling is an excellent supplemental exercise, it's non- weight bearing and uses the legs slightly differently, so makes a good alternative, particularly if you don't want to run on consecutive days.

Hills...

As you get fitter, seek out some hills. Running uphill relates closely to walking up mountains. You're using the same muscle groups in a similar way and just as vitally, you'll be pushing your heart and lungs harder than on the flat. It's a bit like running a car at higher revs and the more you do it, the better your body will become at sustaining a faster uphill pace. Try running at the point where you're just starting to become breathless then holding that level.

Rest...

Training's all very well, but rest is just as important. If you've had a hard weekend or a hard training session, don't try and push yourself the next day. Either rest completely or just keep your level of activity very gentle. Push it too hard and your body never really recovers, so you won't benefit from your hard work. If you feel bad or unwell, don't train and don't feel guilty about it.

Motivation...

The editor of this site has been known to visualise himself as a dog chasing bunnies across a field during particularly heinous treadmill sessions. That may not work for you, but try to find ways and activities you enjoy or you simply won't stick with them.

Different people have different methods. Some think of their next big goal or trip and grit their teeth, others need a training partner for mutual support - it all depends what works for you.

If you can build exercise into your regular routine, say cycling or running to or from work or in the morning before breakfast, you're more likely to hang in there and stick with it. One hot tip if you run after work is to have your running kit ready, change and train as soon as you get in rather than get sucked into soap opera stasis...

That's it for now...

But scroll down for our previous articles with more detailed outdoor fitness tips and we'll see you motoring on the mountain soon.

Woof...

The Butcher's Dog