Sorry for the confusion. Count only the aerobic training volume when considering weekly volume progression. Not strength. That subject has been addressed several times in the forum and was corrected in later versions of the book. BUT….the Transition period should feel easy. Its main purpose is to prepare you to begin training. For those unused to training (as opposed to random exercise) the routine of a daily program usually presents challenges. Fatigue can sneak up after a few weeks fo what feels like a light load. And the getting used to the daily routine can take some getting used to for you, friends and family.
In the end though, with no training history to go from you will be doing an experiment of one and you will learn a great deal in the process. It may well be that your background would allow more training volume that the guesstimate we used in the book. We tried to be conservative as starting off too high is way worse than starting off too high and blowing up.
Your 6 hour hikes do not fit into the sort of transition period plan for a 200 hour year. Only 40 days of this sort of hike puts you at 240 hours with no other training. Maybe your base is already quite high such that you do not need a Transition period. I suspect you may be starting at too low of a volume
Remember the 3 cardinal components of an effective training program: Continuity (no significant breaks). Gradualness (the load gradually progresses up). Modulation (there needs to hard/easy built in)
You may want to read this https://uphillathlete.com/the-weakened-weekend-warrior/
and this
Training requires a long term view with a reduction in immediate gratification. When Steve was working with me during the hey day of his career his friend stopped calling him to climb because he would often say: “I’d love to climb but I have to train”
I hope this helps.
Scott
