[rhrgoss]

Is it better to fast hike or slow jog uphill to maintain HR at or below AET. Are there benefits / problems with one or the other. If we are fast hiking should we be focusing on hamstring-glute engagement vs calf-quad engagement?

My thoughts would be to use more hamstring-glutes on the uphill so I’ll have calves-quads on the downhill.

What’s the thought process?

Topic

[Thomas Summer, MD]

Thomas Summer, MD on May 5, 2022 at 8:18 am #66590

Sometimes fast hiking is faster than running and has better economy. It also targets sligthly different muscle groups as you use while running. If you are training for an event where you will be hiking a lot, then you should even train the hiking. Do you use poles?

[rhrgoss]

rhrgoss on May 5, 2022 at 3:01 pm #66627

The training of different muscle groups is exactly why I’m asking. Should I be aiming for improving my running muscles or my hiking muscles? This would be training for trail running races 50k and up. I do like to use poles.

[rich.b]

rich.b on May 6, 2022 at 6:57 am #66671

Not to cop out, but training both running and hiking are important – glutes are critical for both. But running and hiking have different gaits, where hiking does use the calves more. A critical question to ask is how much you hike versus run on uphills – this should dictate which you emphasise (as Thomas was indicating). That said, I consider them equally important, which includes as well the ability to rapidly transition back and forth based on both on variations in terrain and in racing strategy at particular points.
For training, on the tiny local ski hill (all of 47 m of vertical) I will do some repeats as runs and some repeats where I switch mid-way where the incline steepens a bit from running to power hiking (with or without poles). [Or at least will do them once the snow melts enough to leave an open track up.]

[rhrgoss]

rhrgoss on May 6, 2022 at 11:13 am #66687

Makes sense. I think my concern was that if I wasn’t training running form on lower grade inclines I wouldn’t have trained the muscles enough to be strong when my aerobic capacity allowed my to run/jog that grade.