Backpacker Magazine – March 2011

After Burn: Staying in Shape Off-Trail

How to keep off what you've hiked off.

by: The Backpacker Editors

Tags:
• Skills
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• Food and Nutrition
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• Health and Fitness
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We worked with Steve Silberberg of Fatpacking and David Musnick, M.D., co-author of Conditioning for Outdoor Fitness, to create this exclusive plan for burning fat after you return from the trail.

WORKOUT
Monday 50-60 minutes on a StairMaster, StepMill, elliptical climber, or Precor AMT. Other cardio machines will do (see page 51 for tips on using incline treadmills), but Musnick likes stairclimbers in particular because they provide a prolonged aerobic workout and use large muscle groups effectively. A loaded backpack is optional on a stairclimber.

Tuesday 30-40 minutes on StairMaster or elliptical climber/20 minutes on elliptical trainer. Resistance training: knee extensions, alternating lunges or walking lunges, seated chest press, seated pull-down, seated row, tricep extension, bicep curl, and abdominal exercises—10-12 reps,
2-3 sets each 

Wednesday 50-60 minutes on cardio machines (see Monday). A loaded backpack is optional on a stairclimber.

Thursday Repeat Tuesday’s cardio workout. Resistance training (see above)

Friday Repeat Monday’s cardio workout.

Saturday Hike three hours at a fast pace.

Sunday Resistance training (see above)

NUTRITION
[  ] Lose a half pound per week without privation by eating more of the good stuff (vegetables) and less of the bad (high-glycemic potatoes, white rice, and white bread), says Musnick.

[  ] Cut an easy 300 calories a day: Dump soda, fruit juices, and booze—all prime sources for calories without satiation.

[  ] Quell hunger pains with high-protein snacks like a handful of almonds or a mozzarella cheese stick. Silberberg advocates eating small meals five times a day, same as on the trail, to keep blood
sugar—hence energy—constant.

[  ] Eat slowly. “People eat less when they put the utensils down and chew longer,” says Musnick. You also give your stomach a chance to communicate fullness to your brain.  

[  ] Treat yourself. Deny intense cravings, and you’ll likely gorge later. “If you really want a chocolate chip cookie, go ahead and eat a couple. Just don’t eat six,” counsels Silberberg.



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