Learn to unicycle then take it offroad.

It's called Muni.

It seems like cardio isn't the case, you should focus more on nutrition and consult with a health expert if possible to get a better nutrition plan. For me I often do one hike a month I feel that I get used to with it time to time.

What? I thought that was a joke until I Google'd this. I can't imagine trying to do this on a ridge walk. This seems more like a Cirque De Soleil type of acrobatic talent than endurance conditioning.

There is a lot of great information here. For myself, I'm 185cm tall and my mass is 85kg. Throughout the summer I was usually hiking every Saturday and Sunday, mainly on difficult hikes but some intermediate. I have injuries to my lower back, upper back, both knees and left ankle. All of these injuries prevent me from doing many exercises that others can do, such as running. I do 200 sit ups daily, 4 sets of 50 repetitions. I alternate between upper body exercises one day and lower body exercises the next day. Squats are done with 35kg of weight, 200 in total with 10 sets of 20 repetitions. Then I do 400 jump squats, 2 sets of 200 repetitions. I do this at home, without the expense of going to a gym or employing a personal trainer.

Regarding diet, due to my previous issue of being slightly overweight I have cut out most dairy and sugar unless I am watching a romantic film with a tragic ending. I eat oatmeal daily along with a protein shake. During hikes I usually consume 4-6 hard boiled eggs, and I add Creatine and multivitamin supplements to my water. I try not to eat too much the prior to the hike as I have a fear of requiring bathroom facilities in the bush. I have Kashi bars with me as well as I can consume them while hiking and they're easy to pack.

I am usually hiking with a much younger group of adventurers, all of which are in much better shape than I am. This allows me to gauge my fitness levels.

This is where a little googling can turn in to a lot of ignorance.

There are two basic disciplines for unicycles.... those who like to hop and do tricks = Trials (your Cirque de Soleil crowd / can be just as impressive on a pogo stick)
Then there are those that like to ride to cover a distance = Muni. We like to roll more than hop. If you can ride any distance I will guarantee that you are already in excellent shape.

I'm not talking about walking your unicycle up some mountain, riding for the photoshoot, and then posting the definition of "muni" to all your facebook (so-called) friends.
My muni is defined by riding wherever a mountain bike would. Maybe even some places where they won't.

I took up this hobby to reduce my back problems and have never been in better shape since.

Now I really want to try Muni!

When you exercise for more than 90 minutes, you start using up muscle glycogen as fuel for the muscles therefore consuming carbohydrates during hikes is recommended rather than protein (eggs). All carb gels are simple carbohydrates which are broken down and absorbed quickly, like sugar, for useable energy. By the way, multivitamins don't contribute to anything.

I wouldn't worry about that but I think everyone should dig a cat hole before they go. You can buy a trowel at mountain coop. On a backpack at Cream Lake in Strathcona Park, I came across excrement and toilet paper at the lakeshore; disgusting.

I noticed a huge improvement when I started cycling to work over the summer. Steeper terrain in particular was much easier with only a 30 minute commute each way. One piece of advice from Training For The New Alpinism is that training a little often is more effective than a lot seldom.

I'm actually a little disappointed having moved closer to work now, so my commute is too short to make much of a difference.

Strangely I take the opposite approach to you for my activities when it comes to nutrition. I try to eat and drink lot's before a trip, then very little on the trip.

I appreciate the knowledge you share regarding carbohydrates. I remember hiking with a girl up to Panorama Ridge where she shared some of those gel cubes that can be purchased at MEC. Damn, I felt incredible right after! I take protein with me to fill me up, I try to skip fibre as I once had a bad incident on Mount Lincoln. Thankfully I was by myself and there was only one other person I encountered on the way down.

I myself have found incidents where people were less than discrete with their nature's call. That does bother me as I came across it displayed on a bush for everyone to see. In Stanley Park of all places!

Amen.

That, and making sure you are going up steep inclines on your training walks. 1 km of 30% incline is going to more for your stamina than 15 km of relatively easy terrain. Walking in sand or root/rock infested terrain does a lot for all those stabilizer muscles you didn't know you had, as well.

I don't carb-load or anything the day before. All that does is ensure I have to make pit stops at least twice on the trail the next day. I eat normally the day before (nothing spicy or fiber-heavy), and hardly at all on the trail (just Gatorade and high-energy/low fiber snacks, so I don't bonk) and save the big carby, starchy meals for when I reach my destination. Lots of protein as well for recovery, fat for sleep.

1 more vote for regular exercise. Not gym, nothing special, just 30 min walk around the block will suffice. Far, far better than sitting 6 days/week not moving a muscle, then doing 40km trip on 7th day

second thing is to trust your body what is right for you. Everyone is different. Yes, there is now science, all kinds of info, specialized personal trainers, nutritionists, blah blah -- one can do the same job just by listening to its own body. Exercise, nutrition, everything. Like that gel that "just felt right". Here's interesting personal example. ~15 years ago I was experimenting with supplements ('experimenting' sounds kinda bad, lol). At Whole Foods down in US I found this:



Reaction was amazing!! Pop few of these and instantly start feeling 100% better. Everything in me was screaming "give me more of this"!! Its just some herbal complex, but for some reason worked for me; I talked some friends into trying it, and they felt nothing special. So there you go. Sadly can't find it in Canada (not even in Whole Foods in Vancouver); can order on Amazon, but its dear.

I've found that biking and backcountry skiing are the perfect mix of strength / cardio to get me in shape. Other than that doing some functional weight training without taking long breaks between sets.

I say get out there once a week, every two weeks is not enough as you loose what you gain before the 2nd weekend arrives.
When you hike, choose a steep path and push yourself up until you feel your lungs hurting but not much more, push your self to the limit, and you will find you get better with each weekend. Twice a week is even better.

K

Im in my 60s,still real active. Been hiking and scrambling all my adult life and really hiking is the best way to get in shape! But overall,I am not a specialist in any physical activity so in athletic terms I am a cross trainer. Heres a Vancouver summer day sometimes for me....Ride my bicycle from east Van to Scienceworld, strap on my roller blades, go around the Seawall to Third beach, go for a swim, take a nap, go for another swim, take a nap, blade back to my bike and pedal home. I will be tired! On a day when I don't use my legs I do some pullups and stretching. And I still play singles tennis, theres some other muscles that get used. So mix it up,dont be a specialist,this is a system that pro atheletes use. Biking is my base activity in general though for legs,wind and cardio and I believe this keeps my body prepared for other activities....

Hiking more, and with more weight. What ecarter1 said at the beggining is bang on. Obviously don't build up too quickly, and scale back quickly if things hurt too much.

Any endurance training scheme needs needs a solid dose of motivation, because it takes a lot of time. Some people are motivated by hiking, some by biking, some by skiing, and there's probably a few special people who can put up with doing a stairmaster for several hours, but I've never met any. Figure out what you like, and make that work for you.

The natives and european immigrants who used to trek these lands without the help of cars and roads didn't eat anything special, and they sure as hell didn't use any suppliment pills. If you're a healthy individual, your body just needs regular food (that's why those bottles have fine print to the effect "This product is not approved for any particular use" or something like that). If you think you need supplements, you should probably see a doctor, because that might suggest an underlying health problem.