Re: [at-l] How seriously are we hurting ourselves???

At 08:02 PM 12/21/00 -0500, you wrote:
I have a serious question.  It has to do with the damage inflicted on the
muscles of the body while long distance hiking.  I have been a health club
member at various points in my life, and have been told by the physical
trainers at all of them that you a person is to exercise every other day.
As explained to me, the exercise will tear muscle tissue, and the off day
will allow the tissue to heal.  It is this tearing/healing cycle that builds
muscle and makes it strong.  Relating this to hiking, since long-distance
hikers rarely take days off, aren't we damaging our muscles and not allowing
them to heal?  How seriously are we hurting ourselves out there???

I have heard the "tearing/healing" theory in relation to weight lifting but 
not in relation to aerobic exercise. I would class hiking in the aerobic 
type of exercise. Weight lifting tends to push muscles to the limit in 
short intervals. Doesn't do much for cardiovascular fitness but builds 
muscle tissue in the specific muscles used in lifting the weight. Aerobic 
exercise is easier on the specific muscles over longer periods and builds 
your heart's ability to push the blood through to supply the muscles with 
needed nutrients as well as building the specific muscles.

Aerobic exercise can be overdone also and most experts (those that I've 
read anyway) recommend exercising 3-5 times per week and no more than 6 
(something Biblical here?).  If you are really interested in knowing what 
happens when you exercise I recommend "Smart Exercise" by Covert Bailey (of 
"Fit or Fat" fame). He's spent a lifetime studying how exercise works, your 
body uses nutrients, etc. I like his definition of the best exercise, "the 
one you'll do".

Saunterer

* From the AT-L |  Need help? http://www.backcountry.net/faq.html  *

==============================================================================
To:            AT-list <at-l@backcountry.net>