The Things Worth Believing In

It’s that time of year.

The time of year that I start my 12 week training cycle for this Summer’s hiking plan. I have tried a few various programs over the years, but this is the one that I have settled on. It’s based strongly on the FitClimb 12 Week Mountaineering Fitness Plan-Intermediate. I have tweaked their program somewhat to adjust to my schedule, my lifestyle and the aches and pains.

The program is heavy on stepping and cardio. I found my right knee barking at me a little after my last cycle through so I’m replacing some of the cardio with rowing to minimize impact. It’s a Heart Rate based program and I suggest getting a chest strap monitor to get the best results.

Being in my 50’s (and using the easy but less accurate 220-age formula to generate HR data) some of the cardio is just brisk walking at the beginning, but if you stick with it you will find over time that you have to build up to a trot to get the HR up into your training zone.