Hiking for Stroke Volume benefit

[StephenU]

Some of us can benefit from uphill hiking with a weighted backpack.  Apparently this can help increase the stroke volume of the heart.
I have questions regarding this>
1.) What is a sufficient amount of hiking to effect change?
2.) how much weight should we carry?
3.) do you get benefit from hiking back down as well?  (maybe I will carry my bike up the damn hill and bomb down and go up again!)

My first attempt at this was 30 min's up Knox with a 30lb backpack.  average HR of 122
downhill was 30 mins with an average HR of 95.

[Peter O'Brien]

I don't know about that, but if anyone's in Vernon, come hiking in Kal Park on Tuesdays!

[Andrew]

These are great questions...and exactly what we want to look at during Juerg's next visit with the Physioflow. In fact, we are already planning to have the equipment back to trial using it in the field to see exactly what is needed to stimulate the heart to make the desired changes. For now, we are simply guessing. So we made a plan that we THINK will work, and watch the results from step testing, give it 4-6 weeks, and retest to see if we see the expected changes to LBP (lower HR at LBP with improved performance).

As for your suggestion of hiking up carrying the bike and bombing down, this would be an EXCELLENT idea, and an example of how you could combine training ideas into a single training session.

On the uphill work, stride out with as long a stride as possible, and try to add the following breathing pattern: breathe in for 2 steps, and out for 4 steps. With long strides, this will be a huge challenge, and you may need to shorten up the stride. You will likely see the HR climb with the increased respiratory effort combined with longer stride length.

On the downhill work, consider doing trails that challenge your technical weakness. For me this is easy. Anything downhill is a weakness. For you it might be fast fireroad descents, or more technical rooty sections in prep for BCBR.

Every part of the session can have a reason and a benefit, and still be really fun.

Let us know how it goes!

[GinnySellars]

Hey Stephen
First of all GOOD ON YA! It's hard to incorporate something so 'out there' into your training, but hopefully you'll reap the rewards.

A question for you....How the heck is your HR 122 climbing a hill with a 30lb pack?! I seem to remember a BP of around 155 on the bike, so likely slightly higher when upright, so that seems super low.

Also, be uber careful with downhill hiking/walking with a heavy load. Ease into it slowly so that you don't overload your musculature and get hurt. Eventually you'll be able to scamper down, but at first consider 'being the old lady'. When your legs can handle that kind of eccentric loading, you should be able to have a much higher HR on the descent also.

[StephenU]

I had actually thought about the Bike on the Back idea as way of being more efficient with the time, but I had never though about it as more time on the mountain bike.  YES!  I was going to carry the Cross bike up and ride the road down but the mtn bike would be better!

Well my BP on the bike is 170 so I am way below that when hiking up with the weighted pack.  I was trying!  Honest!  I will be doing this at night during the week, so I don't mind looking whacky in the dark..  no one will see me!

I am super sore in my buttock muscles today form the hiking, so yes Ginny, you are right!  It really feels like I have done something out of my comfort zone.  ONWARD!!

[MartinC]

Hey Steve, I also have the hiking program going. An idea I had was to fill up my pack with camelback bladders for the uphill and then empty them out at the top and run down.
I have only had one hike so far, carried a pack with about 30lbs and carried my kids at every opportunity. HR Max was only 137. Av (which included picnic stop was 87....)
I need to do a two hour hike this weekend. Supposed to be at BP -20. Anyone interested?

[StephenU]

Maybe... we should take turns carrying each other!!  now that would be something

[Joel J]

Today during my hike I noticed that if I hiked for 98% of the hill and ran for the last two it seemed to max out my "precieved" stroke volume.... This was just the feeling of maximum pulse intensity that I have noticed often in this scenario. Even at low heart rates.

I am also wondering what effect the breath pattern has on the SV.... Is it a relationship with C02 concentration in the blood? This could explain the last 2 percent of the hill where I create a sudden excess of c02 from sugar metabolism...

Joel

[Peter O'Brien]

Interesting points Joel. It would be interesting to see the effects of that with a Physioflow. Would increased CO2 cause the heart to beat larger or faster? When we increase our intensity in any sport, there is either a bigger need for fuel or gas exchange. Why would your situation cause a stoke volume increase rather than that of HR?

Andrew might be able to clear the following up a bit. Does stroke volume change blood pressure? Would the body be trying to increase systolic pressure to push more plasma content through the capillary walls due to the increased consumption of readily-available ATP? What effect would this have on the balance between blood pressure and osmotic pressure(in terms of the movement of resources in the capillaries)?

HR takes a while to respond to a change in intensity, could SV be compensating for HR until it responds?

Just some thoughts...

Peter