There is a new workout craze taking over the trendiest hiking trails of Southern California. Folks are loading up packs with car parts and babies and walking the steepest inclines possible. From weighttraining.about.com:
Overall, carrying a heavy pack on the back brings many muscles into play, including those of the arm and shoulder that you use to sling the pack onto the back.
All the coolest celebrities are doing it, particularly the ones who are in the market for stronger, more developed muscles.
You need strong trapezius muscles, the muscles radiating out from the base of the neck. This is where the shoulder harness sits. Robust “traps” helps prevent soreness. The abdominal muscles work hard trying to stabilize that pack when you twist and turn; you need to have good strong abs. The muscles of the upper and mid back continually contract trying to stabilize the pack from slipping one way or another, especially with very heavy packs.
I don’t keep up with my celebrity news as well as I should. I learned about this new workout after hiking one of the most challenging uphill trails in the greater Los Angeles area. The first potion of the trek is a doozy. It was a slow and painful march that felt immeasurably steep. About 1000 yards into my session, the terrain began to flatten out. That’s when I saw it. A large car battery sat just off my path. At first, I was salty. I assumed someone decided to randomly dump the thing in the middle of nowhere, and that seriously freaked me out. Then I realized that nobody would carry a 50 pound object up the mammoth mountain just to dump it. Silly me.
There was but one explanation. This battery was a piece of workout equipment. The other essential piece, the backpack or carrying case, must have malfunctioned or ripped or something. The workout warrior was carrying a baby and couldn’t haul the battery back down without the pack. It was the battery or the baby.
I know what you’re thinking. Why didn’t the person go back for the battery after handing off the baby to a loved one? I thought of that. The hiker was Angelina Jolie, and she was late for The Alliance for the Lost Boys of Sudan fundraiser that evening in Beverly Hills. She weighed out (see?) her options. On balance, she would have a more substantial impact on the world if she got to the charity event sooner. Nicely played, Angelina.
Now that it’s scientifically proven that battery was training gear, we can rule out the idea that it was litter. Phew. On to the health benefits.
As a man of roughly 200 pounds, I’ll burn 838 calories climbing hills carrying 45 pounds. If I’m simply walking while carrying a small child, I’ll burn 279. I don’t have a calculator for doing both simultaneously, but damn if that number isn’t north of 1000.
Most of the time, I don’t buy into the workout of the month. This time, Angelina got me.
I need to borrow a baby,
Kap
Ed H says
There are ways to get your own baby 🙂 . As you get stronger it automatically increases weight.
Gabe Kapler says
Love this, Ed. Well done.
slappythefishman says
Forget the car battery, carry your dog, your dog will stoked and since he is twice as much as a car part you’ll burn 1700 cal easy.
Sorry this trend sounds way too much like i was a kid and had to work for my uncle’s granite business…hey told me it would build muscles…ugh
Gabe Kapler says
Smart uncle, STF.
Michelle says
I got a charge out of this post.
You can carry me. Like a baby, I like naps, puppies and shiny things and when I’m hungry, I scream and throw things until I’m fed
Gabe Kapler says
Who doesn’t like naps and puppies, Michelle?
Chester says
Or you could go backpacking? (not “car camping”).
Realizing I am a bit “off the trail” here, but maybe take some kids camping or hike to a lake for fishing. Teach the young’n’s some utility, grow their confidence, give them stories to tell.
Gabe Kapler says
My 14 year old son has done more backpacking than me. I plan to change that. Thanks, Chester.
Navin says
Gabe, which trail are you referring to as one of the “most challenging” here in the LA area? Would love to check out some trails outside of the ones in Pasadena/San Gabriel Mountains.
Gabe Kapler says
Hey, Navin. The one I’m referring to is north of Los Angeles about 30 miles. Are you familiar with Agoura?
Duane says
Damn it!!! I joined the military to carry a 60 lb pack, multiple weapons, ammunition, survival gear, and put my ass on the line and all I had to do was put a battery in a backpack? I feel stupid now!
Great post as always.
Gabe Kapler says
Wow, you should share some stories, Duane. We’d love to hear them.
~Al~ says
My workout of choice has been harnessing myself to old metal gas tanks, filling them with regular unleaded 87 octane, and dragging them over rutted up old blacktop roads. Not only are my increasing my carbon footprint one day at a time, but the results have been explosive!
~Al~
Gabe Kapler says
Ha. Scary picture, Al.
Steve says
Here in Hawaii it’s all about carrying one of those GoPro cameras on a pole to get action pictures while you hike. Heard it really hits the rear delt………
Gabe Kapler says
Gotta go high reps to get mileage out of a camera, Steve. Nice work.
Msquared says
This is my Monday hangover post.
Nice post Kap.
I used to walk with a weighted vest that I bought to add lbs to my chin-ups and pushups. I haven’t worn it in a while…
Time to dust this off and head up a hill near the casa.
Matt Dorsey says
I do crossfit regularly and the other day they had us do 200 m run carrying a 45 pound plate (thick ones no handles). Then 15 push ups and 15 toes to bar, 3 rounds. It was a great workout, but be careful carrying those odd shaped objects, It took me a round to figure out that I had that 45 pound plate too high on my back/neck. The thing was bumping all around, I felt like I had been in a car accident for days.