Training for an Adventure Challenge After 50: Don't Just Train Hard - Train Smart

Signing up for an adventure challenge can be incredibly motivating.

Maybe it's a long-distance hike, charity trek, obstacle event, cycling challenge or multi-day adventure.

The temptation is to think:

"I need to get fit quickly."

A better approach is:

"I need to become capable of doing exactly what the challenge requires."

Start with the demands of the event

Ask yourself:

• How long will I be moving?

• How much climbing is involved?

• Will I carry a backpack?

• What type of terrain will I encounter?

• How many consecutive days will I exercise?

• Will I need to run, walk, climb or scramble?

• What happens if I'm tired?

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Your training should reflect these demands.

If your challenge involves carrying a 10 kg backpack uphill for several hours, spending all your training time cycling on a flat road isn't enough.

Cycling may improve cardiovascular fitness, but it doesn't completely prepare your body for loaded uphill walking.

Build the engine and the chassis

Adventure fitness needs both cardiovascular fitness and physical strength.

Think of your body as a vehicle.

Your cardiovascular system is part of the engine.

Your muscles, tendons, bones and joints form much of the chassis.

You need both.

Resistance training can improve strength and physical performance in older adults.

Aerobic exercise, meanwhile, forms an important part of the weekly physical activity recommendations for older adults. WHO recommends 150–300 minutes of moderate aerobic activity, or 75-150 minutes of vigorous activity, alongside strength training.

Don't forget hills

If your event has hills, train on hills.

But build gradually.

Your muscles may be able to cope with a hard session while your tendons, joints and connective tissues take longer to adapt.

This is particularly important when someone goes from relatively little exercise to suddenly doing long walks every weekend.

Research into running-related injuries has found some evidence linking sudden changes in training load with increased injury risk, although the evidence is limited and there is no scientifically established universal "10% rule".

The lesson isn't "never increase your training".

It's to increase it sensibly.

Practise being tired

For a multi-day event, eventually your training should include occasional sessions that replicate the challenge.

That might mean:

Saturday: Long hilly walk.

Sunday: Easier walk or recovery session.

This teaches your body, and your mind, what it feels like to move when you're not completely fresh.

Your goal isn't the hardest training session

Your goal is to arrive at the start line healthy, confident and prepared.

Training should make you more capable, not continually leave you exhausted.

For many people over 50, the smartest training strategy is not doing more.

It's doing the right things consistently.

References

• World Health Organization. WHO Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour. 2020. WHO Guidelines

• Gabbett TJ. The training-injury prevention paradox: should athletes be training smarter and harder? British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2016.

• Impellizzeri FM, Tenan MS, Kempton T, Novak A, Coutts AJ. Acute:chronic workload ratio: conceptual issues and fundamental pitfalls. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance.

• World Health Organization. Physical activity and sedentary behaviour: evidence profiles. WHO evidence profiles

Editorial note: I would avoid presenting the frequently quoted “10% rule” as established scientific fact. Research into training-load changes is more complicated than that, and there isn't a universal percentage increase that guarantees injury prevention.