Originally Posted by
Carbonfiberboy
I dunno. I've been hiking in the Cascades since I moved down here from Fairbanks at 16. If one is getting sore knees from hiking downhill, well, you're just not hiking enough. I told a little story on here about how my wife and I got much better at hiking downhill after we stopped taking Ibuprofen for knee pain. Haven't had any for decades, and I go in on our 10-day with 65 lbs, my wife with 50, and I'm frigging 80, she's 77. It's just a matter of hardening up.
And yes, backpacking is good for one's cycling and vice versa. If one's connective tissue isn't up to it, one needs to have been going to the gym all winter and doing ass-to-grass squats to near failure. One should be able to squat one's body weight for reps. I lost a lot of fitness because of my heart surgery and I'm back to only about 80% of bodyweight for 10 reps. Sucks.
I know from your previous posts that you very much partake in musculoskeletal exercises, including lifting heavy. And I agree about the Ass-to-Grass squats for conditioning connective tissues.
As for the Appalachians, they are generally a very rugged mountain range to hike, much steeper than much of the Cascades, despite the Cascades towering over the dying Appalachians -- dying because it's one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world at just over a billion years old, which is why they're no longer tens of thousands of feet in height. However, they are very steep and rugged.
And that steep/rugged terrain is why the Appalachian Trail is a major destination and a
Holy Grail for speed hikers attempting a Fastest Known Time (FKT) hike.
For people not use to the conditions presented by the Appalachians, it's best for them to not worry so much about cardio conditioning, rather work on the musculoskeletal system, especially connective tissues, which when injured can take a very long time to recover. Cardio will come naturally, you just start slower, but the physical body needs more of an introduction, not even walking down stairs provides a good enough conditioning for the steep grades of the Appalachians. Walking down a gentle sloop is nothing compared to the steep declines found on the AT
BTW, I also totally agree to stay away from NSAIDs -- I stay far far away from all types, if my knees are sore that's my body communicating with me, listen to it, don't shut it up.
And to see how this still applies to cycling.
https://t100triathlon.com/articles/r...core%20control.
Knee pain from cycling is one of the most common overuse injuries among cyclists and triathletes.
What causes knee pain from cycling?
Knee pain in cycling doesn’t usually appear overnight. It’s the result of thousands of pedal revolutions that stress the same joint in the same pattern, ride after ride.
Strengthen glutes, hamstrings and core
Balanced strength supports better knee tracking. Incorporate exercises like:
- Glute bridges and hip thrusts to engage posterior muscles.
- Romanian deadlifts to strengthen hamstrings.
- Single-leg squats to improve knee stability.
- Planks and Pallof presses for core control.
A strong kinetic chain means less load on your knees.