COURSEPREPARATIONANDPHYSICALFITNESS
Youdonothavetobeanathlete,orhighlytrained,tocomeonanOutwardBoundcourse.Youdohavetobe
physicallycapable,andactive.Ourcoursesaredemanding.Youwillprobablyuseyourmusclesinnewand
challengingwayswhileoncourse-ittakesstrengthandfitnesstopaddleaboatforsixoreighthoursaday,
tocarrya50-poundpackfor5milesthroughthemountains,ortoclimbarockwall.Ifyouarenotalready
involvedinafitnessprogram,nowisthetimetostart.Everyminuteyouputintotrainingforyourcoursewill
payoffinenjoyment,comfortandfunwhenyougethere,andasyourcourseprogresses.
AttitudeandMentalPreparation
Itisjustasimportanttotrainyourmindasitistotrainyourbody.Anattitudeofcommitmentandwillingness
totrynewthingsaretwoofthemostimportantcontributionsyoucanbringtoyourcourse.Prepareyourself
to take on new challenges, and try new activities. Your ability to interact well with a group is key to
successfullycompletingyourcourse–plantobepatient,topersevere,toexpandyourlimits,andtohavea
positiveandmemorableadventure!
Have fun, and enjoy the adventure of preparation while training for your course – this is an excellent
opportunityforyoutogetoutside,getfit,andexploreyourneighborhood’sparksandrecreationareas.
FitnessandTraining
Manypeople–noviceandexperiencedalike–commonlycomplainoftiredandachingbodies–theresultof
believingthatthehardyourpushyourbody,thefasteritwillimprove.Infact,theoppositeistrue…themore
moderatelyyougo–aslongasyouareapproximatingyourTargetHeartRate*–themorequicklyyouwill
improve.Themostcommonmistakepeoplemakeistogotoohard/fast,toosoon–joiningtheranksofthe
stuff,tiredanddiscouraged.Makesureyoutakeatleastonedayoffaweek,andtrytodoavarietyofactivities
tobuildyourenduranceandmusclestrengthwithoutovertiring.
We strongly suggest that applicants with any of the following conditions consult with their physician to
establishanexerciseprogram
- Highbloodpressure
- Afamilyhistoryofheartdisease
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Smoking(morethanonepackaweek–tobaccoproductsarenotallowedoncourse)
- Aprolongedsedentarylifestyle
TargetHeartRate,and“theTalkTest”
Exercisephysiologistsagreethatinordertodevelopaerobicfitness,youmustgetyourheartbeatingfaster
thannormal.Efficienttrainingisnotdependentuponthespeedthatyourbodymoves–ratherthenumber
oftimesyourheartbeatsperminute.Exercisetooslowlyandallyouaredoingisburningcaloriesandnot
gettingthetrainingbenefit–exercisetoofastandyourruntheriskofburningout.Thekeyliesinmoderate
effort.Youcanmonitormoderateeffortinacoupleofways:
1. Increaseyourrestingheartrate(howfastyourheartbeatswhenyouaresittingstill)toyour*Target
HeartRate(THR=170–Age).Yourrestingheartratemightbe70beatsperminute.YourTHRshould
be somewhere between 120-155. If you can get your heart rate (HR) at your personal THR and
maintainitforaminimumof30minutes,threetofivetimesaweek,youwillstarttoseeadifference
inyouraerobicfitness.Youcanstopoccasionallyandmeasureyourheartrate(oruseaheartrate
Hurricane Island Outward Bound School Admissions Department
PO Box 800; Camden ME 04843 | Tel: 855-802-0307 | Fax: 888-695-1417 | Email: [email protected]
monitor),workingatalevelthatkeepsyourHRintheTHRrange.TomeasureHR,takeyourpulsefor
6seconds,andmultiplyby10.
2. TheTalkTestisagreatwaytomeasuretherelativeintensityofyourexercise.Ingeneral,ifyouare
doingmoderateintensityactivity,youcantalk(butnotsing!).Iftheexerciseisvigorous,youwillnot
beabletosaymorethanafewwordswithoutpausingforabreath.Researchshowsthereisaclose
correlationbetweenTHRandtheTalkTestatboththemoderateandvigorouslevels,soyoucanuse
itasawaytodetermineyourexerciseintensity.
AerobicFitness,StrengthandFlexibility…
Formostpeople,thebestandmostaccessibleexerciseisjogging–acombinationofwalkingandrunning,
compatiblewithyourcurrentleveloffitness,abilityandinterest.Whyjogging?It’sthesimplest,cheapest,
least encumbered, most available and most efficient way to improve your fitness by using your large leg
muscles,requiringtheheartandcirculatorysystemtopumplargequantitiesofbloodandoxygen.
Themostimportantthing,however,istofindanactivity(orrangeofactivities)thatyouenjoydoing,andwill
do regularly. Exercising three times a week for thirty minutes is the minimum, but five times a week is
optimumphysicalpreparationforyourcourse.Perhapsyouliketorideyourbike,orswimlapsinthepool,or
roller-blade.Keepingyourexerciseroutinevariedcanbeagreatwaytostayon-track.
In addition to aerobic training, it is important to build in 15-30 minutes every other day for light weight
training.Weighttraininghelpstobuildstrength,whichyouwillneedtohelpyoulift,pull,buildandclimbon
course. We generally recommend building strength in the large muscle groups – the legs and the core,
specifically.Ifyouareonasailingprogram,wealsorecommendbuildingupperbodystrength.
Finally–flexibilityisanotherimportantelementofyourtrainingregime.Perhapsyouwanttobringyogainto
yourroutine,orastretchingroutine.Bydoingso,youwillaidinmusclerecoveryandreducethelikelihood
ofmuscleandjointinjurythroughoutyourtraining,andoncourse.
COURSE-SPECIFICADVICE
Courseswith-
ROCKCLIMBING:Climbingindoorsatyourlocalrockclimbinggymisthebestwaytoprepareforclimbing
outdoors.Ifaclimbinggymisnotavailabletoyou,substitutepull-ups,sit-ups,andstrengthtrainingwith
weights.Whileoncourse,youwilllearnandpracticeknots,climbingandbelaytechniquesaswellassafety
procedures.
BACKPACKING:Prepareforhikingwithaweightedbackpackbybuildinguptoit.Takeabackpackandfillitto
20-30lbs,slowlyaddingweightovertimeuntilithasabout50lbsofweightinit.Ifyoudonotownabackpack,
youmaybeabletoborrowonefromafamilymemberorfriends,orrentoneforawhilefromanoutdoor
sportinggoodsstore.Ifnoneoftheseoptionsareavailable,trywithasmaller“bookbag”withapproximately
15lbsofweightinit.Startouthikingjustacoupleofmilesinhillyterrain(oronstairs!),andincreaseyour
mileageandterrainintensityasyougainstrengthandfitness.Oncourse,youcanexpecttobecarryingapack
thatweighsbetween40-55lbs,andyoumayhikebetween3-15milesadaythrougharangeofconditionsand
terrain.
SAILING/ CANOEING: Prepare for the rigors of rowing our pulling boats or paddling canoes by endurance
training at least three times a week on a rowing machine. If a rowing machine is not available to you,
supplementwithstrengthtrainingthreetimesaweek–workingonyourcore,shouldersandarms.Sit-ups,
pull-ups,push-upsandweighttrainingareallgoodexercisesfortheseareasofyourbody.
Hurricane Island Outward Bound School Admissions Department
PO Box 800; Camden ME 04843 | Tel: 855-802-0307 | Fax: 888-695-1417 | Email: [email protected]
EIGHTWEEKFITNESSPROGRAM
Theprogramoutlinedbelowisappropriateifyouhaveenrolledeightweeksormorepriortoyourcourse
start.Ifyoudon’thavethefulleightweekstotrain,adjustthisprogramaccordingly.Takethisconditioning
programseriously–gettingingoodshapebeforeyourcoursewillsignificantlyreducethechancesofinjury,
andincreaseyouropportunitiesforenjoyment.
Thegeneralrulesofthisconditioningprogramarethese:
ü enjoyyourself;
ü mixupyourtrainingsoyouaren’tdoingthesamethingeveryday(jog,swim,bike);
ü stayintheTHRzone(usethetalk-test,oraheartratemonitor);
ü don’thurtyourself;
ü increaseyourdistances/intensity/durationbynomorethan10%eachweek;
ü takeadayoffeachweek;
ü finishyourworkoutwithasmile.
WEEKONE
Day1,3,5:30-45minutesofaerobicfitnesstraining
Day2,4,6:10minutesofstretchingand10minutes
oflightweights
Day7:Rest
WEEKTHREE
Day1,3,5:30-45minutesofaerobicfitnesstraining
Day2,4,6:10minutesofstretchingand20minutes
oflightweights
Day7:Rest
WEEKFIVE
Day1,3,5:30-45minutesofaerobicfitnesstraining
Day2,4,6:15minutesofstretchingand25minutes
oflightweights
Day7:Rest
WEEKSEVEN
Day1,3,5:45-60minutesofaerobicfitnesstraining
Day2,4,6:15minutesofstretchingand30minutes
oflightweights
WEEKTWO
Day1,3,5:30-45minutesofaerobicfitnesstraining
Day2,4,6:10minutesofstretchingand15minutes
oflightweights
Day7:Rest
WEEKFOUR
Day1,3,5:30-45minutesofaerobicfitnesstraining
Day2,4,6:15minutesofstretchingand20minutes
oflightweights
Day7:Rest
WEEKSIX
Day1,3,5:30-45minutesofaerobicfitnesstraining
Day2,4,6:15minutesofstretchingand25minutes
oflightweights
Day7:Rest
WEEKEIGHT(TAPEROFFONEWEEKBEFORECOURSE)
Day1,3,5:30minutesofaerobicfitnesstraining
Day2,4,6:10minutesofstretchingand10minutes
oflightweights.
AerobicFitnessTrainingideas-
INDOOR: Stair climber (or real stairs!), stationary bike, rowing machine, treadmill, aerobics classes, dance
classes,teamsports,swimming.
OUTDOOR:Running,power-walkingorcross-countryskiing,bike-riding,roller-blading.Hillyterrainisbestfor
intervaltraining.Ifhillsarenotavailabletoyou,integrateasectionofstairs(orbleachersatyourlocalfield)
intoyourroute.
StrengthTrainingideas–
Supplement your aerobic training with weight training, sit-ups, pull-ups and push-ups. Focus on building
strengthinyourlegs,andthesupportivemusclesinyourcore:yourback,stomach,shoulder.Ifyouareona
sailingtrip,usepull-upsandpush-upstobuildmuscleinyourupperbody.
Hurricane Island Outward Bound School Admissions Department
PO Box 800; Camden ME 04843 | Tel: 855-802-0307 | Fax: 888-695-1417 | Email: [email protected]