My son is getting ready for a Northern Tier trip this summer and I'm looking for the best resources for strength preparation for portaging and also good practices to prevent injury. He does the usual push-ups, chin ups and some weight lifting. But I'm sure there are some exercises that would target muscles most needed. Also any videos or posture instructions in books or wise guides on this anywhere? In our culture we tend to muscle through things , but I know back injuries can happen at any age so I want him to have some basic tools for injury prevention in his pocket.
Thanks.

Is this the right forum for this question?

Thanks for all tips! I will add that he is 15.5 years old ... and mainly doing named above at home. Think it might be good to start at a gym between now and July!

Any type of squats; barbell squats are best, but dumbells in each hand are good too. Lunges with dumbells are excellent as well. Shoulder lifts will strengthen muscles used for lifting up and carrying things like canoes, packs, etc. on portages.
Run! Nothing better to get you aerobically ready for the strain on your body.

If you have access to a stadium or amphitheater you can trot up and down the risers.

legs and core are always best, arms... that's for the girls. Like said earlier squats work great. If he goes to a gym, regular ol squats are great, if you can mix them up, with front squats its adjusts the weight and makes your compensate. Lunges are always good, as it also works on foot placement. Kettle bell exercises are good, squats, walking lunges, clean and jerk/clean and press work well. oh ya and calf raises... makes those legs look good in pumps.

Upper body, military press, lat pull downs both are excellent exercises for shoulders and upper back. I also do a rotation of a 25 lb plate that I incorporate curls, triceps, chins, rows. I also do a separate set for rows.

total core : row machine is literally a killer, and will work legs, butt, and core. planking helps build that back and abs.

And cardio always helps. Nothing over the top as you wont be running the trails, but if the gym is big enough and you can carry sand bags around the gym, or even outside toss a couple bricks into a pack and go for a brisk walk works wonders.

I have selected my exercises around those major muscle groups and activities that I most use in the BWCA hope this helps.

The big thing when lifting is to use good body mechanics. Most people try to lift with their backs not with their legs which have the strongest muscles. Also when lifting a pack to put it on your back. Bring it up to a knee first to get an arm/shoulder in it.

You don't say how old your son is, nor how strong, but the best preparation for doing something is to do it or something that closely mimics it. Old fingers has given good advice on putting on a pack and there are plenty of videos of the proper way to lift a canoe for portaging. Here's one

Plenty of weight lifts have been listed. The clean and press will be most like the canoe lift and the advice to lift a sandbag and carry it around is good. Core strength is good. Loading up a pack to whatever weight he'll be lifting and carrying, then lifting and carrying it, will be good preparation. Even better if it can be done on a trail vs. a flat, level sidewalk. If that's a little heavy at the start, have him work his way up to it.

Good advice above. I especially like the mimic boonie put in his last paragraph.
Put the loaded pack on and the hiking shoes he will wear and find a trail in the woods with some hills. Rain or shine. This should be as close to the real thing as you can find. A short hike every other day will do world's of good.

Thanks for all tips! I will add that he is 15.5 years old ... and mainly doing named above at home. Think it might be good to start at a gym between now and July!

I practice something called Alexander Technique which is all about spine health and lifting with twisting and comprising the spine...trying to picture how it's possible not to compromise spine with portaging! I guess building core strength will build endurance and make it less likely compromise integrity of the spine after he gets tired.

Thanks everyone for the great advice!

I actually go out and practice getting the canoe up on my shoulders before we do our trips. It is amazing how if you practice it some it is a whole lot easier as you get your technique down.

First off, he should do any or all of the above and get a relatively strong core and back, one wrong turn at or around that age and he'll have a touch and go back for the rest of his life. My dad threw out his back weight lifting as a teenager and while it's stable he still needs to be careful.

Three character qualities you need for a portage are coordination, situational awareness, and endurance. I'll give a little space and discuss all three.

Coordination. You need to know what you need to do and accomplish it in the most efficient manner possible with the least amount of tear on your body and equipment. This takes some thought and practice but you get better as time goes on. For example, don't pick up a pack by the straps, too much wear and tear on the pack. Pick it up by the "ears" (right and left corners, holding both the "lid" and the "side" of the pack). Set it on your knee, put your right arm and shoulder into the right shoulder, and then in a single motion "toss" the pack with an abdominal turn over your back where you should then to be able to insert your left arm into the other strap. When setting a pack down do the same thing in reverse. Your equipment and your back will thank you. The same goes for a canoe., grab it by the center thwart envisioning how your arms will be when you portage, place on your knee, use your entire body to lift the canoe and set it on your shoulder. He'll be using an aluminum canoe, so remember that this is +/- 75 pounds. It can be done. Native Americans carried upwards of 400 pounds with a tumpline across their head.

Situational awareness. The objective of a portage is to get across it without getting yourself hurt or the gear. Keep your eyes on the ground and watch for rocks, stumps, twigs, mud puddles. When you encounter a puddle that crosses the trail look for the safest path with the best footing. If you must go through the puddle take each step carefully and ensure your foot is properly secure before taking the next step. Know when and how to bail out if you do fall. Stay loose, don't fight it, or you could break a bone. Know that the trail you are covering is probably unstable. Take each step carefully, but also watch what's overhead and on each side so you don't run into a tree - this is especially important when you are carrying the canoe. It helps to off-load the canoe directly into the water as it will save wear and tear on the bottom, but make sure you secure it before going back so it doesn't float away from you. Know that this does take a toll on your body. Make sure to drink lots of water. Think about portaging when you plan your route so you don't over-do it.

Endurance. Some portages are just really hard. It takes great mental strength and fortitude, because take everything outlined above and add a distance variable and you have a challenge in front of you. Relax. That portage isn't going to get itself done. You have to do it. So you might as well enjoy it. On a long portage, know when to stop and take a break, but don't do it so often that you lose momentum. Think of it as a way to make your body and mind stronger. Feel the exhilaration when you get to the end and see the next lake over the trees. Set that canoe down in the water, yell a big "YES!" across the lake, and listen to the loons laugh back. And enjoy that walk back. You've earned it. Stop and look around you, maybe take a few pictures, smell the air, listen to the birds, and enjoy all canoe country has to offer.

Perhaps your son might like to read this excerpt from one of my trip journals describing the third portage I ever took:

The Ester Lake Portage

“Last portage of the day, everyone! We can do it!” Becky stated triumphantly. “We’ve got a great campsite waiting for us!” “How many rods is it?” Grandpa asked. Jared glanced at the map. “It’s only about seventy rods, so it’s a little shorter than the last portage.” Hearing that, we all rallied a little and began to unload the canoes. “Like last time, I’m going to take a pack over first and see what kind of ground I’ll be covering,” I said as I picked up a bear barrel. “I’ll take two paddles as well.” I headed up from Ottertrack Lake climbing the steep craggy trail, with a pack on my back and a paddle in each hand. Soon the lake was lost to my view. This portage was much steeper, rockier, and muddier than Monument Portage, and what’s worse, it never seemed to go down hill at all. I climbed over some fallen logs as I headed up the steep hill. I carefully navigated my way over the muddy trail, taking care not to slip. Ryan was right behind me. At the very end of the portage, the rough trail dropped sharply down hill. I walked down to the landing, carefully working my way around the rocks that graced the trail, and looked out over Ester Lake. The portage ended on a small channel on the north side of the lake. Dead logs sat where they had fallen near the shorelines on the opposite side. I saw a loon swimming around, oblivious to my presence. If he did notice me, he didn’t react. Setting down my pack and paddles, I headed back up and over the ridge to get another load. “We must be gaining a hundred feet or more in elevation!” I thought. “Hopefully we’ll start to go downhill sooner or later on this trip.” I passed several of the others as I made the walk back to Ottertrack. “Good going, Amy!” Ryan encouraged as she walked by with a pack and a fishing pole in either hand. “Thanks!” she said as she huffed and puffed her way up the hill. Becky was close behind, and, incredibly enough, was carrying two packs, one in front and one in back. “Are you crazy?” I asked. “I needed the balance,” she responded as she followed Amy.

“Now, Ryan,” I stated, “I thought up a system that would allow us to work together on the canoes. One of us will carry the canoe, and the other will walk behind with a pack, balancing the canoe. If the balance gets awkward, the person in back will push the canoe down or up to help the person carrying the canoe regain his balance.” “That’s a good idea,” he said. “Let’s do that.” “Do you want to go first, or should I?” I asked. “I’ll go first so I can get it over with.” We finally reached the landing on the other side. I pulled a bear barrel on my back and then watched as Mike loaded Ryan up with a canoe. Mike lifted up one end of the canoe, while the other end rested on the ground. Ryan crouched under the canoe and got ready, and then stood up as Mike moved out of the way. “See you at the other end!” I called to Mike as I followed Ryan, who was grunting as he hauled that big load of aluminum up the first steep part of the trail. “Push down, push down!” Ryan ordered as the canoe started to pivot forward. I grasped the bow of the canoe with both of my hands and pulled down. “Thank you, that’s better,” he said. We continued to make our way up hill. Ryan carefully navigated around the slippery mud puddles and around the rocks. He almost lost his footing once. I heard him swear. I didn’t blame him. “Man, I’ve got my work cut out for me,” I thought to myself. “You’re almost there, man, keep up the good work!” I encouraged as Ryan’s grunts were starting to get a little louder. We finally neared the top of the ridge. “Aauggh! Aauggh!” Ryan yelled as he scaled the hill and made the walk down to the shoreline. Jared and I boosted the canoe off of his shoulders. Ryan whipped off the bandanna that was on his head, looked up at the sky, and started balling his eyes out. That portage took everything he had. We all looked on. Jared reached out to shake Ryan’s hand, and I did the same. “Respect, man,” Jared said. I echoed a similar sentiment. Ryan regained his composure.

“Well, I guess it’s my turn. See you soon,” I said as Ryan and I headed back over the ridge to grab the final canoe. At the other end, Ryan lifted up the canoe. I wrapped my coat around my neck to improve the padding, and crouched under the canoe. Standing up, I began to head up the steep slope. Ryan followed with the final bear barrel. I had made up my mind to sing over this portage, so I broke out into Gordon Lightfoot’s song, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”. I knew all the many verses and thought I could scale the portage in the time it took me to sing it. I walked along singing my lungs out. “Down!” I shouted as the canoe began to pivot forward. Ryan adjusted me. “Thanks, man,” I said, returning to my song. “With a load of iron ore, twenty six thousand tons more, than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty….” I was glad my ship wasn’t that heavy. The trek began to be one of sheer existence. One foot in front of the other. Right, left, right, left, hup, two, three, four, hup, two, three, four……Get this thing over the portage……Dodge rock……Hop over tree branch……Don’t slip…… I shifted my hands to the portage pads and relieved my shoulders for a second, bearing the weight of the canoe with my arms. My neck and back were telling me to quit, but I wasn’t going to quit. I scaled the crest of the hill singing my lungs out.

Down by the water, the others were beginning to wonder where we were. “Do you think they’re all right?” Becky had just asked. They heard my singing and knew that we were all right. I finished the song just as we began to head down towards the lake. I carefully stepped down from rock to rock as we neared the landing. “Someone grab a camera and take a picture, please,” I yelled. “I don’t want to forget this one.” Rachel captured the moment for me. Ryan and Jared boosted the canoe off of my shoulders. I was filled with emotion and joy, knowing that I, with the Lord’s help, had overcome that obstacle. I threw both of my arms up in the air. “YES!” I yelled and then whooped loudly. My voice echoed across the water and off the other shores. My heart rejoiced. That was one of the greatest moments of my life. As boys grow into men, they often have moments where physical, mental, and emotional strength are pushed to the limit and overcome. The portage definitely did that for me.

1 low impact exercise that i do is walking up and down long flights of stairs , as another member stated the legs are a big part of portaging .

Sag Joe...I could see and feel your trip over the portage. Great story well told.

Lots of good advice about exercises and aiming that the core and legs.

When I was recovering from chemo, I worked with a trainer to get back in shape and with a focus on being ready for the BW. Their advice was to focus on normal weight lifting motions and not to simulate the rotational motion of lifting a canoe. They thought that was too prone to injury and build strength first and then worry about that motion when it was time for the trip.

I have found that one of the best ways of preventing injury, besides strength training, is also stretching. Nothing drastic and over the top, but stuff associated with long distance running and backpacking. That will really help the core and legs, where most of your power comes from. Here are a couple of exercises:

Backpacker Magazine Workout

Orangetheory Fitness.......You run, row and lift. Many exercises that are very useful for a trip in canoe country, compound movements for the entire body. A professional trainer puts you through the paces, guiding you along the way. OK, I have a vested interest in the Maple Grove location, but it is very very good for total conditioning.

Beyond getting strong, I would say walks and stairs are great, but load up a pack. A 15 year old, or everyone for that matter, should be able to walk several miles. Doing it with a pack and canoe is another matter. Walking with a moderately loaded pack and progressively increasing that to where it eventually exceeds what the trip weights will be is great training. I will cut the grass, walk the dogs and so on. Outside of getting in great shape, having both the mental conditioning and the shoulders ready for the pack straps makes a big difference on those long ones for me and my kids.


John

I coach gymnastics, and have had a lot (too much) of contact with physical therapists and athletic trainers over the years. I suggest general fitness and core strength, but I think some lower body balance work is extremely helpful for portaging. I have had many occasions where I needed to balance on one foot while moving from one rock to another, or working over or under a log, etc. We do quite a bit of balance work when rehabbing knee or ankle injuries for our athletes that I find helpful preparing myself for a trip.

The following link is representative of the type of exercises I am talking about:
Balance workout video

You can get a good workout with variations shown in the video, add weight or movement to add difficulty when you have it down. I feel like these have helped me on the portage trails.

Every year I always wish I had worked out my shoulders more, for what it's worth.

No 'exercise' can really get you ready. Might as well just do it. Fill up a large pack with miscellaneous gear and find a nice long set of steep stairs, local high school football stadiums work well. Do a couple of circuits up and down the stairs. This will work the essential lower body, core and stimulate the trapezoids.

quote gymcoachdon: "I coach gymnastics, and have had a lot (too much) of contact with physical therapists and athletic trainers over the years. I suggest general fitness and core strength, but I think some lower body balance work is extremely helpful for portaging. I have had many occasions where I needed to balance on one foot while moving from one rock to another, or working over or under a log, etc. We do quite a bit of balance work when rehabbing knee or ankle injuries for our athletes that I find helpful preparing myself for a trip.


The following link is representative of the type of exercises I am talking about:
Balance workout video


You can get a good workout with variations shown in the video, add weight or movement to add difficulty when you have it down. I feel like these have helped me on the portage trails."

Couldn't agree with you more on the "general fitness, core strength and balance part of you post. Canoe tripping is much more than having your paddling and canoe portaging muscles in shape. How do you train for balancing on a rocky portage landing, lifting a pack out of a canoe, pivoting your body with the weight and walking that pack to solid ground. It just takes general core strength, balance flexibility etc.. I wouldn't worry, at 15-1/2, if the kid is normally active and as it sounds doing some lifting and strength training he'll be fine, he's got youth on his side. I'd make sure the lungs and legs are in good shape endurance-wise and it'll be a cake walk.

quote fraxinus: "

quote gymcoachdon: "I coach gymnastics, and have had a lot (too much) of contact with physical therapists and athletic trainers over the years. I suggest general fitness and core strength, but I think some lower body balance work is extremely helpful for portaging. I have had many occasions where I needed to balance on one foot while moving from one rock to another, or working over or under a log, etc. We do quite a bit of balance work when rehabbing knee or ankle injuries for our athletes that I find helpful preparing myself for a trip.



The following link is representative of the type of exercises I am talking about:
Balance workout video



You can get a good workout with variations shown in the video, add weight or movement to add difficulty when you have it down. I feel like these have helped me on the portage trails."

Couldn't agree with you more on the "general fitness, core strength and balance part of you post. Canoe tripping is much more than having your paddling and canoe portaging muscles in shape. How do you train for balancing on a rocky portage landing, lifting a pack out of a canoe, pivoting your body with the weight and walking that pack to solid ground. It just takes general core strength, balance flexibility etc.. I wouldn't worry, at 15-1/2, if the kid is normally active and as it sounds doing some lifting and strength training he'll be fine, he's got youth on his side. I'd make sure the lungs and legs are in good shape endurance-wise and it'll be a cake walk. "

A 15.5 year old with any decent level of fitness should be fine, but us older guys have to target our training :) I change my workouts to feature more lifting (actual lifting, from the ground) and lower body focus when it comes BWCA time. I also add in more rows and shoulder exercises with the idea being to keep a strong lower-core-trunk balance for all the picking up and putting down that you do over the course of a day. Deadlifts and kettlebell workouts (squats, swings, overhead presses, turkish get ups, walking lunges) are excellent for helping you develop the lower body -> core transition that helps you pick things off the ground properly.

What is helpful if you have weak ankles or knees that you want to strengthen for all the tenuous footing you'll be dealing with is to work with bosu balls (if you have access). I'm sure you can find a million ways to use them but I wanted to focus on strengthening my loose ankles so I started by setting up 3 bosus and stepping between them while holding kettle bells in each hand. Then I'll just take turns stepping up, squatting and stepping down with the other foot. This helps develop strength to deal with the odd and unpredictable angles your feet will inevitably run into during a portage and will ideally help prevent sprains. Also stairmasters and treadmills at max elevation at a decent walking clip are helpful for developing those underutilized leg muscles that will get hit hard on the trail.

quote BigCurrent: "No 'exercise' can really get you ready. Might as well just do it. Fill up a large pack with miscellaneous gear and find a nice long set of steep stairs, local high school football stadiums work well. Do a couple of circuits up and down the stairs. This will work the essential lower body, core and stimulate the trapezoids."

There's an important bit in here: up AND DOWN the stairs.

Most people think the hardest thing about carrying a load is going up hill. While it is the most physically taxing, going downhill is actually far more difficult and inclined to cause an injury. Keeping your balance with an unusual load uphill is a slight challenge, but it's exponentially more challenging going downhill. You can't just walk normally straight forward like you would climbing uphill or walking a level path. You have to carefully decide where to put each foot, what angle you will turn and how to shift the weight of the pack (or canoe) to keep yourself from tipping forward.

Strengthening the core and the leg muscles that absorb the impact and keep the balance on the downhill is something people rarely do, but always feel the effects of afterward.

I never really paid much attention to it because all of our hiking trips were to mountains... climb UP for 2 days and down for 2 days... or whatever the days totaled out to. So I just assumed I was sore and cramped from the total days of exertion and dehydration. Then I took my first trip to the Grand Canyon, where hiking down was the first half of the trip, and I realized that it was the motions of climbing down that caused me all the pain. Climbing up was strenuous, but climbing down was painful. In fact, I remember thinking after 2 days of climbing down (and being thoroughly surprised that I would ever think such a thing) that I was looking forward to climbing up the next day so I could stretch my cramping calf muscles and shin splints out.

Be sure to do exercises the focus on downclimbing while carrying a load (both steady and unsteady.) You'll be glad you did.

Unless my son specifically asked for help on this, I would let him make his own decisions for the trip. Otherwise, there is a lot of good advice on this thread!

And my advice, the best way to avoid injury and complete a successful portage is to be 15.5 years old. (Everything -except dating- was so easy back then.)

Dave

quote BigCurrent: "No 'exercise' can really get you ready. Might as well just do it. Fill up a large pack with miscellaneous gear and find a nice long set of steep stairs, local high school football stadiums work well. Do a couple of circuits up and down the stairs. This will work the essential lower body, core and stimulate the trapezoids."

I agree. And also second the post about DOWN stairs as WELL as up stairs. It reminds me of my last softball round robin tournament: (25 yrs ago) I went something like 12 for 15 'at bats' . My last trip to 3ed base and my legs rubberized.
24-36 hours later I was still sore above knees. Oh I could still go UP stairs but if you had offered a million bucks to go DOWN them without a handrail; no way.
A walk in the woods and hills with a pack would sure help.

quote OldFingers57: "I actually go out and practice getting the canoe up on my shoulders before we do our trips. It is amazing how if you practice it some it is a whole lot easier as you get your technique down.
"

+1 - A buddy and I will be doing the entire Kopka River system this summer. We have always used kevlar boats on past trips but will be using a 69# royalex boat on this trip. To condition myself to the weight of this boat, I have been carrying a royalex boat at the local nature center 3 or 4 times weekly. I am carrying it up and down hills and struggling with the weight to toss it up on my shoulders. It has been 11 years since I sold my 80# OT Tripper. I am slowly getting stronger and more proficient at getting the boat up on the shoulders.

quote RetiredDave: "And my advice, the best way to avoid injury and complete a successful portage is to be 15.5 years old. (Everything -except dating- was so easy back then.)


Dave"

haha... that's for darn sure.

I am a year out from major back fusion surgery and will be back to BWCA trips starting in late May.
My physical therapist is an experienced BWCA paddler. She has me using resistance bands, attached to my paddle blade and the other end to my dining room table. I sit on my exercise ball and "paddle the table" each afternoon. She also has me walking (goal is 10,000 steps daily), riding my bike and doing stairs (up and down). Plus, Core exercises.
Glad I am retired, I would not have time to do all this to get back in shape.

In addition to what has already been said ......

Compound movements, with coaching on technique and WHY the body is positioned the way it is. Picking up a canoe, backpack, etc. is very similar to a clean, squat clean, clean and press, and on and on. Knowing that a line should be drawn from the "load" down through the shoulders, hips, heels, along with a tight and properly positioned core is good.

Even though I exercise and such, once I started Crossfit, with a GOOD coach, my consciousness of form went through the roof. We do functional fitness, with the option (which I don't take) to compete. I recommend it for anybody, if a good coach is in charge.

A couple of other things about portaging, Lisa -

Once he picks up the pack or canoe, he has to carry it for however far it is, whether that's one-tenth of a mile or one and one half miles, so aerobic power is possibly even more important.

The other side of the coin to getting strong enough to pick up and carry the pack is having a lighter pack to pick up and carry. It's easier to handle a 40-lb pack than a 50-lb pack, so try to keep him from taking things he doesn't really need.

Put some weight in a pack and start carrying it around to build shoulders back and legs. Arms are good to bring along also on a trip. Work the cardio. You could do repeated tiptoes with weight on to build calves and balance moving to doing it with one foot.

While strength isn't irrelevant, my experience is that aerobic fitness beats muscular strength every time in the BWCA. If your son can hike ten miles - or even better, run several miles - without major issues, then he'll be fine. Canoes aren't that heavy; but paddling and carrying take a lot of aerobic stamina.

The even bigger point is that relatively active teenagers are just really unlikely to have any physical issues with portaging or paddling. The psychological piece - the willingness to see the job through, to do their share of the tasks, to own their responsibility for the trip's success - is the harder thing.

STAIRMASTER! That machine is a butt kicker. I like to make sure I use no hands, and like to roatate to one side and go sideways for a minute, then switch to the other side . This will help lateral movement. Also hit up the Glute/ Hip Abductor machine. Super important for knee strenght and stability. And I couldn't agree more about the importance of stretching. Look in to the imoprtance of Hip Mobility. Oh, and if you dont know about the benefits of foam rolling. Check that out as well.

The closest motion that I can relate to hoisting a canoe, would be hoisting a sheet of plywood/drywall overhead.

Sounds easy, and it kinda is....but doing it correctly 20+times/day without getting sloppy is very, very challenging. Especially when tired.

if you can get the kids to practice hoisting (from either side), and then carrying it overhead for distance, that will build all the requisite attributes.

Be very careful, start light, start training early, and prioritize consistency over intensity.

note - drywallers have a very high incidence of rotator cuff dysfunction from repetitive strain injuries.

quote bobbernumber3: "Unless my son specifically asked for help on this, I would let him make his own decisions for the trip. Otherwise, there is a lot of good advice on this thread!
"

Thanks for this point... I think he has his own plan for getting ready!