i got a bad cramp once on a summit, mid way through a 22 mile hike.

found 'gookinade' aka 'hydralyte' and now aka 'vitalyte'. you might try that or another electrolyte replacement product.

perhaps you were too hydrated with h2o which diluted your lytes?

i don't think skinny has to do with it.

and cramps are a real drag.

treadmill x 30 mins w/20 lb pack + eliptical trainer x 30 mins w/20 lb pack five days a week.

1) 15 x 3 sets of lunges +
2) 40 x 3 sets stand on toes from flat +
3) 15 x 3 deep knee bends all while holding 20 lbs in each hand, at lunch time 5 times weekly.

10 - 25 mile hike w/min 2500' elevation gain, once weekly.

have recently added a 4.2 mile rt hike with 1650' gain in 2.1 miles once weekly.

saw cardiologist today w/tests - all ok. says many 20-30 year olds couldn't do what i could on his treadmill. made me feel good. the workouts must be working.

As a matter of fact you CAN train that way over a longer time and it works. Works really well!

High intensity training is very effective stuff if you're serious about it and train smart. When I was into boxing and later MMA I gradually progressed to 6 workouts per week (about 2 hrs daily). I did a lot of anaerobic training. Looking back, I made amazing progress from the couch potato that I used to be and I've been able to maintain that kind of intensity for several years.

It is a very tiring way to work out, physically and mentally, probably too hard for most people. If you want your workouts to be easy and pleasant then it's not for you. But it can be done as long as you've developed a solid foundation first and follow a sound training regimen that you adapt yourself over time as you get a better understanding of your body. Working out every day is totally possible. For example, you can rotate hard and easy days so you go nearly all out on one day and easy on the other (which incidentally assists recovery a lot better than just resting).

Different strokes for different folks but I disagree about long, slow distance training. It does have its place but it develops just one attribute. If all you do is run long distance (perhaps without even really breaking a sweat) you will only develop aerobic endurance. But your strength will actually diminish, you'll lose fat as well as muscle. If you think that kind of training translates well into real life long range endurance, you're wrong. Give a casual jogger/marathon runner a 50lb pack and see how he struggles after a couple of hours in the field. I talked to several experienced people, including a veteran Ranger (for those guys long hikes and forced marches literally come with the job) and none of them saw much value in long, slow distance running. If anything, the consensus was that one should focus on 2 or 3 mile runs at a 6-7 minute mile.

Also, you need to understand that different athletes specialize in different areas. Sure, if you're a competitive marathon runner you'll be able to run many more laps than a weight lifter or sprinter. So what? A weight lifter can easily lift several times the bodyweight of a marathon runner and a sprinter can run a lot faster than either of them. That's the whole point, right? What would you rather be? Your call, but if you want to be in good shape throughout you'll need a little bit of everything: endurance, speed, power, strength...

Re: gaining muscle mass for tall, skinny guys (I used to be 155lb at 6'2")... If you want to bulk up I would seriously suggest lifting weights. Focus on major muscle groups and forget about bodybuilding and isolating muscles. Squat, deadlift, bench press, military press, bent-over rows, dips, pullups w/weighted backpack. Great stuff for building muscle.

There are many good routines out there. Personally I prefer something based on the push/pull principle where you follow each exercise by working the antagonist muscle groups. Most of all, squat! For starters, something very basic in the range of 3 sets, 8-12 reps might work so that you get used to proper technique. A little later, 5-8 reps could be better for developing real strength without useless bulk. If you can handle the 20-rep squat routine it will build muscle faster than anything else I've ever seen.

A guy with fast metabolism doing this kind of training about 3x per week can realistically expect very good gains (maybe 6lb per month). But you'd need to stay away from long distance jogging for a while because it kills muscle mass! Substitute with intervals, fartlek or other anaerobic training if you want to work on endurance though no more than 1-2x per week if you really want to focus on bulking up.

Also, eat well 5x per day, lots of protein and consider supplementing with a weight gainer. You will need it if you're a real "hard gainer". There are a lot of myths about supplements and many don't work at all but a weight gainer might be worth trying. If you skip meals often you could also get those meal replacement shakes. Again, very handy and great for faster recovery after weights.

That is my problem with long distance running, it leaves me so exhausted that it is tough to do any strength or endurance training. I substituted 10 minutes of jumping rope instead.

+1 on the brazilian jiu-jitsu.

I also do racquetball 2x weekly, run 2x weekly (about 5km per run) Lift weights 2 x weekly and once weekly MMA. Once weekly I do a hand strength workout. (For some fun, get a #2 Captains of Crush and take it to work and make some easy money taking bets on who can close it) Hand strength is probably the most neglected...and yet most important.

I've found that overtraining is the #1 reason people give up; they just don't know it. It is actually quite startling how easy it is to overtrain. My bench never improved much past 250 lbs. and I was sore, sore, sore when I used to do 3 hour workouts. Now I clear 320 without too much problem and am done in about 20 minutes. Beginners overtrain. Pros pace themselves.

I try to make fitness play a big part of everything. Survival is great, but living period is a lot better and more enjoyable when you are fit.

My routine is based specifically on the things I do at work or play. Cardio such as treadmill intervals and plenty of rucksack marches keeps me Army fit as well as fit for hunting season. Keeping the feet conditioned for walking is uber important for me so the more marches I do the tougher the feet get. I’ve got thick enough skin on my feet from all the marching that I never get blisters and I could probably walk across hot coals if I needed to.

I also have a bow flex and love the damn thing (ultimate 2) one of my favorite exercises is to pull back a rod with each arm as if I am drawing a bow. This keeps those not used much muscles in top shape for bow hunting season. My bowstring is so much easier to pull back because of this.

I top it off with as much swimming as I can fit in, and plenty of hitting the old heavy bag and grip exercises so I can drive my fist clean through an attackers face and then rip out his still beating heart the next time I am required to use self defense. I have a good stretching routine as well, and this has kept a more than a few injuries at bay.(especially now that I am pushing 30)

Fitness is exceedingly important. If you are fat, drink and smoke, and do not get enough exercise then you are doing yourself great harm and should an emergency occur you may find yourself unable to physically perform.