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Ok...last year I only hiked (kinda scrambled) Cadair Idris, Snowdon and Scafell....they are all pretty easy little hikes but I still struggled. I always thought I was fit as I am a dancer and walk everywhere as I am a bum and have no car!

But 3/4 from the end of the hike I am pretty much knackered and get a stitch and cant breathe properly.

So I have started running a few times a week and some Zumba classes for cardio but is there any good exercises to do to get those legs stronger! I do lunges but not much improvment.

Thanks - I will try more intervals. Trouble is going dizzy when running but just have to stick at it and make sure I don't trip over kerbs and land in front of people - again!!!

Climbing stairs? I have a 2-story house, and climb up and down the stairs quickly while carrying light weights. I prefer the steps by the high school, which have 25 to 30' of rise, and some turf I can run down, plus a wheelchair ramp. Do you have a park with stairs nearby? Or a stairclimber at the gym?

Hiking is really good training for hiking.

you would think wouldnt you.....

i shall go with the stairs....i work in a building with a huge spiral staircase....i hate starting the day like a sweaty betty but hey ho needs must!

Do you have any hills near by? If so, than I would reccomend a few things.
1.) Hill sprints - Just run as hard as you can up the hill (make sure you have properly warmed up before hand), than walk back down. repeat. (this type of interval training increases the performance of your cardiovascular system, and as a bonus it also increases strength and power in the legs).
2.) load up a back pack with whatever weights you have (jugs of water work well) and walk up the hills.

also, the stair thing is great! Stairs are an awesome training tool, use them to your advantage.

final question, do you have access to a gym and weights?

If you're just getting into running, try the Runners World SmartCoach. I started using it in 2007 and my cardiovascular fitness have improved immensely. Just know how fast you can run a mile and it will take it from there. It includes easy runs, tempo runs (speed endurance), speedwork (intervals), and long runs (strength endurance).

I like to supplement running with weight train or, better yet, backpacking or stair climbing, to increase my core and lower body strength and maintain muscle mass since running tends to really lean me out.

It's not sexy, but simple chair squats:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRhFRdxExv0

do a lot, when time and weather are limiting . I also reach high with my arms with each up motion, for extra cardiovascular. You'll be amazed how tiring this gets; it's hard for me to do much more than 200 at a stretch. It would probably be better if I broke it into smaller segments throughout the day.

emmieuk wrote:Ok...last year I only hiked (kinda scrambled) Cadair Idris, Snowdon and Scafell....they are all pretty easy little hikes but I still struggled. I always thought I was fit as I am a dancer and walk everywhere as I am a bum and have no car!

But 3/4 from the end of the hike I am pretty much knackered and get a stitch and cant breathe properly.

So I have started running a few times a week and some Zumba classes for cardio but is there any good exercises to do to get those legs stronger! I do lunges but not much improvment.

It seems like you need to work on cardio but out of curiosity, How many lunges are you doing?

Sadly dancing will do little for 'real' cardio improvement.

Running is good. Uphill running is better.

Stairclimbing is pretty good too....steep inclines would be the best, but less feasible to find in a city unless you find a treadmill that goes above 20% grade.

The key to any of these is that you need to be able to do high intensity for at least 4-5 minutes non-stop...so you would have to find enough stairs to do that (like a tall building stairwell).

1 minute intervals, for instance, won't yield the same improvements in conditioning.

Since you don't have a car you should buy a simple cheap old road bike. I commute solely by bike and put in 15-20 miles a day. The best training you can do for mountains is mental training, it's all a mental game.

chair squats have killed my ass so they must work
thanks

emmieuk wrote:chair squats have killed my ass so they must work
thanks

They are mainly to build muscle, but even that will help indirectly with the cardiovascular exertion.

Ze wrote:1 minute intervals, for instance, won't yield the same improvements in conditioning.

I disagree. Its all about intensity. 1 minute intervals at a near maximal, maximal, or supramaximal intensity have been proven to be more beneficial for many physiological adaptations than longer bouts at lower intensities. I guess it all depends on what exactly you are trying to improve. If your trying to increase lactate threshold, than 4-5 minute intervals near your max are awesome. If its VO2max, than high intensity interval training is the key. anyway, both are important.

I'm guessing that Emmie mainly wants to get in decent shape, and elaborate exercise routines are not practical for her living situation.