Part 1 of 3 articles
You have bad knees, but want to hike Patagonia
It was a life-long dream to hike in Patagonia, but there were pre-planning aspects to consider before undertaking the great hiking trip.
Let me preface with this–I am not a doctor, but I have lived experience of managing chronic inflammation for 20+ years, and willing to share advice from various medical, holistic professionals.
Trust me when I say, you are capable of more than you realize.
50+ miles
Hiked in three days
32
Strength training days
February 2025
Pre-Hike Training
About 8-10 weeks of strength training and intense cardio conditioning to prepare my knee and back muscles for the rugged terrain.
April 2025
The Big Hike
As a lady with knee problems, packing required researching products beforehand and skillfull backpack organizing throughout the hiking trip.
May 2025
Post-Patagonia
Hiking 50 miles in 3 days allowed for deep reflection on my relationship with my body, mind, and spirit, and how it would look like post-Patagonia.
February + March 2025: Training for Patagonia
For my 30th birthday, my best friend and I decided to hike our wildest dreams–Patagonia. Even saying it out loud filled me with wonder, excitement and anxiety.
I have dealt with knee pain since I was three years old. Countless appointments, medical gaslighting, tests, and explanations of my medical history only to be met with disappointment of more unexplained answers.
All of this generated self-hatred toward my body of why I could not run, squat, dance and do activities that my heart wanted so deeply to do.
Patagonia was the chance to take control of my body, and feel at peace with my mind infected with loathing.
For context, my full-time job requires me to be staring at excel sheets for 40+ hours a week. It is so tempting to want to go home, troll out in front of the TV and wallow in my favorite serial killer docuseries or Netflix series.
But Patagonia is no ordinary trip, the famous W-trek would be filled with inclines, declines, windings and countless paths in unforseeable weather. To prepare my quads and hamstrings around my knees required thinking through how to mentally get myself to workout.
How would I do that in an expensive place like NYC, where monthly gym memberships cost an average of $300? Think through the strengths of my surroundings:
- I live in the 6th floor of an apartment walk-up with no elevator. Perfect everda workout for the quads!
- Invest in a high intensity cardio class called VXN Army (6-class package costs $145 and expires in 3-months).
- Tried out a gym membership for 2 months for the weight equipment.
Training for Patagonia was a mix of cardio and strength 4x a week:
- Monday + Friday: Strength and gym
- Tuesday + Thursday: VXN Army (dance fitness)
Reflection questions to consider
- What is your budget? Where are you able to save money or need to invest?
- Does your gym offer new membership deals or packages?
- Where are nearby community trails and parks? If you do not have access to green space, does your building have a safe staircase?
- Are you a slower-paced workout girlie (yoga, pilates, swimming, etc.) or a high-intensity baddie (HIIT, boxing, etc.)?
- Do not be afraid to experiment on what works for you. The important thing is that YOU enjoy the activity–health is wealth.
Tuesdays + Thursdays
VXN Army is a community that has been pivotal throughout my twenties and well into my early thirties.
#VXNArmy is a global dance fitness community designed to improve mental and emotional health through high-intensity dancing. The overall idea is that you are the back-up dancer to your favorite performer like, Beyonce, Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez, Rauw Alejandro. Basically, it’s Zumba on steroids.
For the last 6 years, #VXNArmy has kept me connected to community and my body while isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic, it helped me make a home with a fierce group of ladies in NYC when I first moved. My highest of highs, and lowest of lows were in those studio sessions.
More importantly, it helped me feel safe in my body again after undergoing a pyschotic episode amidst multiple sexual assaults. The performance aspect of creating a persona for the stage helped me explore in a safe space who I was in this sudden and new chapter.
Diving into the blasting beats and powerful poses helped me find safety in a body that I felt a stranger to. Losing myself in the choreography reunited me with my past unapologetically authentic self that longed to be heard and seen.
Since I have been committed to #VXNArmy for years, it is emotional to revisit past songs and compare to where I am and how my relationship with myself has evolved.
It gave me a needed space to be angry, be sad, grieve, be nostalgic and hopeful. Reflect on how far I’ve come, forgive myself and my body for all the moments where I wanted to give up and give in to the darkness of my PTSD, but didn’t. Grateful everyday for this community and all those who dance and make it such a powerful, global movement of women.
All this to say–do it! While I had my emotional and mental battles to confront, it also was an alternative way to do HIIT. I love HIIT, but the gym bro situations are not my vibe. Each step and song focuses on legs, arms, legs, and overall toning via dance party!
Mondays + Wednesdays
Strength training sessions were the most challenging for me to experiment with. To start, I focused on my goal–to hike Patagonia with bad knees.
So, I needed sequences that focused on my glutes, quads and hamstrings. The stairmaster in both my apartment building and gym were my best friends.
Gym visits started with 30-minutes on the stairmaster with level 8-12 of intensity as the weeks progressed. I would give myself a break after 10-minutes to catch my breath with sweat beating from every pore of my body.
When I was about 4-6 weeks out from my trip, I would do the Stairmaster carrying 15lbs. barbells 15, and gradually increase by 2lbs. Doing so was helpful to strengthen my back and mimick the amount of backpack weight I would be carrying for 50+ miles on the W-trek.
By the time I hit the W-trek trails, the staircase exercises where the most helpful during those steep inclines up boulders and winds.
After the first 30-minutes of Stairmaster, I would do the following strength training exercises on the floor mat.
4-5 sets of 15 reps :
- Yoga push-ups
- Hip lifts (with a 20 lbs. weight)
- Weighted ball ab crunches (overhead, side-to-side)
- Deadlifts (with a 20 lbs. weight)
- Leg lifts for lower abs
These sets are very doable to do at home, without a gym membership. All you need, is a mat and weights (or DIY weights).
The gym I visited was very busy and crowded, so getting to the leg press machine or lifting weights was a challenge. Whenever I was able to, I would do 1 and 2-legged squats.
The last 5-10 minutes of my strength training sessions were to do deep leg, hip, and back stretches.
Takeaway Advice when Training for Patagonia (with bad knees)
1
Big hikes like this will require mental adversity, part of that is knowing yourself well. Undertake the training as a way to get to know yourself–your likes and dislikes, how you choose your training plan to what you wear.
2
Keep a pair of sneakers, shorts, sports bra, or pants in your desk in case you rush out early in the morning and forget to pack your gym bag. That way, it doesn’t derail you from hitting your training schedule.
3
Curate fun music playlists! Spotify is our personal diaries, and putting together ‘DJ Dunk’ playlists hyped me up before and during workouts to vibe and sweat beats on the stairmaster.
4
Keep photos of Patagonia or athletes you admire nearby. Personally, I look to my favorite Peruvian surfers when I need inspiration (te veo Sofia Mulanovich, Sol Aguirre, Daniella Rosas) because they are strong, beautiful, athletic, and inspirational.
5
Make your post-workout routine your sanctuary and one you look forward to. Let me tell you, taste SALUD’s Latino-inspired vitamin powders revolutionized my workouts. I DEPLORED protein powder, now I look forward to my ritual of having a chocolate horchata-flavored protein shake.
