Hi guys and gals,

Background- I want to pass a fitness test next month. I've been out of a work out routine since before covid, then a few months ago, started going to the gym three times a week with a simple routine of warmup on treadmill, plank for as long as I can x 3, lift weights (squats, lat pulldown, dumbbell press, and bent over row), followed by more treadmill. I kept putting off getting a better workout routine.

Unfortunately, my gym lacks a stairmaster and I thought that treadmill endurance and improvement would equate to improvement on the stairmaster.

Problem- The start of the fitness test is 3 minutes on a stairmaster with a 75lbs vest at 60 steps per minute. I stopped by my small town FD station (I help out there when I can) and tried 3 minutes on their stairmaster with a 75lbs vest. I only lasted a minute.

Question - for best improvement in hopes of getting to where I can handle 3 minutes on a stairmaster with a 75lbs vest, how frequently should I practice this? Due to the 75lbs, should I treat this like weight lifting and practice every other day? Or due to the endurance part, should I be trying this once, maybe twice, a day?

If it matters, I'm 46 yrs old.

Thanks in advance. Y'all rock.

TLDR- I need to gain the endurance so that I can pass a fitness test that starts with 3 minutes on a stairmaster with a 75lbs vest but do not know if I should train once a day, every other day, or even twice a day when able, for best improvement.

At 46, I would want to know what you feel like your recovery is like doing that 3 day split.

If you feel like you've got plenty in the take on the days after lifting, you either need to lift more, or do more on the off day.

I would keep doing the 3 day split, but maybe add some lunges/bulgarian split squat type exercises for unilateral lower body work.

On the in between days, I would do a combination of sled work, walking with weighted vest, sprints, and bleachers if you have that available to you.

Weightlifting is primarily an anaerobic exercise building strength but not aerobic endurance which is what you need to endure minutes of weighted hiking. Your leg day routine should incorporate dynamic exercises such as weighted walking lunges and your treadmill time should be at max elevation with a pace that is maintainable but challenging to hold a leisurely conversation.
Cardio may be done everyday if the intensity is managed.

Train got what you are trying to do, but not every day. I'd definitely get a barbell or sandbag you can shoulder and practice doing step ups in large and increasing numbers. Say sets of 25-50, unbroken. Then gradually increase.

Depends on your age, lifestyle, recovery time, and overall fitness. Need a mix of weight training, cross training, and some kind of short cardio intervals.

Consistency will be the key, don't go too hard that you can't go at the same effort in 2-3 days. You need to work on a baseline and work up from there. I would also consider cardio like swimming for active recovery and to improve your VO2

What's the rest of the test look like?

3mins at 75lbs is called needing muscular endurance. It's not necessarily a strength movement or total endurance, but a combination of both. What failed in the minute you tried it, your legs or your lungs? If your legs failed due to lactic acid build up, you should start with a lower weight (if any) and build up weight gradually. If it's your was your lungs or your HR felt like it was pinged out, your aerobic endurance needs to be built up. You very well could need to train both as well.

4 weeks isn't a lot of time, but neither is three minutes luckily. Again, not sure what the rest of the test looks like, but if I was training for this first part specifically and didn't have access to an actual stair stepper, I would do the following:

Aerobic exercise 3 times a week, building up more volume each week. This should be either walking on a treadmill at max incline or running hills. Keep HR in zone 2. Start with 180-age if you don't know what zone 2 is.

Strength twice a week. Lunges and split squats specifically.

One day a week, step-ups (12-16" step) with a weight vest. Shoot for 30 mins and maybe start with 10% body weight working toward 25-30% body weight.

This may be too much initial volume for you, only you can decide that. But this is what my training starts to look like when I train for mountain objectives.

Can the treadmill elevate?

aggiebrad94 said:

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Can the treadmill elevate?

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Yup

The rest of the test is not bad. There is an 85ft walk between stations which allows you to somewhat catch your breath.

Other stations include hose drag by foot then pull it by hand further while kneeling, a ladder raise, carrying two 40lb objects by hand around a barrel then back, some sledge hammer use, crawling thru a dark tunnel, dragging a 165lbs mannequin around a barrel then back (the 2nd worse station), then using a pike to raise up a weight plate and then pull down on the weight plate with the pike.