One of the major factors affecting your enjoyment and learning during your participation on a BOSS Field Course, Navigator Course, or Hunter Gatherer Course will be your degree of physical fitness. We strongly encourage all of our students to arrive in good physical condition.
Engaging in a physical fitness and conditioning program prior to the course will ensure your success in adapting to the stresses your body will endure. Remember that you will be hiking through rugged canyons and mountains at elevations ranging from 3,000 to 11,000 feet above sea level, often while cold, hot, hungry, thirsty or just plain tired. Cycling, running, swimming, and other aerobic activities are good ways to prepare for this summer's course. Strength is not as important an asset as endurance and mental attitude. On many occasions, we have seen a person in good condition with a super attitude outperform an athlete with a rotten attitude.
Attitude, however, is not easily quantified, whereas physical endurance is. For this reason, we ask our students to participate in a test called the "Cooper 1.5 mile run" before they arrive at BOSS as well as during Orientation on all Field Courses, Navigator Courses and Hunter Gatherer Courses. Please use this information prior to your arrival to gauge your aerobic standing.
| The Cooper 1.5 Mile Test | ||||
|
Age
|
13
- 19
|
20
- 29
|
30
- 39
|
40
- 49
|
Men |
||||
|
Fair
|
10:49-12:10
|
12:01-14:00
|
12:31-14:45
|
13:01-15:35
|
|
Good
|
9:41-10:48
|
10:46-12:00
|
11:01-12:30
|
11:31-13:00
|
|
Excellent
|
8:37-9:40
|
9:45-10:45
|
10:00-11:00
|
10:30-11:30
|
|
Women |
||||
|
Fair
|
14:31-16:54
|
15:55-18:30
|
16:31-19:00
|
17:31-19:30
|
|
Good
|
12:30-14:30
|
13:31-15:54
|
14:31-16:30
|
15:56-17:30
|
|
Excellent
|
11:50-12:29
|
12:30-13:30
|
13:00-14:30
|
13:45-15:55
|
Altitude adjustment:
| Altitude adjustments for 5000' and higher: | ||
| 5000' - add 30 seconds | 9000' - add 75 seconds | |
| 6000' - add 40 seconds | 10000' - add 90 seconds | |
| 7000' - add 50 seconds | 11000' - add 105 seconds | |
| 8000' - add 60 seconds | 12000' - add 120 seconds | |
Please Note: This
test is for evaluation purposes only and is not designed to eliminate you
from the course. However, students who place poorly on this test have a tendency
to hold the group back and suffer physical stresses more than others. If you
are not in good aerobic shape and can't place in the "good" category above,
you should consider postponing your BOSS course until you have raised your
level of endurance. We suggest this for your safety and for the benefit of
the group as a whole.
Explorer Course students should also be in good shape, since most of the
Explorer Courses involve hiking. However, since there is no Impact phase
at the beginning of the course, the physical stress involved is a little
different.
Health & Fitness on Skills Courses
For those familiar with the health and fitness considerations of our Field Courses, you may wonder about our Skills Courses. Do you need to be in great shape for a 7-day Survival Skills course?
While our Skills Courses occur in base camps (which means that we won't be hiking nearly as much as Field Course students), you should be ready and willing for day hikes and overnight stays in other locations. This means that your personal belonging should be transportable and you should be willing to hike with your gear through rugged terrain. Some routes involve steep climbs/descents, water travel, and bushwhacking, but most are under 2 miles in length.
As long as you are comfortable with the possibility of backcountry travel, and are in good enough shape to handle moderate hiking, you should be fine on a Skills Course.
Please contact our office for any information about the above or for any concerns you may have regarding your health and fitness.
