Sharing some ideas and inspiration was the whole idea behind writing articles, so I’m glad to hear you got some benefit from this. And yes, increasing the weight slowly makes a lot of sense. No rush. Very good point about the benefits to bone density as well. That’s one reason I plan to squat for life also. Weight bearing exercise isn’t just for muscles. And I too get funny looks on the trail! Thanks for your comment and contribution!

I have no doubt that two 25 km hikes per week with a 39 lbs. total load is making you stronger. That’s a lot of work! And it’s no surprise that you notice it the most in your legs since they’re the primary muscles moving you along your hike. The upper body muscles are just stabilizing the vest/pack for the most part as opposed to contracting over and over. To really build those muscles you may want to consider doing some upper body work in the weight room. Shoulder press, bench press (or pushups), pullups (weighted if possible), barbell/dumbbell rows, etc., are some staples for building the upper body. Focus on these, but you can do some curls and such as well if you want. And squats and deadlifts make the whole body bigger. These are the bread and butter to gaining overall size and strength. Keep it simple! For core, I like hanging leg raises, toes to bar or elbows, ab rollers, side bends with a dumbbell, etc. Those will give you more direct results in your core. Keep it to these basics and you’ll see results. I might publish some barbell-based programming in the near future that pulls from all of the things I’ve tried over the years. Let me know if that would be helpful. I also recommend the book Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe to anybody who wants good lifting technique and programs for getting big and strong. And I have no insight into your diet, but it’s a huge part of the results you’ll see so don’t forget about that. Hiking with a weight vest isn’t truly a “bodybuilding” exercise – what it’s doing is increasing your general physical preparedness and conditioning. It’s not going to make you look a lot bigger, but it’s still making the whole body system stronger. Including your tendons and ligaments. As far as the pain in the Trapezius, I would never recommend anybody endure pain if it’s causing any sort of injury. But in this case it might be possible that it’s just the muscles working in new ways they aren’t used to, which might be making them stronger and more resilient even if you can’t see it. You’ll have to use your best judgement if it’s worth the pain or if it’s causing more problems than it’s worth. But I’d guess anybody would get sore from the long hikes you’re doing. I would hope that in time it would diminish as you get used to wearing the vest though. Also keep in mind that you’ve only been doing this for two months. It takes time for the body to change and adapt. Nobody sees huge improvements overnight, so stick with it and you’ll continue to get in better shape. Little changes add up over time!

I do long hike 6 hours around 25 km. Lots up and down. I feel stronger, my legs get a bit more muscular, definitely stronger glúteos and hamstring. I did a mountain short time ago and I feel the difference going up. But I can not see any benefit or change in my core, no more abs, chest, my Trapezius always hurt, but the pain is not like I getting stronger, just bad pain.

Or I am having the benefits and I can not see it?

That’s a solid hike in a 50 lb. vest. And 54 minutes for that distance and elevation gain uphill would be pretty good even without the extra weight, which adds a huge load. I agree that it really gets the posterior chain muscles going uphill. Pretty crazy how it hits the traps too. And don’t underestimate the way the stabilizer muscles and feet get worked out going downhill, even if it doesn’t feel as hard. I worked up to the full 50 lbs. in my vest and was really feeling strong walking around town after that. Way to get after it Drew! If you do any more experiments or different hikes with the vest, would love to hear about it.