When I start a hike, my hands and arms are free and easy. Towards the end I always find them clutching the straps of my backpack. Why?
Edit, for clarity: I always use a waist strap. I’m not talking about using my arms to lift weight off my shoulders. I seem to end up holding my shoulder straps, elbows pointed downwards, almost pulling the backpack downwards onto my shoulders and tighter against my back.
In: 310
Especially when going uphill, I find myself holding my straps as a subconscious way to improve breathing; it’s a variant of the “tripoding” position. Here’s a wikipedia excerpt, [] added by me:
“The tripod position or orthopneic position is a physical stance often assumed by people experiencing respiratory distress (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) or who are simply out of breath (such as a person who has just run a sprint [or fatigued from hiking a long time]. In tripod position, one sits or stands leaning forward and supporting the upper body with hands on the knees or on another surface [such as on your hips or holding on to your backpack straps].…..It has been thought that the tripod position optimizes the mechanics of respiration by taking advantage of the accessory muscles of the neck and upper chest to get more air into the lungs. With the position of the arms secure, contraction of the pectoralis results in elevation of the anterior wall of the chest.” (Wikipedia, “Tripod position”)
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