Samir’s Extreme Fitness Training in Aspen

Samir Becic, HFR Founder and extreme challenge do-er (you can see his impressive list of completions here) is celebrating his twenty-year anniversary of coming to America by training in Aspen, at altitude.

Originally, he aimed to do 150 miles of hiking with an extra 50 lbs of weight (minimum), and attain a resting heart rate of 44 BPM or below over the course of 10 days. This was as part of his training regimen for his upcoming extreme fitness challenges.

The fitness challenges he has slated have never been done before, anywhere in the world. Keep reading to see how it turned out…

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To memorate my 20 years in the US, I drove 1079 miles straight in 19 hours to hike 150 miles over the next 10 days. #colorado #aspen

A post shared by Samir Becic (@samirbecic) on Jun 16, 2020 at 11:35am PDT

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Enjoying the 15 mile round trip journey to the top of Aspen mountain. After 2 miles, my 65lbs son Max said he was tired, so I had the privilege of carrying him for the rest of the hike. P.S. Yet another Dad perk! 🙂 #colorado #aspen

A post shared by Samir Becic (@samirbecic) on Jun 17, 2020 at 11:34am PDT

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At the Crater Lake in the Elk Mountains – #aspen with my son @aresmaxbecic enjoying the beautiful nature, of course after hours of hiking. 🙂 At altitudes above 10,000 feet, you need to increase your water intake to 4 liters daily. @cforcewater @kickstartkidsorg @chucknorris

A post shared by Samir Becic (@samirbecic) on Jun 18, 2020 at 12:08pm PDT

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7 miles form the Snowmass Village, another 7 to go. (Roundtrip 28 miles) Beautiful nature on this moderate trail. I’m burning approximately 600 calories per hour of hiking. Yesterday I was burning over 1000 calories per hour…taking it easy today. 🙂 #colorado #snowmassvillage

A post shared by Samir Becic (@samirbecic) on Jun 19, 2020 at 11:08am PDT

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For #fathersday I asked my family to go on a hike but forgot to mention that everyone needs to walk on their own…Happy Fathers Day to me 🙂

A post shared by Samir Becic (@samirbecic) on Jun 21, 2020 at 3:01pm PDT

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Thanks to the Nature and Discovery Trail in Snowmass Village I have officially hiked 80miles in 7 days…70 more to go. #snowmassvillage

A post shared by Samir Becic (@samirbecic) on Jun 24, 2020 at 4:41am PDT

At the end of the 10 days, he didn’t accomplish his original goal. The altitude was more difficult to acclimate to than he had anticipated- he completed 105 miles and a resting heart rate of 52 bpm.

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Today marks my 10th day of training in #aspen as preparation for the 3 extreme fitness challenges I have slated for 2020. The original goal of this trip was to complete 150 miles (241 km) of hiking (while carrying at least 50 lbs weight) and to bring my resting heart to under 44 beats per minute. I have failed at both, drastically! I’ve only accomplished 105 miles (169 km) and my resting heart rate is currently 52 bpm. I’m repeating this challenge again over the next 10 days in #colorado – I will hike an additional 150 miles (241 km) and get my resting heart rate down to 44 bpm. To summarize: 20 days, 255 miles (410 km) while carrying a minimum of 50 lbs additional weight, and a resting heart rate 44 bpm or below. DEFEAT IS NOT AN OPTION!

A post shared by Samir Becic (@samirbecic) on Jun 26, 2020 at 10:58am PDT

So he decided to attempt the challenge again- another 10 days, another 150 miles (wearing at least an extra 50 lbs), and a resting heart rate of 44 bpm or lower. This will bring his Colorado training total to 20 days: 155 miles (wearing and extra 50 lbs minimum) and a resting heart rate of 44.

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I’m prepping for my next fitness challenge in Aspen. The goal of this trip is to complete 255 miles (410 km) in 20 days while carrying a minimum of 50 lbs additional weight, and a resting heart rate 44 bpm or below. DEFEAT IS NOT AN OPTION!

A post shared by Samir Becic (@samirbecic) on Jun 27, 2020 at 2:09pm PDT

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“Anaerobic Nightmare” trail – Here I come!! #aspen #colorado

A post shared by Samir Becic (@samirbecic) on Jun 28, 2020 at 12:31pm PDT