Snowshoeing puts the body under tremendous stress and I strongly advised against more workouts on the shoes than are presented here. The elite runner may be running about 20 miles a week on snowshoes, and that's quite a bit, since the snowshoe workout can be compared with a speed workout. During the rest of the year, this runner may only average 5 to 10 percent of the total weekly mileage in speed work. For this or any runner, more, longer workouts on snowshoes are counter-productive, producing stress and increasing the likelihood of injury. Before starting on snowshoes, however, even a well-conditioned runner needs to take precautions.
Most runners have adequate lower body strength, but weak upper bodies.
In order to snowshoe successfully, and enjoy the sport, the upper body's condition should closely match that of the lower body. I recommend some type of circuit training for two or three weeks prior to getting on snowshoes. The circuit can be used in addition to your normal stretching and calisthenics. The following circuit exercises may be performed on standard weight equipment or a nautilus-type apparatus. Weights should be adjusted to the individual.