Core training is an important aspect of fitness, but sadly it’s often overlooked by most exercisers. It’s estimated that 65-80% percent of adults have experienced low back pain in their life (1), and core training has shown to be effective at reducing and preventing low back pain (2).

Now imagine how important core training is for a hiker who’s carrying a 30 to 50 pound pack on a multi-day backpacking trip on uneven terrain; all while having to sleep in a tent every night. Saying core training is important for hikers would be an understatement.

Carrying a heavy pack for multiple days can take a tole on your lower back, and having a strong core is an easy way to prevent an injury.

Types of Core Exercises

Most approaches to core training involve doing hundreds of crunches and Russian twists for the main purpose of having shredded washboard abs, but it’s an inefficient method of training your core. The primary job of your core is to maintain neutral alignment of the spine, so this means you should be doing exercises that require little to no movement of the spine (isometric exercises).

There are three types of core isometric exercises:

1. Anti-Extension- Exercises that resist extension of the spine (ex. planks)

2. Anti-Rotation- Exercises that resist rotational forces (ex. lateral cable press)

3. Anti-Lateral Extension- Exercises that resist lateral flexion of the spine (ex. side planks)

Core exercises I give my clients are based on these three exercise types because they have a realistic application for hiking and lifting. Nothing against crunches and Russian twists, but they’re not gonna prevent low back injuries, and they’re definitely not going to benefit you when you’re carrying a heavy (and probably uneven) pack up a steep rocky slope.

Note: I want to state that none of this should be taken as medical advice or treatment. This is simply workout advice for my fellow hikers. If you’re suffering from a lower back injury then I recommend seeing a doctor.

Deadbugs

Deadbugs are a great and often overlooked core exercise. The deadbug is a great beginner core exercise that focuses on anti-extension of the spine.

When performing a deadbug you want to take the movement slow and focus on holding the extended position for a few seconds and making sure your lower back doesn’t arch off the ground.

There are plenty of progressions and regressions for the deadbugs so you have options if the exercise is too hard or too easy.

Side Plank Raises

A side plank raise is a anti-lateral flexion exercise that involves short bursts of holding a side plank position. It’s a nice intro to side planks if you’re a beginner, and not as boring as normal side planks.

You can start the exercise off by doing a modified version on your knees if the full version is too hard, and you can always hold the plank position for longer intervals once it gets easier.

Lateral Cable Press

The lateral cable press is the only anti-rotation core exercise. Thankfully there are a lot of variations for the lateral cable press so you have options in case it gets easy or stale.

Make sure you start off with your feet at shoulder width and make sure to pause on the extended position of the movement. This is where the most resistance will be placed on your core so if you want to make it challenging, hold this position for longer periods of time.

Hip Thrust

The hip thrust may seem like an odd addition to this list because it doesn’t directly activate the muscles in your trunk (abs and low back), but the glutes play an important role in lumbar stability (3).

Foot placement is important during the hip thrust so you feel it in your glutes instead of your hamstrings or low back. A general rule of thumb is that your shins should be perpendicular to the floor when at the top of the movement, and you should be pushing through your heels.

Weighted Carries

I’m kind of cheating with this exercise because there are multiple weighted carry exercises, but they’re all vital core exercises that hikers can benefit from because they involve walking with heavy, sometimes uneven, weights so they have better application for hiking.

The carry exercise I like to use with clients is the suitcase carry. It forces you to maintain a neutral spine while walking and holding a heavy weight on one side of the body. most of the time hikers are carrying heavy packs and walking on uneven trails so it’s important to maintain a neutral spine.

Final Thoughts

Low back pain is very common and can quickly ruin your hiking dreams, so strengthening your core should be one of your top priorities. It will make hiking, lifting, and living a whole lot easier. Just make sure to skip the crunches and Russian twists and choose exercises that will benefit you when you’re hiking.

1. Urits, Ivan et al. “Low Back Pain, a Comprehensive Review: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment.” Current pain and headache reports vol. 23,3 23. 11 Mar. 2019

2. Kumar, Tarun et al. “Efficacy of core muscle strengthening exercise in chronic low back pain patients.” Journal of back and musculoskeletal rehabilitation vol. 28,4 (2015)

3. Jeong, Ui-Cheol et al. “The effects of gluteus muscle strengthening exercise and lumbar stabilization exercise on lumbar muscle strength and balance in chronic low back pain patients.” Journal of physical therapy science vol. 27,12 (2015)

About Author

Zach Helzer

Zach Helzer is a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach who founded Trailhead Fitness to help hikers, backpackers, and mountaineers get strong, confident, and pain free so they can crush their next outdoor adventure.