Training for hiking may seem like overkill, but hiking isn’t always a nice leisurely stroll through the woods. Hiking up mountains and through canyons involves a lot of miles, and a lot of elevation change; all while dealing with extreme weather changes and uneven terrain. Hiking can be strenuous and can place a lot of stress on your body, and you don’t want to be scraping by when you should be enjoying the wonderful scenery.

The issue is that there isn’t much in terms of fitness training for hikers, and what does exist is usually basic exercise programming that focuses too much on general fitness instead of specialized training that will benefit hikers when they’re on the trail.

So let’s go over my approach getting people in shape to conquer their hiking adventures.

What Should Hikers Focus On?

No matter your fitness level, or what hike your preparing for, there are four areas of training that every hiker should focus on:

1. Cardiovascular Endurance

2. Muscular Strength

3. Mobility

4. Experience

Cardiovascular Endurance

Having a stronger cardiovascular system will allow you to hike longer distances and climb steeper inclines for longer periods of time without needing a break. It also helps with acclimatizing to high altitude, decreasing the risk of altitude sickness.

I choose cardio exercises that are closely related to hiking, such as stair climbing and walking on an incline treadmill. I leave running off this list because it isn’t 100 percent necessary when training for hiking. Yes, it’s the most efficient method of increasing cardiovascular endurance, but it’s not worth the stress placed on your ankles, knees, and hips. If you prefer running, then go right ahead, but there are other ways to increase your cardiovascular endurance that are safer on the joints.

If you want to know more about cardio training for hikers, CLICK HERE.

Muscular Strength

The primary training principle I follow when designing resistance training programs for hikers is the SAID principle. The SAID principle stands for, “specific adaptations to imposed demands”, which means your body will only adapt to the stress you place on it. So you’ll want to be specific with the exercises you choose for your workout program, and avoid exercises that won’t benefit you on the trail.

In terms of hiking, having stronger legs and a stronger core will benefit you the most while hiking.

Strengthening your core will prevent lower back issues from carrying a heavy pack for multiple miles on uneven trails. Your core is responsible for keeping your spine in proper alignment, so I choose exercises that focus on maintaining posture while resisting external forces (i.e. isometric exercises).

If you want to know more about core training for hikers, CLICK HERE.

Having stronger legs will make steep hills and knee high steps a lot easier, along with decreasing your risk of injury. Single leg exercises will benefit hikers the most because they help improve balance, knee stability, and ankle stability, but it’s important to include exercises where you’re using both legs, such as squats, so you can focus on increasing strength.

If you want to know more about lower body training for hikers, CLICK HERE.

Mobility

Mobility training is underrated and overlooked in hiking training, and fitness training in general. Mobility training is important because it improves range of motion and flexibility, which is beneficial for hikers because they often encounter uneven terrain, steep inclines, and obstacles that require them to move a lot different than normal. Having improved range of motion can make these obstacles a lot easier to navigate and place less stress on the body; reducing the risk of injury.

It’s best to include a few stretches and mobility exercises at the beginning or end of your workout, and make sure to focus primarily on your ankles, knees, and hips.

Experience

This should be a no brainer, but if you want to get in shape for hiking, then you should go hiking more often. Hiking is a great way to be active, improve cardiovascular endurance, and to gain experience on the trail. Start off with easier trails and slowly progress to strenuous trails when you get in better shape.

You can also use hiking as a way to measure progress. Near the beginning of your training program, complete a moderately difficult hike, and record these three measurements:

1. Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE)- on a scale of 1-10 how difficult was the hike.

2. Rest Stops- How many times did you stop to take a breather.

3. Time- Time how long it took you to complete the hike.

Return to this hike multiple times throughout your training program and see if you’ve made improvements in these three measurements.

Final Thoughts

Everyone has different levels of fitness and different goals when it comes to hiking, but all hikers should focus on improving these four areas of training:

1. Cardiovascular endurance

2. Muscular strength

3. Mobility

4. Experience

While training for hiking requires you to be well rounded, you will need to be specific when selecting exercises for cardio and resistance training. Exercises that improve single leg strength, balance, and joint stability for your lower body should be prioritized versus popular exercises, such as the bench press.

Hiking isn’t just taking a stroll through the woods, and you’ll need to be physically prepared if you want to enjoy it!

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.