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It’s crucial to train your mind and body before engaging in challenging hikes, especially long distances or to higher altitudes. Without preparation, there's a greater chance of injury and loss of energy before you’ve reached your goal, making your experience less than optimal.
Training beforehand improves your fitness and builds your confidence ascend steep hills. Key exercises for hiking focus on cardio to improve endurance, strength training for stronger core and legs, and balance to stay on track.
When possible, start training at least two months before a long-distance hike. When you've been training for a month, incorporate shorter, more frequent training hikes to get prepared. When a training hike feels good and not exhausting, you're good to go.
Here's a list of 7 essential exercises for better hiking stamina and increased strength.
Before getting started with any workout, always warm up your body for 10-15 minutes to avoid risk of injury. Here are some quick warm-up ideas for your new training routine:
Despite the funny name, burpees are a fantastic full-body workout that builds muscle strength and endurance. Burpees work your abs, arms, chest, shoulders, legs, hips, and glutes. This is an easy workout to do at home and only requires your own body weight. Burpees are great for cardio training and building leg strength.
A burpee can be described simply as a push-up followed by a jump squat.
*Safety tips:
Begin slowly! Gradually increase your speed once your body is acclimated to the motion. When entering into a squat position, keep your feet pointed straight and not to the sides.
Planks are a great resistance training exercise for building core strength and balance. This is essential for when you're hiking on rough terrain while carrying a pack. You don’t need any equipment for a plank, but it can be tricky to find the correct form when beginning. Make sure you keep your back straight, your glutes and abdomen engaged and your breathing at a steady pace.
Try different plank variations as you progress:
(This variation is slightly easier than the standard plank, great for beginners)
(This variation builds the side muscles of your core; the obliques)
*Safety tips:
Planks put pressure on your wrists, so warm up your wrists before this exercise to avoid injury. Keep your abdomen and glutes engaged, as if you were flexing your muscles. Keep your back and butt straight. Focus on quality over quantity.
Lunges are an easy, at-home workout that builds strong quadriceps for daunting downhill hikes. Perform this exercise by either walking forward on a flat area or moving gradually downhill. If you are preparing for a long-distance hike, it's recommended to practice downhill lunges, though any form of this exercise will help build strong leg muscles.
If you find that lunges are too easy, add weight to your routine.
*Safety tips:
Be sure that your front knee is aligned with your ankle rather than beyond your toes. Try not to touch the ground with your back knee. Keep your feet straight at all times to avoid twisting an ankle. Begin slowly and stop if you feel any discomfort.
Leopard crawls are great for building strong shoulders and stabilizing your core. This promotes a sturdy sense of balance while on uneven terrain. This exercise is easy and fun to do anywhere; all you need is your body and some space to get started.
*Safety tips:
Always keep your core engaged. Keep your head up while looking forward. If this form of crawling is too strenuous then move on your hands and knees.
Crab walks are an intense upper body and core workout that improves your focus, coordination, and balance. The position may seem awkward at first, but with practice, you’ll be crawling like a crab in no time.
*Safety tips:
Keep your palms on the floor and arms straight with your wrists aligned to your shoulders. Your fingers should be facing your feet. Move slowly at first until you find the speed that fits for you. Always keep your abdomen and glutes engaged by squeezing them tight.
Climbing stairs is a great way to build leg strength for tough uphill trail hikes. For this exercise, you need a set of stairs, the steeper the better. You can also incorporate other exercises into the stairs - like stair crawls, stair push-ups, or stair hops.
*Safety tips:
Don’t run up the stairs, think more of a fast walk. Keep your back straight and core engaged.
Calf raises are an excellent way to improve ankle stability and balance. It doesn’t get much easier than this exercise to build strong calf muscles at home. Your calves will be doing a lot of the work on your hike, so it’s a good idea to train these muscles thoroughly before your journey.
*Safety tips:
This is not meant to be a cardio workout, so keep a slow and steady pace. Stand tall and straight with your abdomen engaged.
After training for hiking, as well as after any good workout routine, it’s important to stretch your body to loosen muscles and help prevent any injuries.
Here are a few common stretches to practice:
*Safety tips:
If you feel any pain at all, you’ve gone too far. Reduce your range of motion until you feel a light stretch. Do not hold your breath. Long, slow and deep breaths will help you deepen your stretch and relax.
When you're learning how to train for hiking, don't forget to plan the proper workout attire. Look for clothing that moves and stretches with you while regulating your temperature. Look for lightweight, wicking, and quick-dry materials.
Check out the KÜHL FREEFLEX™ series. With styles for men and women, it's made for working up a sweat in the home gym, yoga studio, or the great outdoors. In this lightweight, wicking, and quick-drying series, you can go straight from your workout to the hiking trail.
The new KÜHL SPEKTER™ series also offers temperature-regulating performance, unrestricted mobility, and comfort, allowing you to get the most out of any activity. KÜHL's premium micro-fleece fabric is engineered to be lighter and softer than traditional cotton, making it perfect for an active lifestyle.
Also, check out our complete Hiking Checklist: What to Bring on A Hike.
Check out our popular athletic styles: