A Great Interval Training Workout For Hikers

This article and video explore one of the best methods of interval training for hikers. The workout shared is fantastic for any hiker who always gets huffed and puffed on hills, who struggles to keep up with a group or who has a higher altitude hike in their sights.

Why Use Interval Training
FOR HIKING?

While most of our hiking is done at relatively low intensities, there are certain sections of the trail in which our body is working at a higher intensity (i.e. going up hills/stairs).

Because of this, it is vital to expose the body to some higher intensity work in your training, so you can be prepared to overcome (and stay comfortable!) these more demanding sections on the trail.

And interval training is the easiest method to do this.

Principles Of An Effective
Interval Session For Hiking

While interval training and HIIT (high-intensity interval training) are pretty familiar to those who enjoy their training, unfortunately, the application of this method of training in the fitness world often leaves a lot to be desired...

To guarantee you are getting the most out of your interval training, you should ensure you are following these principles:

It Has A Purpose

HIIT has become a buzzword in the fitness industry. It is typically used to describe any type of exercise where you work at higher intensities, interspersed with periods of rest. And the whole purpose of the workout creation is to simply get tired.

This approach can work perfectly fine for an everyday gym-goer who is just looking to stay fit and burn some calories...

But if you are trying to improve something beyond general fitness or calorie burning (i.e. improve your hiking!), you need to put some more thought behind this. Because getting tired does not automatically mean you are getting fitter!

The primary determinant of an interval training session's purpose is its work to rest period (i.e. how long you work hard for vs how long you rest in between).

So if you are trying to improve your hiking fitness, you should be using work to rest periods targeted towards specific fitness elements that will help you on the trail.

Yes, the everyday hiker (and even many trainers!) probably won't understand how to do this. And that is why this article was created.


It Has A Low Risk Of Injury


Your training should not be putting you at unnecessary risk of pain, discomfort and injury. Fullstop.

Unfortunately, many common recommendations for higher intensity interval training seems to disregard this vital point completely. 

Here are a few modes of training which you should typically not combine with interval training (but are commonly recommended in the fitness industry):

• Squat jumps, lunge jumps and burpees (yes, these can get you huffed and puffed, but doing these for high repetitions are not a smart idea)

 

• All out sprinting/running (in a perfect world, this would be great. And if you can confidently do this, then all power to you. But this is not realistic for many people)

 

• Strength training/Olympic lifting (as you get tired, people typically get lazy with form. Because of this, doing strength or power exercises for interval training not a good idea)

You Can Progress It Over Time

One of the most significant drawbacks of the typical interval training session you see in the fitness industry is there is no clear cut way to improve over time.

Because if the only measure of your workout is how hard you are working and simply trying to get absolutely exhausted each session (which is often how interval training is coached in the fitness industry), how can you improve on that?

Sure, you can push yourself harder each week, but this will only work up to a point. And, eventually, something will give. And either you will lose motivation, get hurt or will simply just stop improving. 

To get the most out of your interval training (and any other type of training, for that matter), you need some clear and identifiable ways to measure your progress.

This might be interval length, this might be resistance, this may be cardio metrics (e.g. speed, power produced, RPM etc.) or anything else. But something which is objective and easy to measure.

This way, you can ensure you are improving over time, or, if you are not, you can clearly identify this and make adjustments. 

Understanding The Workout

This particular workout is what is known as 'aerobic power intervals'.

Your aerobic energy system is the system in your body that produces energy in the presence of oxygen.

This is predominantly used in lower to moderate-intensity activities and is what you use 95% of the time while hiking.

Developing this energy system is the single most crucial element of training for hikers.

(Alternatively, your 'anaerobic' energy systems produce energy without oxygen. These systems are used when energy demands are high (i.e. intensity is higher) and the body cannot keep up with the oxygen demand).

The following workout is targeted to help train the highest intensity the body can sustain while predominantly using the aerobic energy system.

Developing this can be incredibly beneficial in a few situations on the trail:

1. If you always get huffed and puffed or out of breath when going up hills
   
2. If you are training for a high altitude hike
   
3. If you are a slower hiker and often hike with those who have a naturally quicker pace, then you
   
4. If you want to feel more comfortable cardiovascularly on tougher sections on the trail
   
   

The Workout

This workout can be done on the stationary cycle, the elliptical, the rower or running or swimming (if you are experienced and confident in these activities).

A thorough warm-up should precede this.

• You will work at a quick intensity for 3 minutes.
• You will then rest for 1.5 minutes.
• You will repeat this 5-10 times (depending on fitness/time availability)
  
  

Tips For Success

To get the most out of this workout, make sure you follow these tips:

During The Workout

• You should finish each interval feeling quite huffed and puffed (but you don't have to be lying on the floor absolutely dead!)
  
  
• If using a piece of cardio equipment, try to find a resistance where the limiting factor is your breathing (and not your muscles burning out prematurely)
  
  
• During the rest periods, you can either have a complete rest or continue to move very slowly. Aim to slow your breathing down as much as you can during this period.
  *This is a great time to practice abdominal breathing.
  
  
• If you struggle for motivation for this workout, using music can be a fantastic boost

Progressing Over Time

As with any workout, progression is key for long term improvement. 

Each time you repeat this workout, try to add some extra challenge.

This can be done by either:

• Adding an extra repetition of intervals
• Increasing the speed (RPM) of the intervals
• Adding a small amount of extra resistance

Complete this for 4-6 weeks before switching to another workout

For best results, this workout should be combined with long duration, low-intensity cardio activity throughout the week (such as walking, hiking, cycling, swimming etc.). 

Using this workout, a hiker make a genuine difference to their performance and comfort during tougher sections of the trail. Add this workout into your training week, work hard and progress it over time and you will notice a significant difference to your breathing and comfort while on your adventures! 

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