A Great Strength Workout For Hikers

In this article and video, I explore an incredibly effective strength workout, which a hiker can use to increase performance and comfort on the trail, and reduce their likelihood of pain or discomfort.

Why Should Hikers Use
Strength Training?

Strength training is one of the single most beneficial methods of training a hiker can use.

 It is absolutely amazing for:

• Improving movement efficiency on the trail (i.e. every step uses less energy)
• Reducing the likelihood of aches, pains and injury (on the trail and during your training)
• Making elevation gain and loss much more comfortable
• Increasing your confidence on the trail!  

And it is my firm belief that every single hiker should be doing some strength training in their week, in one shape or another.

However, while many hikers may understand that strength training can be beneficial, unfortunately, the application of this training in the hiking community often leaves a lot to be desired.

And many hikers out there spend a lot of time and effort on this training, with some lacklustre results. 

This article intends to share a simple (but incredibly effective) strength workout that a hiker can use to prepare them for the trail.

On top of this, you can use this same structure in the future to create your own strength workout for hiking. 

Principles Of An Effective Strength Workout For Hikers

Before we get into the workout, we need to explore what actually makes a good strength workout. So you can understand what makes the following workout so different.

An effective strength workout follows a few principles:


1) It trains the body in balance


The body is a complex mechanism. And it rarely ever uses one muscle in isolation. Because of this, it is important that you train the body in balance and ensure you are hitting all the appropriate muscle groups instead of simply targeting one or two areas.

Traditionally most hikers like to work one muscle group, the quadriceps. This is seen in their love of squats, lunges and step-ups. And while these exercises can be very beneficial for any hiker, focusing on this area leaves many blind spots in their preparation. 


2) It allows for enough rest between sets  


For the best strength development, it is essential to let the working muscles rest at least 2 minutes (preferably 3) between 

If you do not allow this rest, you will likely be compromising your strength development over time.

Many hikers will tend to ignore this and rest for somewhere between 40-90 seconds. While this can work in the short term, it is not an incredibly effective strategy over time. 


3) It is time-efficient 

With busy jobs, families, social lives, and many other things, not many of us have hours and hours to spend training each week.

On top of this, many hikers simply do not enjoy strength training, and the thought of long workouts make them shudder!

To this end, it is vital that for the time we do have available to train, we make the most of it!  

But, unfortunately, the traditional approach to strength training (e.g. do a set of an exercise, have a rest, do it again, rest, do it again, and then move onto the next exercise and repeat) is not the best use of your time...

And if you want to fit in all you want into a workout, you either have to commit to extremely long workouts or compromise on rest time (which, as we mentioned above, is a mistake). 


4) It is relevant for the desired outcome

A hiker isn't using strength training to simply get strong. A hiker isn't using strength training to get massive muscles. And a hiker isn't using strength training to improve their cycling, their swimming or their running. 

A hiker is using strength training to improve their performance, comfort and confidence on the trail. This is important to remember. 

Because of this, the type of training a hiker will get the best benefits of may look quite a bit different then what they might typically see in a gym environment (e.g. traditional 'body builder' workouts or high-intensity circuit classes).

And this is why creating your own targeted training or following a specific program for hiking is so valuable for hikers. 

Understanding The Workout

This strength workout is structured in something called a 'sequence'.


The intention of the sequence is to structure out the exercises in an order which will ensure you are getting a range of different exercises, fitting in the rest you need while, at the same time, staying incredibly time efficient! 


For this workout, it is broken down into:  


 A1) Lower body exercise
 A2) Upper body exercise
 A3) Core exercise
 A4) Mobility exercise


The way this works is by the time you get around to repeating the lower body exercise, your legs will have had (at least) 3 minutes of rest.   


And even better, instead of just waiting around for that time and playing on your phone (as is common in the fitness world!) you have filled up that 'rest time' some productive work for the upper body, core and your mobility.


So by following this structure, you can ensure you are getting the 'optimal' rest for your muscles while at the same time fitting in a considerable amount of productive work!


The beauty of this structure is you can use it to create your own strength workouts for hiking. By substituting any of your favourite exercises into the above template, you can be sure you are creating an effective and time-efficient workout to help your hiking. 


*You may notice that this workout does not contain any cardio exercises or exercises which are designed to significantly increase the heart rate and get you 'huffed and puffed'. This is because combining your cardio and strength training together is not a very good idea, and it can significantly impact your strength development.

To get the best results, try to separate strength and cardio into separate workouts (at at the very least, at different times in your workouts).

The Workout

 A thorough warm-up should precede this workout.

 A1: Step Down x 10 (each leg)
 A2: Dumbbell 3-Point Row x 15 (each arm)
 A3: Deadbugs x 45 seconds
 A4: Calf stretch x 30 seconds (each leg)

*Repeat this sequence 3-4 times with no rest between exercises or sets.

Tips For Success

During the workout

• If you struggle for balance on the step-down exercise, use one or two trekking poles
  
  
• If the step-down exercise is too easy/too difficult, try increasing or lowering the step height (or adding weight)
  
  
• Keep the repetitions on all exercises slow and controlled
  
  
• During the dead bug exercise, keep your lower back pushed into the floor (and don't let it arch up!)
  
  
• If you are want to substitute the calf stretch for something else, make sure you choose a muscle group that is not actively working in the strength exercises (e.g. not the quads)
  
  
• Try to complete this workout without too much rest between exercises. If you find yourself significantly huffing and puffing through this, it may be a sign you need to work on your aerobic fitness. 

Progressing Over Time

As with any type of strength training, the body adapts to a workout relatively quickly. To ensure it keeps moving forward (and your strength and stability continues to improve), you need to be regularly giving it new stimulus.

To this effect, a few crucial points:

• Each week, try to improve on each of the strength exercises (you can do this by adding some weight, increasing range of motion or adding an extra repetition or two)  
  
  
• Every 4-6 weeks, progress the exercises to a more challenging exercise (for a simple progression plan, you can find ideas for the step-down and the dead bug exercises here)  
  
  
• To get the best results, this workout should be paired with another similar workout that works the opposing muscles (e.g. back of the legs and front of the upper body).
  
  

Using this workout, a hiker can ensure they are doing the right things to get strong, stable and resilient for the trail. Apply this into your training, stay consistent with it and progress over time, and there is no doubt that you will notice a genuine difference on the trail!

Want some more help to get
strong and pain-free
for your hiking?

Check out the
Online Summit Program