A Simple Workout To Help Prevent Back Pain While Hiking

5/2/2019

Back Pain While Hiking is not fun at all. And it is one thing that can very easily extinguish even the most adventurous spirit.

If you suffer from this (and it is significantly limiting both confidence and enjoyment while hiking) here is a simple workout to help:

(Each of these exercises should be performed completely pain free. If you are unsure or uncomfortable with any of the exercises, it is highly recommended you speak to an exercise professional)

a 30 Minute Workout To Bulletproof your back while hiking and trekking

Warm Up

This warm up is designed to increase range of motion in key muscles, prepare your body for the upcoming exercises and get you ready for a good workout!

Upper back roll x 1 min
Glute roll x 1 min (each side)
Knee to wall x 15
Leg swing x 15
Seated glute stretch x15
Worlds greatest stretch x15

The Workout

This workout is designed to strengthen the posterior chain (glutes and hamstrings), increase range of motion in the upper back and hips as well as develop abdominal strength.

1a) Mini band walks x 20 (each way)
1b) Side plank x 20 sec (each way)

Repeat 2 times - no rest

2a) Single leg deadlift x 10 (4 seconds on way down)
2b) Deadbugs x 45 seconds)
2c) Static frog stretch x 1min

Repeat 3 times - rest period is the stretch

3a) Glute bridge x 15 (mini band around knees, squeeze glutes at top of each rep for 3 seconds)
3b) Tall Kneeling Pallof Press x 15 (each side)
3c) Archer Stretch x 10 (each side)

Repeat 3 times - rest period is the stretch

Complete this workout twice a week, for 4 weeks, and it will be a great first step towards a pain free back while hiking!

Tom

12/24/2019 08:35:13 am

Hi,
Thanks for setting up this site for hikers, trekkers and other non technical mountain vagabonds. I live in the U.S. so I cannot come to your gym. I am unfamiliar with some of these exercises such as the "World's Greatest Stretch, Deadbugs and Pallof Press. Is it possible to post what some of these exercises/stretches are? We may use different names for these in the U.S. Thank you so much. Hope to hear from you soon. Happy New Year. Tom

Rowan Smith

12/29/2019 07:34:23 pm

Hey Tom, so glad you have been enjoying the information!

I am slowly but surely filming all these exercises and will (eventually) get them all on the site for easy viewing. For now, the simplest bet is to just type them into YouTube, there are loads of videos there which will talk you through them in detail.

Tara

10/10/2020 10:57:04 am

Hi Rowan, I really love this work out! I especially like how you combine strength exercises with mobility stretches. I do have a question about how many sets to do of each exercise, though. For example, for the mini band walks and side planks, does repeat 2 times mean I'll be doing a total of 3 sets, or just 2? Hope this makes sense! Thanks for all your help!

Rowan Smith

10/12/2020 02:06:59 pm

Hey Tara, great you liked this!

So for the sets, the 'repeat 2 times' means repeat that combination of exercises two times in a row (i.e. two sets)

So for the mini band walk + side plank, you would go: mini band walks --> side plank --> mini band walks --> side plank and then move onto the next sequence of exercises.

Hope that makes sense!

Comments are closed.

About

Summit Strength is a personal training for hiking service created specifically to help hikers have the best chance of a safe, enjoyable and successful adventure.