Blog Archives

Core Training For Hikers

7/31/2024

Most hikers are aware (in general) that core strength is important.

I am sure there is not a single hiker out there who hasn't been told at some point to 'strengthen their core'.

But most hikers out there are unsure WHY this can be so beneficial.

beyond that, many hikers' approach to this type of training isn't the most effective...

So to help with that, this video goes into core training for hikers in a bit of detail:

A Simple Hiking Workout

7/30/2024

Today, I want to share with you a simple workout you can use to 'spice up' your walking and hiking.

It is called 'Fartlek Training'.

Fartlek, which means 'speed play' in Swedish, is a common training method for runners that can be just as useful for hikers. It involes varying your pace throughout your exercise, giving you exposure to brief periods of higher intensity/quicker pace.

For a hiker, this could be as simple as occasionally choosing a landmark in the distance (e.g. a tree) and pushing your pace a bit quicker until you reach it. Once you reach it, you drop your pace to normal until you recover and repeat the same thing.

The beauty of this workout is that it doesn't require much thinking or worrying about using a stopwatch or timer (which many people find annoying when hiking), and it can be a valuable method to give your walking or hiking workouts a little extra challenge.

A couple of important notes on this workout:

When increasing your speed, you don't have to turn it into a full-blown 'power walk' (if you don't want to). As long as you increase the speed above your normal/comfortable pace, that will work well enough.
If doing this on a hike, you don't have to do it on the entire hike (as this can sometimes suck out some of the 'fun' of a day on the trail). Instead, choose the number of repeats you want to do (e.g. 10). Get those repeats done at some stage in the hike. Then, finish the rest of the hike at your normal pace.

When it comes to workouts, it doesn't get much more straightforward than this. But it can be very effective!

So, if you are looking for a new way to challenge your walking or hiking sessions, I definitely encourage you to give this a go!

And if you need some extra help with your training for hiking, you can check out the Online Summit Program here:

https://www.summitstrength.com.au/online.html

Yours in trekking,

Rowan

Are You Improving?

7/29/2024

In this podcast I talk through some important measures to keep in mind to understand if your hiking is improving (or not).

The Power Of Training For Hiking

7/26/2024

I LOVE to talk about how powerful structured training for hiking can be.

However, sometimes I wonder if people get a bit sick of my voice (or words) repeating the same old things...

So today, I want to share someone else's perspective.

And below, you can find some kind words from Summit Strength graduate Michelle about just how effective a personalised and structured training program can be:

Improving Rock Scrambling For Hikers

7/23/2024

Rock scrambling is a major challenge for many hikers.

Jelly legs, instability, anxiety and exhaustion. All those (and more) can turn rock scrambling into an absolute nightmare on the trail.

But the good news is, with the right training and preparation, a hiker can significantly improve this type of hiking and feel much more comfortable and confident :)

So today, I share with you a video that dives into this subject in detail.

It will cover:

The 'big rocks' of training will make a major difference to rock scrambling for hikers
A few great exercises a hiker can incorporate into their week to help with rougher scrambling sections
How 'exposure training' can improve your confidence and abilities with rock scrambling

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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.