Cardio For Hikers

Hiking is an endurance sport. It typically requires us to move for multiple hours at a time at a relatively low intensity.

Because of this, cardiovascular training (e.g. getting the body, heart and lungs working for extended periods) is the most important aspect of training for hikers.

Because we want the body to create certain adaptations that will allow us to do our hiking more comfortably and effectively.

There are a million and one ways to train your cardio (e.g. hiking, pack walking, stair/hill climbing, cycling, swimming, etc.) - and many nuances go into creating an effective cardio training program for hikers.

But there is a recent trend I am seeing online when it comes to cardio training for hiking...

More and more often, I see coaches and influencers talking about certain methods of training, which they say "are better than cardio'"or that they 'replaced their cardio with this thing", or whatever.

I understand why they do this.

Because standard cardio training isn't very exciting, and many people don't particularly enjoy it.

So, to promote the idea that someone can replace these 'boring' sessions with something new and different can get people excited!

But the problem here is that it can be really misleading.

So today, I want to dive into this a bit, and talk through a few things which are definitely NOT replacements for cardio:

Strength Training

I love strength training for hikers, and I think every hiker should be doing this in their week.

But this type of training is not cardio.

Even though your heart rate can get really high when you are doing this, you can get very out of breath, and it can feel very hard - it is a different stimulus to the body than what sustained cardiovascular exercise is (and will create very different adaptions in the body). 

If you are doing strength training, great! But don't think it can replace your cardio.

Breathing Training 

There are hundreds of different methods of breathing training out there. Some of them can be great. Some of them are not so great.

But one thing to be clear is that no breathing training you are doing is going to replace your cardio.

Yes, you will be challenging your breathing muscles and function. And some breathing training techniques can create adaptations that will benefit your hiking/cardiovascular activities.

But it is not a replacement.

Breathing training is an 'accessory' method of training. Use it to complement your regular training. But not to replace it.

Sauna Work

There are quite a few coaches out there who promote sauna work and heat exposure as part of an endurance training program.

This is all well and good and might have some benefits, but it will never replace cardio.

Altitude Tents

Simulated altitude tents are getting more and more accessible. And many hikers and mountaineers who have a high-altitude trip coming up are using these trends in their final weeks/months before a big trip to help give them an advantage.

(There is still much debate about the effectiveness of this approach, but there are definitely more and more people using them).

And while this exposure to simulated altitude can (again) create adaptations that can be beneficial for your hiking, it is not a replacement for cardio.

So please don't fall into this trap!

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All of the things mentioned above can have their place in hikers training (in certain situations).

But if you try to replace your cardio with them, the effectiveness of your training program and, ultimately, your performance and comfort on the trail will suffer.

So please always make sure you are doing some dedicated cardio during your training.

Fit in some pack walking, or some stair climbing, or some cycling, or whatever you need. It might not always be exciting, but it is necessary!

If you need help with this and want some direction on how to put together a well-rounded training program for hiking, then you can check out the Online Summit Program here:

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

Yours in trekking,

Rowan