Hiking Strength Exercises (For Descents)

Steep descents can be one of the worst parts of hiking.

Uncontrollable jelly legs, painful knees and unsteady feet...

Sometimes, they absolutely suck!  

But the good news is that there are A LOT of things you can do in your training, which can make steep downhills on the trail more tolerable.

One of the cornerstones of improving downhill hiking is building strength in the legs.

And if you can build up your leg's capacity to support you on these sections, you will:

• Be less likely to fatigue early (and reduce the jelly legs)
• Have less chance of pain and discomfort
• Feel much more stable and confident!

So, with this in mind, today I want to share with you two great exercises a hiker can use to help improve their downhill hiking:

#1: Hack Squat

Squats are great at improving strength through the quadriceps (front of the thighs). And strong quads are essential for your performance on downhills! 

This version of the squat raises your heels slightly, which allows many hikers to go much deeper in this movement and also changes the angle slightly (making the quads work even more!). 

Concentrate on a slow lower each rep for about 3-4 seconds to get even more out of this movement.

#2 Slider Hamstring Curl

The slider hamstring curl is a fantastic exercise for building up strength in the hamstrings (and a bit of the glutes).

Specifically for downhill hiking, this exercise can really help build up the hamstrings' ability to support you as you take each step down (especially important if the trail is slightly slippery or slidey).

Now fair warning, this exercise can be tough!  But if you can manage it, it can be a great addition to your training.

*If you don't have any sliders, you can do this exercise with a towel on a hardwood floor or with a couple of magazines on a carpet floor. 

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As with any exercises, these will only do you so good in isolation...

But, if they are incorporated into a structured and progressive strength training program, they can be a great addition to help you on those steep descents!  

So if you find yourself struggling on steep descents on the trail, and are looking for some new exercises to try, give these a go!

And if you did need some personalised 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