Home Strength Workout For Hikers

Inside this article I share a simple (but very effective) home workout a hiker can use to improve their strength and endurance for the trail. 

Backpack Workout For Hikers 

Today, I want to share with you a simple strength workout a hiker can use when training at home.

While quite short (it should only take about 20-30 minutes) it can be very effective to improve:

• Strength and endurance through the quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves and shoulders
• Stability and support in the feet, ankles, knees and hips 
• Mobility and range of motion through the hips

So it covers a lot of bases!

This workout can be completed with a backpack or with dumbbells (whatever you prefer).

This is how you do it:

The Workout

​Warm up for 5 minutes (anything to get the blood moving and get the joints feeling loose).

1a) Front Foot Elevated Zercher Split Squat x8-10 (each leg) *
1b) High Pull x15 
1c) Isometric Calf Raise* x as long as you can (each leg) 
1d) Frog Stretch x 60 seconds 

*If this is too hard, just do this with body weight and/or from the floor

*Repeat the sequence 3-4 times, with no rest in between exercises or sets. 

2) Chinese Plank (as long as you can).

Repeat twice, with a 40 sec rest between sets. 

The Exercises 

Front Foot Elevated Split Squat 

This exercise is a great option to help develop strength and endurance through the quadriceps and the glutes. Having the front foot elevated adds some extra range of motion to the traditional split squat, and can be a significant extra challenge.

​Instructions:

• Use a small plate or step (it can be lower than displayed in the video
•  Put front foot on the step
• Keeping pressure in the front heel, sink down slowly until your back knee touches the floor
• Pause for a half second
• Push up through the front heel to the top
• Repeat

*If this is too difficult, you can start with bodyweight and/or just do the movement from the floor (without a step). 

​High Pull
​
This exercise is a simple option to develop the shoulders and a bit of the hamstrings and glutes. 

Instructions:

• Start with feet about shoulder width apart
• Push hips back as you lower
• As you come up, push the hips forward, squeeze the glutes and bring the elbows up high

This exercise uses a bit of momentum, so should be a bit quicker than most of your other strength exercises.

* To make this harder you can use a heavier weight, or turn it into a bit more of an explosive movement by pushing up to your toes each rep. To make it a bit easier, use a lighter weight. 
​
​Isometric Calf Raise (Single Leg)

This is a great variation of the traditional straight leg calf raise. By holding the top position, we can develop strength and endurnace in the calves in an area which is often rushed over in typical calf raises. This can be very beneficial for any hikers who strugglr with foot, ankle or knee issues.

Instructions:

• Start on one leg
• Push up to your toes
• Hold that position for as long as you can

*If this is too difficult, just start with bodyweight (or with two legs at a time). If it is too easy, then put some more weight in the pack.
​
Frog Stretch

This is a great exercise for improving range of motion through the hips and upper groin. Very useful for any hiker who struggles with lower back or knee discomfort, or those who generally have tight hips form sitting all day.

Instructions:

•  Start on hands and knees
• Slowly move your knees outwards (you will start feeling a stretch through the hips)
• Lower to the forearms
•  Lightly push the upper body down and push the hips back
• Take some big breaths in and out, each time you exhale gently ease a bit deeper into the stretch
• Hold for 1-2 minutes
  ​

Chinese Plank 

This is a great exercise option for building strength and endurance through the hamstrings (an area which often gets neglected from hikers who are doing strength training). It can be very useful for any hiker who wants to build knee stability, or those who are going to be facing steep or slippery descents.

​Instructions:
​Start lying on back, knees slightly bent, heels on floor

• Drive heels into the ground and push hips up to the sky
• Hold this position for the prescribed time
• As you hold, imagine you are 'pulling the heels back into the ground'

*You should mainly feel this through the hamstrings, glutes and maybe a little bit of the back
*If pressure starts to build up in back, or this gets uncomfortable, take a rest, and then finish off the rest of the time

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