Summit Strength
Menu

TRAINING FOR HIKING TIPS

Find out more about what it takes to reach the Summit

How To Train For A Trek If You Are Overweight

4/4/2019

 
Picture
Hiking and trekking are sports for all body shapes and sizes. And with the right training, absolutely everyone should be happy to step onto any trail they desire.

But lets face it, if you are carrying a few extra kilos, hiking can really grind you up. And if you are trying to follow a traditional trek training program, and do all of your training on the trail, you are just asking for trouble... 

One of the biggest issues with traditional trek training is the idea that you have to spend all your training either walking or hiking.

And while this can work for some, if you are overweight it is not a good idea!

This is because, unfortunately, you are already at a much higher risk of of overuse injuries such as
plantar fasciitis, shin splints or knee pain. And those are things you really don't want to mess around with!

Instead you need to be smart about your training. And structure it to minimise any chance of discomfort or injury (which making sure you improve your fitness of course!)


How To Get Fit, Strong
And Capable For A trek

(Even If You Are carrying A Few Extra Kilos Around The Middle)

Picture

Off Feet Conditioning

Off feet conditioning is a valuable tool to use as part of anyone's trek training program. But if you are overweight, it goes from being valuable to absolutely essential.

Off feet conditioning is simply doing exercise to develop your aerobic capacity and muscular endurance, without putting any stress through your feet and knees.

This will still have great carryover into your performance on the trail, but will minimise the risk of your body getting ground down!


Great examples here include:

  • Stationary cycle
  • Step machine
  • Pool running
  • Swimming
  • Elliptical

This type of training is particularly important during the early stages of a preparation program. In fact, if you are overweight and you haven't been active for a while, I usually recommend spending the first phase of your program (usually four weeks), doing all of your aerobic training as off feet conditioning.

By doing this before you start any type of hiking, you can ensure you develop your base level of fitness in a safe way before you hit the trail.

Strength Training

If you are overweight, strength training should never be skipped in your training.

Strength training is essential for bullet proofing the joints from injury and improving movement efficiency. Also, if you are carrying a few extra kilos then the average Joe, by increasing your strength you can turn those uphills and stairs from an absolute nightmare, into something much more manageable.


But strength training does not mean doing hundreds of squats and or step ups at home... or jumping into a generic circuit class at your local gym. While these can help, they are very low in effectiveness in the grand scheme of things.

Instead, you should be working through a tailed strength training program, which is specifically designed for you an an individual and around the upcoming challenges of your trek.

 
Not sure how to do this? I would highly recommend you speak with a professional.
Hiking Smart

And while you might be reducing the amount of time on the trail that many traditional training programs want you to do... that doesn't mean hiking training is not important!

But it is crucial that you go in with a plan of attack...

Your early hikes should be short. They should be easy. You should finish them feeling like you could have done plenty more.

And each time you do another hike, there is a rule you need to be VERY strict on.

Never increase your hiking time by more then 20% at a time!

The reason behind this is that a 'spike' in your training load (i.e. jumping from a 2 hour to a 3 hour hike) is the number one cause of injury. And while someone with a bit of a lighter frame might simple pull up with sore muscles, some achy joints and need a few extra days to recover... if you are overweight you don't want to mess around with this!
  
If you have a trek coming up, this is what you need to do:

  • Get out your calendar
  • Mark in all the days you want to go out hiking
  • Choose your first trail (which should be easy!)
  • And then get out the calculator, find a list of local trails and go from there

This process might take a little bit of time to figure out. But it is essential to staying pain free!

Recovery Sessions

Recovery is one thing that is quite often neglected in traditional training programs. But if you are overweight, you cannot afford to skip this!

Recovery sessions are essential for: aiding muscle recovery and adaptation, reducing muscle soreness and keeping you healthy, pain free and happy in your training!

There are countless different 'recovery' methods you could be doing...

But here are a list of simple and effective things that anyone can do:

 
  • Spend five minutes foam rolling each day
  • Perform 20 minutes of stretching and foam rolling on your 'off days'
  • The night after completing a hike, wear some compression clothing to bed
  • Schedule in an easy 'active recovery' session the day after every hike
    (i.e. pool walking, gentle cycling, swimming etc)
  • Get 8 hours quality sleep each night

Incorporating these into your weekly routine can genuinely be the difference between success and failure in your training.

Get Your Gear Right

What is the best piece of gear? That question will never end...

But if you are overweight, there are two ESSENTIAL things you need to do when it comes to equipment...


#1 Always use trekking  poles!

Trekking poles are a trekkers best friend. They keep you balanced, help improve posture, aid circulation and most importantly, they take A LOT of pressure off your lower limbs (particularly your knees and feet).

If you are overweight, they are 100% essential, EVERY time you hit the trail (no matter how short!)


#2 Get your boots fitted

Having the wrong pair of boots is a disaster waiting to happen.

Don't mess around with this.

Never buy your boots online. Don't be shy when in a shop.

Make sure you go to a respected expert and get them fitted properly!


And if you are having problems with your boots, I highly recommend you go and see a podiatrist!
 
Weight Management Strategies

If you are overweight, losing a few kilos can go along way to both your enjoyment and success on the trail.

This has nothing to do with looks or social stigma... but it is for the simple fact that for every extra kilo your body holds, it puts an incredibly disproportionate amount of extra force through your joints!

So even loosing one kilo can make a major difference...


And while weight loss is is an incredibly complex subject and the details of that is well beyond the scope of this article... there is one simple strategy that can be incredibly effective for hikers and trekkers.
  
Have you ever heard the saying "never go shopping when you are hungry?"  
  
Well you should take that as gospel! This is because when you are training and hiking you are burning A LOT of extra energy. But the natural response to that, is to get seriously hungry to refuel!

And a common habit many people have, is to do their training or hiking session, and then go to the shops and buy their next meal...

  
This is not a good idea!

Instead, before every training session and hike, you should have the next couple of meals planned and bought for (if not prepared already). This takes the impulse buying out of the equation, so you can plan to eat right while you are not absolutely starving!

And if you put this one strategy into action, it can make a massive difference!


Hiking and trekking is an absolutely amazing pursuit for everyone to get involved with. But if you are overweight, you need to be smart about your training and preparation. So you can avoid any injuries and ensure you stay safe, pain free and successful on your adventures!


    Like what you read but need help putting it all together?

    Contact Summit Strength Today!

Submit
abhishek prasad link
6/13/2020 04:00:49 am

Thank you for sharing this info with us, we look forward to see more info from you.

Rowan
6/14/2020 04:19:50 pm

Great to hear you enjoyed it!


Comments are closed.

    Author

    Rowan is an online personal trainer who specialises in training for hiking and mountaineering. He helps get them fit, strong and resilient so they can conquer every adventure. 

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018

    Categories

    All
    About Rowan Smith
    Aerobic Training
    Altitude Mask
    Altitude Sickness
    Altitude Training
    Ankle Pain
    Back Pain
    Balance
    Best Exercises For Hiking
    Book Review
    Breathing
    Camino
    Cardio
    Case Studies
    Challenge Event
    Challenge Hike
    Cold Weather
    Continental Divide Trail
    Core Training
    Cramps
    Desert-hiking
    Downhill Hiking
    Elevation Training
    Endurance
    Equipment
    Everest Base Camp
    Extreme-environments
    Fitness-assessments
    Fitness-tests
    Foot Pain
    Guest Posts
    Gym Training
    Health
    High Altitude
    High Intensity Training
    Hiking Speed
    Hip Strength
    Home Workouts
    Hot Weather
    Hump Ridge Track
    Inca Trail
    Injury Prevention
    Interval Training
    Kilimanjaro
    Knee Pain
    Larapinta Trail
    Live Stream
    Loaded Pack Walking
    Media Appearances
    Mental Strength
    Mera Peak
    Mindset
    Mini-course
    Mobility
    Mountaineering
    Multi Day Hike
    Multi-day Hike
    Muscular Endurance
    Newsletter
    Nutrition
    Oxfam
    Pacific Crest Trail
    Pack Training
    Planning-and-logistics
    Plantar Fasciitis
    Plyometrics
    Podcast
    Recovery
    Rock Scrambling
    Running
    Shoulder Pain
    Strength Training
    Summit Strength Method
    Summit-strength-method
    Te Araroa
    The-overland-track
    Thru-hiking
    Thruhiking
    Time Efficient Training
    Timeefficient-training
    Tour Du Mont Blanc
    Training Hike
    Trek-tips
    Trek-tips
    Trek Training
    Trektraining
    Ultralight
    Uphill Hiking
    Upper-body-training
    Warm Up
    Webinar
    Weight Loss
    Workouts
    Workout Tips

    RSS Feed

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. 
Picture

Company

About
Blog
Podcast
Terms and Conditions
Privacy Policy
Disclaimer

Services

Online Summit Program
Learn How To Train For Hiking Course 

Support

Contact
​

Join Our Free Community Group


© COPYRIGHT 2018. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Website Design by My Personal Trainer Website
  • Home
  • About
  • Online Training
  • Success Stories
  • Blog
  • Home
  • About
  • Online Training
  • Success Stories
  • Blog