How Trekkers can train around foot pain

Foot Pain While Trekking and Hiking is an incredibly common issue. Whether it is from plantar fasciitis, heels spurs or simply from a rolled ankle, it be a real annoyance. But all too often I see people completely avoid their training because of this...

And while foot pain is an incredibly complex subject and should always be treated by a podiatrist or physio, it is a mistake to completely stop your training.

These issues can take a very long time to fully recover. And you don't want to be missing out on all this valuable training time while you are waiting to be given the all clear to hit the trail.

Lucky for us, there are a number of ways to continue to develop your trekking fitness, without stressing your feet!

Aerobic Development

Whoever told you that you have to be on your feet to develop 'trek fitness' is crazy.

Yes the most effective way to train for hiking, is getting on the trail and hiking. And yes it is the only way to emulate the undulating and uneven nature of the trail.

But you can still develop the same energy systems, cardiovascular adaptations and muscular endurance by doing work off your feet too!

When you are suffering from foot pain, your best option is to concentrate on 'off feet conditioning'. This simply means doing types of cardio which don't put any pressure on your feet.

While there are dozens of great options here, trekkers want to choose an option which applies no stress on the feet - but still gives the lower body a training stimulus.

Great options here include:

• Cycling
• Rowing
• Swimming
• Pool walking/running

Through this you want to be aiming to complete the same intensity and duration as your hiking. This will usually mean long periods of lower intensity exercise. So if you are absolutely knackered after five minutes on the rower, that probably isn't your best option...

This type of training is also very important for those who have suffered from foot pain in the past.

One of the major issues with commonly found trek training programs, is that they want you to spend a huge amount of time walking and hiking. And while this is good if you can get away with it, if you know you have a tendency to get foot pain, I would highly recommend substituting a large portion of this for off feet conditioning (at least in the early stages of your program).

Strength training

If you are suffering from foot pain, strength training can often be a great area to focus on. It is low impact, can greatly benefit your trekking performance and can help strengthen up the joints to prevent further injury in the future.

However, depending on the severity of your pain, you will most likely need to modify your normal sessions.

A few principles to follow here include:

No High Impact Exercises

Any exercises which involves jumping, hopping or landing should be removed. These types of exercises (e.g. box jumps, burpees, lunge jumps) are very common in gym circuit or HIIT classes but are probably the worst thing you can do for foot pain. Don't be tempted to 'try how they feel' until you are given the all clear from your physio or podiatrist.

Substitute Uncomfortable Exercises

Depending on your injury, a number of common strength training exercises may cause discomfort. When this happens, the easiest solution is to substitute these exercises for more 'feet-friendly' versions until you are pain free.

Great alternatives to try here include:

• If deadlifts hurt, replace with cable pull throughs
• If squats, lunges or step ups hurt, replace with leg extensions*
• If glute bridges hurt, replace with reverse hyper-extensions

*Yes this is an 'isolation exercise' and a machine (which I usually recommend trekkers avoid) but in this instance it is a good option to provide a training stimulus to the quadriceps.

Take Advantage of The Cross Education Phenomenon

If you are suffering from an acute injury, such as a sprained/broken ankle, the solutions stated above will most likely not be much help. But there is a way to maintain some of your strength while recovering.

The mind is a very powerful thing. In fact it is responsible for the majority of the 'strength' which we display in our lives.

Some studies have shown that if you only train one side of the body, both sides will still increase in strength! This is known as the Cross Education Phenomenon.

This means that if you can't physically train one side of your body, continuing to train the uninjured side will be very beneficial!

Mobility

This is literally the perfect opportunity to fix any mobility issues you might have.

The majority of trekkers will suffer from some type of mobility restriction (usually in the hips or ankles) and more then likely, you already know what is tight.

While your foot is recovering, spend extra time stretching, rolling and mobilising these muscles.

Not only will it fight off the stiffness that is associated with inactivity but it can be very beneficial for your trekking down the line!

Weight Maintenance

And while not specifically training related, it would be a mistake not to talk about weight maintenance...

A common consequence of foot pain is weight gain. This is simply for the fact that your activity levels (energy expenditure) will go down but your eating habits (energy intake) will usually stay the same.

The main issue with this is for every kilo your body holds, you put a hugely disproportionate amount of extra stress on your feet.

And this has a few problems associated with it:

• Your recovery will be slowed
• You will be at a high risk of injury recurrence when you return to the trail
• Your confidence will most likely take a bit of a knock!
  
  

So if you know your activity levels have dropped you need to ensure you monitor your weight and reduce your food intake if needed.

Don't make the mistake of letting your trek training slip if you suffer from Foot Pain. Put this time to good use and not only can you reduce the likelihood of recurrence but you can return to the trail feeling fitter, stronger and more resilient then you have in years!