Muscular Endurance Training For Hikers

In this article and episode we talk about muscular endurance for hikers and why it is one of the single most important aspects of fitness for the trail.

Muscular endurance is so incredibly important for a hiker to develop. And it is one of the most specific elements of fitness, which can help you to hike comfortably and capably all day long. 

However, the word 'endurance' is a bit of a buzz word in the fitness world. And this can lead many hikers to get a bit confused about what it is, why it is so important and how to actually develop it.

So today, I explore the details of muscular endurance training for hikers.

You will learn:

• What muscular endurance actually is (and why it is SO essential for hikers to develop)
• Why there is a difference between muscular endurance for general gym goes and hikers (there is a good chance your local personal trainer won't understand this)
• A few common mistakes I see from hikers trying to incorporate this type of training 
• Four great methods of developing muscular endurance for hiking (plus all the details you need to put this into action)
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What Is Muscular Endurance
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Muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle to produce a moderate amount of force again and again and again without fatiguing.

On the trail, this becomes incredibly relevant any time you're going uphill, when every single step takes just that little bit more effort, when you get that burning sensation in your legs.

The ability to tolerate, withstand and keep on pushing through this feeling for an extended period, that is muscular endurance.

Any hiker who is dealing with any type of hills, stairs or pack carrying needs a lot of this!

And it can often be a limiting factor for many hikers on the trail.

A few signs you might need to work on this:

• You always get burning legs going uphill (which causes you to slow down significantly or stop)
• Your legs almost always feel shaky or wobbly on climbs
• You want to move faster on steep terrain (but feel like your muscles get tired too quickly to sustain this)
  
  

Or, if you simply want to reduce fatigue and improve comfort and performance on hikes with lots of elevation change.

(So, pretty much everyone...)​

You want to reduce fatigue and hike uphill for longer periods.

Common Mistakes Hikers Make With Muscular Endurance Training

While the value of developing endurance is known to many hikers, the application of this type of training is often hit and miss.

Here are a few common mistakes I see from hikers with their endurance work:

Mistake #1: Confusing Gym Endurance With Hiking Endurance

In the gym world, muscular endurance is often defined as anything over 15 repetitions.

That might work for the average gym goer or bodybuilder.

But for hikers and mountaineers, endurance looks very different.

A mountaineer might define endurance as 15 hours of uphill movement, not 15 reps.

Even a casual day hiker might need to do 15 minutes of repeated movements on a steep climb.

I once took a conditioning certification that promised to teach muscular endurance.

One of the methods they taught was slow squats of four seconds on the way down, four seconds on the way up, for ten reps. That is 80 seconds of work...

That might seem like a LONG time for some athletes, but it doesn't quite line up for hikers.

Muscular endurance for hikers is a completely different beast. And we need to be aware of that when considering our training.

*That is not to say this 'gym-based' endurance training is not beneficial for hikers, BUT it needs to be complemented with most 'hiking-specific' work as well.

Mistake #2) Mixing Cardio And Muscular Endurance

There's a difference between general cardio 'endurance' and local muscular endurance.

When we are developing 'muscular endurance', we are trying to fatigue the muscles.

We are trying to teach them to produce force and again and again, and help them better resist and tolerate fatigue.

We are NOT trying to get super out of breath, or huff and puff.

When a workout tries to mix cardio with endurance work, you can get a challenge in both areas. And initially, it can work well enough.

But all too often, the breathing becomes the limiting factor here (and the muscles don't get quite as much challenge as they would like to see the best results for muscular endurance).


Mistake #3) Not Challenging The Legs Enough

When it comes to muscular endurance, the legs can be surprisingly strong!

So if we want to improve this quality of fitness, we need to give them the challenge they need to trigger adaptations.

Many hikers do these workouts and choose resistances that feel 'good' but are not really much of a challenge.

This will still give you a nice workout, but it probably won't give the best results for muscular endurance.

You would be surprised how much load your legs can tolerate when this training is done properly and progressively!

Mistake #4: ONLY Doing Muscular Endurance Work

This type of training is incredibly effective (and it can feel really, really good!). But it isn't the only method of training that is beneficial or recommended for hikers. So don't think your whole program should look like this.

When doing these specific workouts, I would recommend using them in short doses.

If following a long-term program, choose one of these to do every once in a while. Do it for 4 weeks or so. Then change it to something else (and filter this type of workout in and out of your plan over time).

And make sure the rest of your training week is filled with other types of sessions (e.g. long, low-intensity cardio, strength training, intervals, etc.). ​

If leading into a specific, challenging trip, these can be really good to apply in the final 6-8 weeks before you head off. 

Four Effective Workouts to Build Muscular Endurance For Hiking ​

Workout #1: Overloaded Hill or Stair Climbs

Find the steepest hill or stairs you can (steeper is better).

Load up a pack with more weight than you would typically carry on the trail (we want to put quite a bit of strain through the legs).

Slowly and steadily climb up. And aim to accumulate 30-60 minutes of 'up' climbing.

The goal for this is:

• Get a really big 'burn' in the legs (so if you don't feel a challenge, add some more weight)
• Slow movement (this is not a race; it is slow and steady)
• Controlled breathing (we don't want the breathing being the limiting factor; if this starts to ramp up, slow your pace down) ​

Each week, progress by either:

• Adding a little more weight
• Adding more total climbing time

If you are lucky enough to live near lots of elevation, aim to do this as a single climb (e.g. 30-60 minutes straight up).

If you are not this lucky (which most people fall into), just find something you can use, and break it up into intervals. (e.g., if you have a hill that takes 4 minutes to climb, go up and down that until you hit your target).

If you don't have access to anything conveneient, you can do this on a stair master or as a box step session (just use a low box).

Important Note:

This workout can feel GREAT climbing on the way up. But if you need to descend, all the extra weight is not often very nice on the knees...

If you struggle with any type of knee discomfort, a few options here:

• When loading up the pack, make sure a large part of the pack is made up of water bottles. At the top of each climb, dump a lot of water. At the bottom of each climb, refill. A bit tedious, but very effective
  
  
• If you have access to a stairwell in an apartment block or office tower, you can climb the stairs on the way up, and then get the elevator on the way down​
  
  

If neither of these is convenient for you, and you are worried about your knees, maybe keep this workout to the stairclimber in the gym (or, do a slightly different hill/star workout which doesn't involve overloading your pack).

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​Workout #2: Sled Pushing Or Pulling

If you have access to a workout sled (which many gyms have these days), this can be a great option.

Load up the sled heavy.

Push or pull it back and forth for long intervals, at a steady pace.

Again, the goal is:

• Burning legs
• Slow pace
• Minimal heavy breathing

A simple structure for this might be:

• Push for 10 minutes
• Rest for 1-2 minutes
• Repeat 3-4 times
  
  

Or if you prefer, you could just push continuously for 30-60 minutes.​

Each week, either:

• Add some extra weight
• Add some extra time

If you would like a demonstration of this, check out this video Sled Workout For Hikers 

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Workout #3: High Repetition Leg Circuits
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If you don't have access to a hill, stairs, stairmaster or sled (or just want some variation in your training), this can be a great option.

This workout involves doing a range of different strength exercises for the legs, and just accumulating long periods of challenge.

So you will choose 4-6 leg exercises and string them together into an extended circuit with high repetitions and slow tempo.

An example of this might look like:

• 20 x squats
• 10 x forward lunges (each leg)
• 20 x hip thrusts
• 10 x reverse lunges (each leg)
• 10 x step-ups for (each leg)
• 20 x squats
• Rest 1 min
• Repeat 3-4 times

For this workout, we are aiming for leg burn (and not getting out of breath). So keep the tempo (i.e., speed of the reps) slow and controlled.

If any exercise feels a bit easy (and you don't feel the 'burn' in the legs through the set), load it up with a backpack, dumbbells, or weight vest.

Each week, progress by:

• Adding weight
• Adding reps
• Adding a set

If you would like a video demonstration of this, check out this page: Lower Body Circuit For Hikers​

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Workout #4: High Resistance Stationary Bike

If you have access to a bike that has adjustable resistance and an RPM meter (like a spin bike), this can be an interesting workout.


This is how you do it:
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• Set the resistance very high.
• Start cycling at a slow pace until your legs burn out
• Sustain this for as long as you can
• Rest
• Repeat until you hit 30-60 minutes of 'heavy time'

The idea for this workout is we want to SO heavy that you are limited in speed (we want to keep the RMP between 30-40 rpm). If you can go quicker than that, we want to stack on more resistance.

Each week, either:

• Add some resistance
• Reduce the rest periods
• Add some more 'heavy' time

Important Points:

• As we are using high load, you want to ensure the bike is set up right. If in a gym, ask a staff member for help. If at home, check a tutorial on your specific brand of bike.
  
  
• For this workout, we want a burn in the quads (front of the thighs), not the knees (in the joint). If you feel the knees taking over, check your bike setup.​

This workout isn't quite as specific as stairs, hills or sleds, but it can be a great indoor option (and very handy for a hiker who is trying to limit force going through their feet).

If you would like a video demonstration of this, check out this page: Cycle Grind Workout For Hikers 

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When applied right, muscular endurance training can be a fantastic method for hikers. And can make a genuine difference to your comfort, performance and enjoyment during elevation change hiking.

If you were a hiker who needed help with this, and were curious how to best apply these workouts into your training, you can check out the Online Summit Program here:

Online Training For Hikers

Yours in trekking,

Rowan