Training Breathing Control For Uphill Hiking

Steep uphills are one of the biggest challenges on the trail.
 
And many hikers find they really struggle cardiovascularly here...
 
They get short of breath...

They struggle to carry a conversation without huffing between words... 

And constantly find themselves having to stop and rest.

Not much fun at all. 
 
But if you do struggle with this, today I have a great strategy which can help you feel much more comfortable and in control on these climbs: 

Practising Breathing Control

One thing many hikers struggle with on hills is the second their breathing gets fast; they cannot bring it under control without having to stop.

This is not only uncomfortable physically (because no one likes the feeling of out-of-control breath!), but it also can be pretty demoralising... 

(And if you are having to do this multiple times per climb, it can suck a lot of the fun out of a day on the trail).

But one skill that can be incredibly useful here is teaching yourself to manage your breathing while climbing uphill (e.g. to slow down your breathing while you are climbing). 

If we can do this, you will have much more control and comfort on your climbs. 

Now, there are many ways to develop this skill, but this is a simple approach:

• Find a hill, a set of stairs, a step or a Stairmaster
  
  
• For 30-60 seconds, do something whichgets you really out of breath (e.g running on the spot or really quick squats)
  
  
• Immediately after (once your breathing is rapid) start climbing 
  
  
• As you climb, try to bring your breathing down under control as quickly as possible and get to the point where you can breathe in and out through your nose (while still climbing)
  
  
• Once your breathing is controlled, finish the climb at the nose breathing pace.
  
  
• Once to the top, return to the bottom and repeat. 

At first, this may seem impossible. 

And you may have to slow to an absolute crawl to manage it. 

But the more you practice and develop this, the easier it gets. 

And the better you can apply this on the trail! 

So if you struggle with breathing on steep up hills, and have never really considered training yourself to control your breathing, give this a go!  

It may serve you well.

And if you did struggle with steep uphills (or any other aspect of your hiking) and you were interested in getting some personalised help with your training, you can check out the Online Summit Program here:

https://www.summitstrength.com.au/online.html

Yours in trekking,

Rowan