Training for Hiking During Lockdown

In this article, Summit Strength coach Andrea explores her strategies and tips to help keep your training up when you are stuck in lockdown. 
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How To Train For Hiking At HOme

​This morning, I woke to a news headline telling me that Melburnians will have endured 185 days of lockdown by next week since the pandemic began.  This is effectively six months of restrictions in order to bring this beast under control. 

For most of those 185 days, Melburnians have been restricted to being permitted to exercise only within a 5km radius from home and for just one hour a day.  We currently enjoy a hefty two hours but still only within our designated 5km zone.
  
Now that many other Victorians, Australians and millions of others around the world are also being locked down, so many more of us are asking, "How do we train?" How do we keep up both physical fitness and motivation when we're stuck inside a veritable bubble? 
 
Having lived the Lockdown Life for ages now, I'd love to share with you some of the things that worked for me during our most extended period of lockdown last year (13 weeks!) and which I continue to fall back on each time we go back into lockdown (we're now up to Lockdown #5).

These are the exact workouts, strategies and tactics I have used to adapt my training over these periods. And I help they help you out!

Mental Health

A quick word on mental health before I launch into the physical stuff.  

I am not a psychologist but I discovered some things that helped me through the hardest times. I'll share them here briefly. They might work for you too. 

If you are in lockdown, be wary of social media. When other regions or states aren't experiencing a hard lockdown like you are, it can become tough to see others out there enjoying awesome adventures. 

It's normal to feel like this. You're not an awful person for feeling sad or angry. You don't begrudge others having a great time (you wouldn't wish lockdown on your worst enemy), but it's a constant reminder of what you're missing out on.  

As adventurous, outdoorsy people, not being able to hit the trails when friends in other areas can is a special kind of torture! I liken it to being out of action due to injury and seeing everyone out there doing the things you love to do but can't. Try not to put yourself through it! Staying off Instagram etc., at this time might help a bit.  

Don't underestimate or disregard the benefits of activity just for fun's sake.  

When you have a training program, pretty much most of what you'll do is train. But take some time out to go for a walk without a pack. A bike ride that's just a fun pedal. Take your dog for a walk and take notice of just how much joy it gets from the simple things like a good smell or the feel of the grass beneath its feet. Simple pleasures.  

We can learn a lot from dogs! Really take in your surroundings; look up at the clouds, notice the riot of colours in your neighbourhood gardens, feel the texture of the bark on that paperbark tree on the nature strip. And, a personal favourite, dance during your walk! Lol, yep, pop those headphones in, pump up the volume and get into the moment! I used to just do this in the dark on my early morning walks, but I do it all the time now, in the daylight around the streets, and they haven't come to take me away yet!

Just be in the moment and try to play as you used to as a kid. You'd be surprised how awesome this feels.

Workouts For
Hikers During Lockdown

​If you are in lockdown, but you also want to maintain (or even keep improving!) your hiking fitness, here are some strategies that have helped me:​

Loaded Pack Walks 

The simplest form of training for hiking and a great option when in lockdown!

Typically, many of us will do our loaded pack walking while on the trail, but if you are in lockdown and the trails are out of reach, you can still keep this up!

Throw that pack on and go for an urban hike. And I mean, 'hike'. Wear your hiking boots and any other gear you'd wear on a hike. Take your poles. Pack in a snack. Then head out your front door with your loaded pack and go explore your neighbourhood! 
 
Training for an upcoming multiday or thru-hike? Not an early morning person? Well, here's a great opportunity to get used to those early mornings in a controlled environment.  

Set your alarm and get up really early. Wear a head torch if the street lighting isn't good. Replicate those feelings you'll get on your multiday hike when you have to hit the trail in the cold and dark.  

That first ten minutes after the alarm sounds is the worst! Have a coffee. Then hit the streets. I guarantee within 15 minutes; you'll be powering along and feeling badass for being out there whilst the world is still asleep. 
 
This morning, I did precisely this. I saw the sun come up; some mornings, the sunrise is spectacular (this morning wasn't one of them...) The magpies were warbling, ducks flew overhead in a perfect v-shape, and the air was fresh and clean. What a way to start the day! Try to find some hills or walk on the grassed areas through your local parks. A local golf course is an amazing place to stroll in the morning. 

Find out where your 5km zone is by going to www.2kmfromhome.com Set it to 5km, 10km, or whatever distance restriction you have. Then zoom into any green areas you see on the map within that zone. They'll be your local parks, garden, bike trails, reserves etc. Explore! Walk on the grass and uneven bits. You are only limited by your imagination. 


Outdoor Circuit Training ​

I was already in my first few weeks of lockdown when I joined Summit Strength. During this time, we made a load of adaptions to make sure we could fit my training around the restrictions. One of the things I loved doing was outdoor circuit training, and I still go back to this with each lockdown.  

But this isn't just any old circuit training where you jump around, get huffed and puffed and run yourself into the ground. This was hiking specific circuit training.

This is what I did:

• Find a local footy oval, soccer ground, athletics track etc. Ideally, something with four sides (of course, you can adapt this to an oval location). 
• Along the long side of the ground, walk with a weight on your left shoulder. This might be a pack with some weight in it or a dumbbell or kettlebell. Keep your torso upright. 
• When you get to the end, do an exercise. This might be 15 or so squats or glute bridges, dead bugs or pack squat-to-presses.  
• Then walk the shorter side of the ground holding the weight above your head. Keep your arms close to your ears. 
• At that corner, do some reps of another strength exercise.
• Then walk the other long side of the ground with the weight on your right shoulder to the end. 
• At that corner, do another strength exercise.
• And then the other short side of the ground, again with the weight above your head.

  
Do whichever exercises you want but make sure you incorporate lower body push, lower body pull and core exercises.  

Examples of these could be squats, lunges, single leg deadlifts, good mornings, deadbugs, planks, or whatever you like!
  
Do your circuit for either a set time (e.g. 45 mins) or by number of times you complete a circuit (eg five times).  

Again, you can get creative. 

I now take a whole heap of gear to my athletics track and do steps ups on my step and other exercises with my dumbbells and kettlebells. On a sunny day, this is an awesome and fun workout!

Stair Climbing
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​You either love them or hate them, but stairs are an amazing way to get strong for hiking.  

And it's not essential to have a big set of stairs (although I'm extremely envious of our Sydney friends who have some amazing big stairs with stunning views!)  The first set of stairs I trained on only had 10 risers.  I trained on those ten stairs for months.  But I then added weight to my pack.  And then I'd do faster intervals.  Sometimes I'd take two stairs at a time.  Other times I'd do squats at the top and bottom.
  
No stairs anywhere in your area?  Do those hills!  Again, you don't need a big hill.  Like the stairs, when I first started, the only hill I thought I had locally only took me 20 secs to get up.  But I pushed it hard for those 20 secs!  And I did lots.  

On my walk this morning, I mixed it up.  I found three hills that varied in length and gradient. One hill took 5 mins to climb, another took 2 mins to climb, and the last one took 20 secs to climb.   I did a few repeats on the longer hills and pushed hard for many repeats on the short hill.   This not only keeps things interesting but also taps into different energy systems.  A lot of bang for your buck in one training sesh!

​Wind Trainer
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One great recommendation I got was to get a wind trainer for my bike. If you have a road bike, you can attach it to a wind trainer to effectively turn it into a stationary bike. I get out there on my deck, or inside if it's raining, and do some intervals on it. Get a Tabata app on your phone to set up your interval times and find some fun music to play during your sesh.  

One workout which I regularly do (though I can't say I particularly love it) are aerobic power intervals. These have been great for improving my breathing going up steep hills on the trail. 
 

Incidental Stuff

Sometimes it can be hard to get outside, especially if you're working as well as trying to fit in your training.  

Whether you're working from home or from your office or you just don't feel like going outside, you can incorporate exercises into your day that will help you get strong for hiking.  

I bought a cheap Reebok step from Gumtree. Every time I walked past it, I'd do 20 steps up each leg. Whenever I made a cuppa, I'd do squats, calf raises or bench push-ups whilst waiting for the kettle to boil. I'm a coffee addict, so that was a lot of squats! 

I hope some of this helps get you through your lockdown.  These are just a few ideas that work for me. I'd love to hear your ideas too!

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About The Author

Andrea is a coach with Summit Strength, who  specialise in helping hikers get strong and pain-free for their adventures. 

At the age of 54, she discovered a real passion for hiking. But she also discovered just how limiting physical fitness and pain can be on the trail.

After signing up to one of the Summit Strength signature programs, she discovered just how much of a difference the right training can make to a hiker's enjoyment and comfort on their adventures. 

These days, she helps hikers all around the world get fit, strong and resilient for their adventures. 

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