Training For Hiking: Creating Your Own Strength Workout

Training for Hiking: Creating your own strength workout

2/26/2019

Strength training should be part of every hikers and trekkers training. It is an incredibly effective tool to help prevent injury, improve movement efficiency and increase confidence on the trail!

However if you are not a lifelong trainer, coming up with your own strength training workouts can be a bit intimidating...

Unfortunately this usually leads to trekkers choosing a cookie cutter workout off the internet, jumping into a group exercise class or just choosing random exercises in the gym...

And while these things are better then nothing, it pales in comparison to the benefits of a structured and trek specific strength training workout.

Today I am going to show you EXACTLY how to create one of these for your own. So you can have a highly specific, efficient and effective session, no matter how experienced you are!

Now I have done my best to make this process as simple as possible. At first glance it may still seem a little bit complicated but read through the whole article and I promise it will save you countless hours from trying to do it yourself!

Introducing The ultimate Template for strength training for Hiking!

Templates are probably the most hassle free and time efficient way of creating your own workout. Using a template you can leave all the science and deep thinking to the professionals and instead have an easy framework to use.

Below is one of my favourite templates I use for my trekkers to create incredibly effective strength workouts.

How It Works

In order to keep the workouts time efficient, this template uses something called sequencing.

This simply means that you structure a workout so you are using the rest periods of your exercises effectively, and not simply standing around!

When looking at the template you will see it contains the letters A, B and C with numbers next to them. You complete the all the A exercises in a row then repeat for the number of sets. Then, you move onto the B's following the same process. And then C.

Each workout should be preceded by a thorough warm up.

*And of course this isn't the only way to structure a strength workout... but it is one which has worked time and time again for me in the past!

The Simple Template For A Trekkers Strength Training Workout

A1: lower body push exercise
A2: upper body pull exercise
A3: any core exercise
A4: any mobility exercise

B1: lower body pull exercise
B2: upper body push exercise
B3: any core exercise
B4: any mobility exercise

C: any conditioning exercise

From here, the next step is to plug in the exercises you want to use...

Here is a list of the best exercises to choose from each category you can use

Lower Body Push Exercises
Step down
Eccentric pistol squat
Step up
Squat (dumbbell or barbell)
Bulgarian Split Squat
Split Squat
Lunge (reverse, forward or walking)

Lower Body Pull Exercises
Deadlift (barbell or trap bar)
Romanian Deadlift (barbell or dumbbell)
Single Leg Deadlift (barbell or dumbbell)
Hip Thrust
Glute bridge
Stability Ball Leg Curl

Upper Body Push Exercise
Push ups
Bench Press (dumbbell or barbell)
Incline Bench Press (dumbbell or barbell)
Dips

Upper Body Pull Exercise
1 Arm Dumbbell Row
TRX row
Seated Cable Row
Bent Over Row (dumbbells or barbell)

Core Exercises
Pallof Press
Side Plank
Dead bug
Plank
Suitcase Carry

Mobility Exercises
Worlds greatest stretch
Knee to wall
Seated glute stretch
Frog stretch
Wall angels

Conditioning Exercises
Sled push
Bike
Rower
Treadmill
Skipping
Kettlebell Swings

Finally it is time to choose your focus

Now that you have your template and your exercises, you need to chose what your goal of the workout will be.

Depending on what phase of your training you are in, or what you are aiming to get out of the workout, will determine which sets, reps and time frames you will follow.

Here are a few options:

Prep Phase (best when you first start training or are returning from a break)

Strength exercises: 3-4 sets, 10-12 reps
Core exercises: 40 seconds
Mobility: 60 sec
Conditioning: 1 min quick/1 min slow x5

Strength Development (best for injury prevention and movement efficiency)

Strength exercises: 4-5 sets, 6-8 reps
Core exercises: 60 seconds
Mobility: 60 sec
Conditioning: 20sec quick/40sec rest x10

Muscular Endurance Development (best in the final stage before a trek)

Strength exercises: 3- 4 sets, 20 reps
Core exercises: 60+ seconds
Mobility: 60 sec
Conditioning: 10min x1

Now you have a simple 3 step process to creating your own strength training workout

Grab your template and plug in your exercises
Choose your focus
Get to the gym and smash it out!

It really is as simple as that!

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Nicola Guy

10/30/2019 10:54:29 pm

Hi there, thanks for sharing the template and suggested exercises. I came by your site after listening to one of your podcasts shared by my workmate and am so glad he shared it with me. I have a question about the template: are you suggesting we only need to do two lower body and two upper body exercises (plus the core and mobility exercises) within each workout i.e. the workout might last less than 30 minutes? Just curious as I'm so used to doing, for example, 4 or 5 lower body exercises combined with 4 or 5 upper body exercises. Many thanks.

Rowan

11/4/2019 01:03:26 pm

Hey Nicola, sorry for the slow reply here, somehow only just saw this!

But in answer to your question here, yes that's right. I will often recommend my clients only stick to about 2 main lower body/upper body exercises per workout. The idea behind this is to allow them properly focus and push themselves on these exercises (without having to 'save' themselves for others). For most people, this will usually be enough stimulus to show improvement (advanced lifters can always add extra sets).

Saying that, using more exercises definitely still works, it really comes down to time available to spend training, exercise history, personal preference and a load of other factors :)

Jamie

8/5/2023 11:48:40 am

How often do you recommend doing the workout? 3-4x a week?

Rowan Smith

8/6/2023 03:16:11 pm

It depends on a lot of factors, but I typically recommend my hikers do 2-3 full body strength session a week (and for other sessions, focus on other areas of training).

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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.