Hiking Training Basics: How to Train For Backpacking and Thru Hikes

Our first post on backpacking may not be what you think of straight away. People tend to focus on transportation, what to pack, what food to bring, what landmarks and campsites to check out. All important. However, as a physiotherapist, my first concern is how to properly prepare your body for this type of endeavour. It is unlikely that your body is accustomed to multiple days of intense hiking with 30-50 lbs of weight on your back. The more you physically prepare your body through hiking training, the less risk for injury and the more enjoyable the journey.

We are curious. Have you ever thought about hiking training for before? Have you ever had a bad injury on the trail? Tell us your story in the comments below!

Make sure to keep your pack as light as possible. The lighter the pack, the less risk for fatigue and injury. To learn more about lightweight packing and what to pack on a long hike, read our post ‘Backpacking Essentials: What to Bring and What Not To’.

We can tell that you love the outdoors! While you’re here, check out our other hiking and camping posts:

• ‘Healthy Food Ideas for Snacks and Meals While Hiking‘
• ‘Day Hiking Essentials Checklist’
• ‘The Ultimate Camping Packing List – With FREE Printable’
• ’10 of the Best Budget Sleeping Bags’
  

Backcountry Hiking Training Program: Endurance, Strength and Cardio Exercises

So how can we properly train ourselves for such a feat?

First, it’s important to know what parts of your body are going to be stressed the most. High level hiking with heavy packs is going to demand a lot out of your quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, lower legs and core, as well as your cardiovascular system and balance.

Secondly, you want to train your body for endurance. The majority of people who train in the gym are generally training for strength and “muscle bulk”. Strength will give your muscles the ability to exert maximum force in a short period of time. Important? Yes. Essential on a seven day hike? Not so much. What your body will really need to tap into is your level of endurance. Endurance will allow you to do a physically repetitive task over a long period of time. That is what’s going to get you through six hours of ladder climbing, root negotiating and boulder crossing.

Preparing yourself physically is only half the battle for multi-day hikes. The proper gear is imperative to your comfort and safety. Visit our Travel Resources page for a carefully curated list of the best outdoor gear and travel gadgets. And for now, here is our ‘Top 5 Must-Have Items for Multi-Day Backpacking Trips’:

• BAFX Products Trekking Trail Poles – do not attempt an advanced trail without trekking poles. These things will save your joints from high impact which will keep you hiking longer, safer and happier.
• Elmchee Rechargeable Headlamp – Flashlights are so last year.
• Geertop Lightweight Compact Mummy Sleeping Bag – our favourite budget sleeping bag 😊
• Trekology Camping Pillow – At less than 3 oz., this luxury item will significantly improve your rest and recovery.
• Sawyer Products Water Filtration System – lightweight and effective!

Many of these popular ‘great walks’ and thru hikes are in high demand and end up on many people’s bucket list. This means that people on the trails are coming in with varied levels of experience and physical ability. Hiking training for these trails will look different for everyone.

You may be starting from scratch and have no idea where to begin. You may be a gym rat and just need to change your routine up slightly. Or you may be a triathlete, in which case you’re going to kick all of our asses out there anyway.

It’s important to make a distinction for each type of person. For the sake of creating a concise blog post, I will focus on two general types of people: Beginners and Gym-goers.

Conditioning and Fitness Hiking Training For Beginners

You may have little to no hiking or backpacking experience. You may never have set foot in a gym. The only curls you’ve ever done are the ones you put in your hair. I kid! This group is for anyone who is nervous about the physicality of these trails and just feels like they are not yet prepared. My suggestion is to start slow and simple and to never get frustrated. If you’re doing any hiking training at all, rather than doing nothing, you are doing well.

1. How to train your body for endurance

Depending on your baseline level, you will want to start with 2-3 sets of 10-12 reps for each exercise you perform. In the beginning, you will not need to add any weight to your exercises. The weight of your body will give you enough resistance. On hiking training day, pick one exercise from each muscle group (Note: skip to the end of this post for an explanation of each exercise I mention). Start by training at least 3 days a week and switch up your exercises each day. Here’s an example of what your first week of hiking training might look like.

A general rule while training – no exercise should feel easy. If it feels easy you need to make it harder. You should feel your heart rate increase and you should be sweating during these exercises. If an exercise becomes too easy for you, use the FITT principles to make your workouts harder as you get stronger. This means you can change any of the following in order to increase the difficulty of the exercise:

Frequency – ie. increase training from 3 times a week to 4 times a week.

Intensity – ie. increase reps from 10 to 12 or increase sets from 2 to 3.

Time – ie. increase training time from a 10 minute workout to a 20 minute workout. You can do this by adding in extra exercises or trying to perform each exercise for a longer period of time.

Type – the goal is to train your body for endurance which means low weight and high reps. As you progress, increase the amount of reps and sets you are doing first, once this becomes too easy you can start to add on small amounts of weight.

If these bodyweight exercises become too easy, you can begin adding on a little resistance. The easiest, and cheapest, way to do this is with exercise bands – the Letsfit Resistance Loop Bands are a great accessory to have at home or to bring to the gym. These bands are versatile – you can include them in almost any exercise and work any muscle in the body. It will be easy for you to control the amount of resistance you want and change it up as you go – free weights do not give you the same amount of flexibility.

Another good rule, if it hurts, stop!

2. How to Train Your Body for Cardio

Training your cardiovascular system for these hikes is just as important as training your muscles. If you tend to skip cardio and aren’t already a trained runner, your cardiovascular system is going to be challenged more than ever. And when your cardiovascular system does not meet the demands of the task, you will be uncomfortable and can potentially cause damage to your body.

Everyone will start with a different level of cardiovascular performance. During your cardio exercise of choice, you will want to train at 50 – 85 % of your maximum heart rate for moderate to vigorous exercise intensity. The chart below gives you a general idea of where you want your heart rate to be while hiking training.

Many cardio machines at the gym will track your heart rate for you.

However, it is a good idea to get a Fitbit for use at home, on a walk or run or even at work. Having a Fitbit will allow you to track your progress on the go which enables to be active anywhere. Also, having something on your wrist is a great way to remind you to keep training! We all need a little nudge sometimes.

If you are doing your cardio at the gym, any machine will do – stair climbers, treadmills (try increasing the incline slowly over time), ellipticals, spin bikes etc. Or simply get outside and jog, run (check out the ‘Couch to 5K’ program if you’re new to running), swimming, cycling, tennis and hiking, of course!

3. How to Condition Your Body for Better Balance

Multi day backpacking hikes are full of challenges to your balance and you’ll want to ensure you have a decent baseline in order to avoid trips, falls and potential injury. If you have not been convinced of the benefits of hiking training yet, the decreased chance of injury should be a big one!

And as we’ve mentioned (and we cannot mention it enough), you will also need a good set of trekking poles. Something like the BAFX Trekking Trail Poles are perfect for multi day hiking because they are lightweight, collapsible (so you can easily pack them away when you don’t need them) and super durable so they will last you through many hiking trips. These poles not only take a huge amount of impact off of your precious joints, they also help tremendously with your balance. No matter how much you train, you will end up with some fatigue and trekking poles will help to keep you going and save you from unnecessary injury.

At the end of this post, I will include easy and more challenging balance exercises you can attempt. Start with the easy ones and see how you fair. You can increase the difficulty by performing the exercise for a longer period of time, closing your eyes or progressing to more challenging exercises. Mix these into your hiking training regimen and try to include these 3 times a week.

For an effective way to challenge yourself and to increase the difficulty of balance exercises – get yourself a Wobble Balance Board or Bosu Balance Trainer. You’ve probably seen these in your gym, and for good reason. They are simple pieces of equipment that really help to challenge your balance and build all those tiny feet and leg muscles that are hard to target otherwise. These are used by beginners, during rehabilitation from an injury, and by athletes. They are great tools for everyone. And actually pretty fun!

BONUS: Your new exercise routine for lower body endurance will also help to improve your balance!

Seeing that you are here, you are probably interested in health and fitness. Learn more about how to stay fit no matter where you are in the world with our post ‘The Ultimate Guide on How to Exercise While Traveling‘ -> We review the easiest ways to add activity to your daily life, the best lightweight exercise gear, and a FREE 10 minute full body workout routine that you can do anywhere – no equipment needed. 💪💪💪

How to Transform Your Current Gym Exercise Routine to Train for Hiking

This section is for the second group of people – those of you who already train regularly in the gym. Again, this is a varied group, however, there is potential danger here. Depending on your current training routine, you may believe you are physically prepared for this hike but that may be far from the truth.

A large majority of people who train in the gym and who are focused on muscle bulking tend to focus on upper body, core and strength training. Again, this has its place in every day life but is not necessarily as important when training for a multi-day hike. So here’s a warning to all you guys who skip leg day: just do it! Tough it out because lower body endurance and strength will be your biggest advantage on the trail. Hiking training is just as important for this group!

Are you into road tripping? So are we! 😉 Check out all our car camping posts!

• ‘Why You Should Consider Overland Camper Travel’
• ‘Which Camper Vehicle is Best for You?’
• ’15 Green Tips on Responsible Overland Travel’
• ‘The Most Essential Items you Need for Car Camping’

Luckily, your upper body and core strength will come in handy on the hike. However, there may be some things you want to switch up or add to your current gym routine in order to transform your workouts appropriate for hiking training:

1. If your gym sessions tend to consist of high weight and low reps, consider adding endurance type training to your regular routine. Choose a few of the exercises listed below and challenge yourself to perform as many reps as you can without adding on any weight. Take note of how well you executed this task and continue increasing your reps and adding small amounts of weight over time.
2. Analyze your exercise regimen to ensure you are training the appropriate areas of your body (as listed above). Perhaps you need to add in some more lower body or balance exercises.
3. And for cardio, ensure you are including at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous cardiovascular activity at a minimum of 3-5 times a week.

Exercises to Create a Hiking Training Workout at Home or at the Gym

Core and Lower Body Exercises:

Quads:

1. Squats – Begin standing with you feet shoulder width apart. Squat down as if you were about to sit into a chair while ensuring your knees stay behind you toes. Hold, stand up and repeat.

2. Sumo squats – Adopt a wider stance than a regular squat. Squat down ensuring your knees stay behind your toes. Hold, stand up, repeat.

3. Walking lunges – Step forward with one leg, lower your hips until both knees are bent at about a 90-degree angle, ensure your front knee stays behind your toes and make sure your back knee doesn’t touch the floor. Stand up, step forward with the other leg and lunge. Repeat this in a walking pattern.

4. Single leg lunge – Begin with your back leg up on a step or chair. Lunge down until your front knee is bent to about 90 degrees, ensuring your knee stays behind your toes. Hold, stand up and repeat. Switch legs and begin again.

Glutes:

1. Glute bridge – Lay down with both knees bent and your core engaged. Lift both hips up equally, hold and return to your starting position.

2. Hip extensions – Begin by standing straight and holding onto a chair for balance. By moving at the hip, bring your entire leg straight back, ensuring to keep your knee straight and your chest up. Hold, return to your starting position and repeat. Switch legs and begin again.

3. Glute kick-backs – Begin on all fours, with a 90 degree bend in your knees and a neutral head and spine. Moving at the hip, lift one leg up until your thigh is in line with your torso. Hold, return to your starting position and repeat. Switch legs and begin again.

4. Side leg raise – Lay on your side with your hips stacked on top of each other. Bend your bottom leg in order to support you. Lift your top leg into the air, ensuring your knee stays straight and your hips do not rock forward or backward. Hold, return to your starting position and repeat. Switch legs and begin again.

5. Single leg glute bridge – Begin lying down with one leg bent and one leg straight in the air. Engage your core. Lift both hips up equally while keeping one leg bent and one leg straight. Hold, return to your starting position and repeat. Switch legs and begin again.

6. Step up with knee raise – Begin by standing straight in front of a secure chair. Lunge up onto the chair with one leg. Transfer your weight onto your front leg and pull yourself up until you are standing up on the chair. Raise up your opposite knee as high as you can. Hold, return to your starting position and repeat. Switch legs and begin again.

Hamstrings:

1. Crab walks – Get into the “crab” position. Leading with your feet, walk yourself forward and backward as if “walking like a crab”.

2. Glute-hamstring walkout – Begin in a bridge position with an engaged core. Step one foot out in front of you, return to starting position, then step your other foot out in front of you. Repeat.

3. Natural leg curl – Begin by standing up straight (for your first attempt, try this with a chair in front of you for balance). Bend your knee behind you and try to raise your foot up as high as you can, while keeping your knees in line with each other. Hold, return to your starting position and repeat. Switch legs and begin again.

4. Standing supermans – Begin by standing with one knee bent up in front of you as high as you can. Slowly begin to lower your leg and bring it behind you. Lift your leg up behind you as you are lifting your arms out in front of you. In the end position, your legs and arms should be parallel to each other. Hold, return to your starting position and repeat. Switch legs and begin again.

Lower Leg Exercises:

1. Calf raises – Begin by standing on a step with just the balls of your feet. Allow your heels to fall down below the step. Slowly raise your heels up as high as you can. Hold, return to your starting position and repeat. An aerobic platform step (like the one shown in the picture) can help to make some exercises more effective and versatile – If you are looking for one, The Step Original Aerobic Platform is a great option.

2. Reverse calf raise – Start by standing straight and have a chair in front of you for balance. Lift up your toes and the balls of your feet as far as you can. Hold, return to your starting position and repeat.

3. Seated calf raise – This is an easier version of the standing calf raise. Perform the same exercise sitting in a chair rather than standing.

Core Exercises:

1. Plank – Achieve the plank position by ensuring your elbows are under your shoulders, your elbows are bent at a 90 degree angle, your head and spine are in a neutral position and your hips are not sagging down. Hold this position as long as you can.

2. Side plank – Achieve the side plank position by keeping your elbow under your shoulder, ensuring a neutral head and spine and not allowing your hips to sag down. Hold this position for as long as you can.

3. Scissors – Begin by lying on your back with your arms next to your side and your legs pointed straight into the air above your hips. Ensure your core is engaged and your lower back has contact with the floor.  “Scissor” your legs by allowing one leg to go lower and one leg to go higher while crossing them over each other. Switch legs and repeat.

3. Double leg lift – Begin by lying on your back with your arms next to your side. Lift both legs straight up together while ensuring your core is engaged and your lower back has contact with the floor. Hold and repeat.

4. Bird-dog – Begin on all fours with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Engage your core by pulling your abs in to your spine. Reach one arm forward and the opposite leg back, ensuring to keep your back and pelvis stable and not allowing your back to sag. Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.

5. Plank walk out – Begin in your proper plank position. Lift one leg up as far as you can and step it out beside you. Return to starting position and repeat on the other leg.

Balance Exercises:

*You can increase the difficulty of any balance exercise by closing your eyes or by adding a Wobble Balance Board or Bosu Balance Trainer.

Easier Exercises for Beginners:

1. Grapevine walk – Begin standing with both arms out to your side for balance. Walk sideways by crossing one foot in front of the other, then by crossing one foot behind the other. Continue walking sideways in this manner.

2. Heel-to-toe walk – Begin standing with both arms out to your side for balance. Walk forward by placing one foot in front of the other, ensuring to touch your heel to your toe with each step. Continue walking forward in this manner.

3. Single leg stance – Begin by standing straight with a chair in front of you for balance. Lift one leg off the ground so you are left balancing on a single leg. Hold this position as long as you can. Now try the same thing on the other leg.

4. Leg swings – Begin standing with both arms out to your side or with a chair in front of you for balance. While keeping your knee straight, lift one leg in front of you and then swing it back behind you. Continue swinging your leg as long as you can. Then try this on your other leg.

More Challenging Balance Exercises:

1. Leg swings and squats on bosu ball or foam pad – Perform your regular leg swings or squats on a foam pad/pillow or bosu ball in order to increase the difficulty.

2. Single leg squats – Begin with your arms out to the side and one knee bent up in front of you. Squat down with your opposite leg, as if you were about to sit on a chair, and ensure your knee stays behind your toe. Hold, return to your starting position and repeat. Switch legs and begin again.

3. Single leg T-stance – To achieve the T-stance, bend forward, bring your arms out in front of you and one leg back behind you until your arms and leg are parallel. Hold this position as long as you can. Now try it with your other leg.

4. Single leg agility dots – Begin with your arms out to the side and one knee bent up in front of you. As if there were four dots on the floor in front of you, try to jump to each dot while standing on one leg. Switch up the speed and pattern of your jumps.

What do you do to train for long hikes, thru hikes and backpacking trips? Let us know in the comments below!

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