How to train for hiking

A multi-day hiking trip can be the adventure of a lifetime. Hiking for days on end enables you to explore places you simply can’t get to by any other mode of transportation. It also gives you the opportunity to live very simply outside the constraints and commitments of everyday life. These experiences will stay with you forever, which is why preparing properly for a big hiking trip is absolutely key.

Many people focus on route planning, logistics and gear when preparing for hiking trips. These are all essential areas to have thoroughly planned out. However, making sure you prepare your body for the trip is also imperative.

Getting into shape for your next hiking trip means you’ll be able to do more miles in comfort. You’ll be able to hike faster, leaving you more time to sit and enjoy that waterfall you’ll spend 3 hours hiking to. Undertaking a training plan will also help prevent injury. Having strong knees and ankles is essential when you are carrying a loaded pack on demanding terrain. And a training plan will get these joints fully supported by strengthening all their surrounding muscles.

The end results of getting fit and strong for a multi-day hiking trip is very simply an increased level of enjoyment. Feeling more comfortable, avoiding injury, and covering more distance with ease means that the whole experience will be the best it could possibly be.

So, start your training plan well in advance of your trip and you’ll be flying up those mountains in no time.

For more information on hiking training, take a read of Cool of the Wild’s article on how to train for hiking. And in the meantime, you can get started on some strength exercises that you can do at home, in the park or at the beach with little equipment:

Mountain climbers

Step ups

Banded side-steps

Hip thrusters

Bulgarian split squats

Band pull-aparts