Fit for your next hiking vacation
Hiking is becoming increasingly popular—especially in these times of the Corona pandemic. No wonder: you're outdoors in the fresh air, alone or in good company, hiking past picturesque scenery through forests, fields, or mountainous landscapes, relaxing in nature. There are countless blogs and articles to help you make sure you don't forget anything important when packing your backpack. Whether it's a day trip, a weekend hike, or a guided mountain trekking tour: for such trips, you may need a slightly differently packed backpack.
But that's not what today is about. Many beginner or occasional hikers underestimate one thing: their own fitness. Is your body fit enough for a long hike, perhaps several days in a row? Today we want to address this and give you great tips on how you can boost your fitness and stamina beforehand so you don't sit discouraged by the side of the trail on day one because your muscles refuse to cooperate.
As a beginner hiker, how do I prepare my body for a hiking vacation?
You think all you need to do is pack your backpack properly and own the right hiking boots, and then you're good to go? A one-week hiking vacation will be a breeze—even as an inexperienced hiker? That could easily go wrong. Good preparation is everything when hiking. Starting with accurate route planning in advance, possible reservations at mountain huts/overnight lodges, right down to the right footwear: you have to keep many small details in mind, and every single one matters. But what about your endurance and overall fitness? What about your legs, feet, and calves?
Especially as an inexperienced hiker, you can prepare your body well for your planned hiking vacation. In addition to the lower extremities just mentioned, the entire back section, the abdominal muscles, and the shoulder and neck area are equally important body parts that will be stressed during your hiking trip. Even if you meticulously adhered to your packing list for your hiking backpack and packed only the lightest possible items with a small pack size for the tour, the backpack still carries a certain weight. That weight is naturally better distributed if you rented or bought a good hiking or trekking backpack. These usually feature waist and chest straps as well as a special frame that distributes weight more evenly across your entire body. Nevertheless, the weight of your gear rests on your shoulders, upper back, and lower back for hours. And your ab muscles have to brace against it. So you see: it's not just your feet, calves, thighs, and glutes that work hard while hiking; your core and upper body also have to perform during multi-hour hikes every day. It's only forward-thinking to prepare these parts of your body properly for the coming strains in addition to building general physical endurance capacity.
Which exercises are especially suited to get fit for a hiking vacation?
Now you might ask what exactly you can do to prepare your body as best as possible for the exertion of a hiking vacation. Here, we present a few simple exercises that can help build or maintain your hiking fitness:
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Regular jogging for good stamina: Either you regularly go for a run outside or indoors on your treadmill. The magic word here is “regularly.” This gets your cardiovascular system used to the peak loads you might experience while hiking uphill.
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Do you have a rowing machine at home? Fantastic – then let's get to it! On the rowing machine, you not only build excellent stamina, but you can also prepare your entire shoulder and back area as well as your core perfectly for your hiking vacation. The perfect full-body workout.
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Simple, but effective for several reasons: Go for longer regular walks in your local area. If you bought new hiking boots, you can ideally break them in during the weeks before your hiking vacation – preferably wearing the actual hiking socks you'll be using. Carry a slightly heavier backpack or – even better – your newly purchased trekking backpack to get used to the weight of your hiking luggage. This also trains your entire core at the same time. Start with short outings and then gradually increase the duration.
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Bodyweight exercises such as planks, push-ups, or squats are great for stabilizing and training your core in particular.
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Climbing stairs is the perfect calf workout. Do you live on the top floor of an apartment building, or are your office premises located on one of the upper floors? Then take the stairs every chance you get. Feel free to do an extra lap in the stairwell during your lunch break, too. Elevators are off-limits from now on!
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Cycling, Nordic walking, or swimming are also suitable for gradually building endurance.
Being fit for a hiking vacation – start early
Don't start your preparations just two weeks before your planned hiking vacation. It's best to get your body in shape four to six months before your trip begins. After all, you don't want to be at the end of your strength every evening at the end of a day's stage; you want to enjoy the beautiful scenery around you along the way. That works best when you are reasonably fit to endure several long day tours without your body going on strike along the way. Start by building basic endurance. Then progress by working with (extra) weights, and afterwards do a 'test run' of a full hiking day with all your gear and the whole shebang.
So if you know that a hiking vacation is planned for next year, it's best to start endurance training for your hiking trip right now—because being fit is the best prerequisite for enjoying the vacation and minimizing the risk of injury.
