Fitness Training For Hikers

Do you want to be fit for an upcoming hike AND avoid having stiff muscles afterwards?

Fitness training gently builds up and maintains your fitness and stamina between hikes. It will prepare and ready your body to stay the course when out hiking and help you progress to the level of hiking you want to do.

The fitness training we do takes up very little time per day and it’s about making it fun. We cover training plans for hikers and warm-up and cool-down exercises on our fitness training plans page.

(Right) Even John's two year old son, Joshua, loves trying out one of the training activities - the mini trampoline!

How will fitness training help my hiking?

• Builds Stamina
  By increasing and maintaining your overall stamina for cardiovascular activities your body will be able to hike comfortably for longer. Conversely, the lower your stamina and the longer and more strenuous the hike the more likely you are to become exhausted and need more rests.

• Builds Muscle Strength
  Through training you aim to develop and strengthen the muscles and tendons in your legs, hips and back to give you the power in your lower body. By improving your arms and upper body strength you be able to using trekking poles to greater effect to help you as well.

• Aids Recovery & Avoids Stiffness
  Having strong muscles increases their flexibility and capability to handle exercise. Muscle stiffness after hikes will reduce and as you maintain a good level of fitness stiffness will tail off. Similarly, your overall muscle and energy recovery will be quicker. You will be able to go to work after a good weekend hiking without walking like John Wayne and needing another night’s sleep by lunchtime.
  
  

What do I need?

1. Keep it simple. Make use of the outdoors on your doorstep. Use local parks, footpaths and trails to walk frequently over increasing distances. (Above) Dolores, David's wife, takes in a training walk passing through a gate for giants!

2. Use fitness equipment you already have in your home. We have a closer look at the best of these e.g. cycling, and a few others you might not have thought of, on our fitness gear for hikers page.

3. Write your own fitness training plan for maximum benefit.

4. If you are flagging at certain parts of the exercising or sections of a hike (steep uphills!), there is a great breathing technique that can boost your performance; diaphragmatic breathing when exercising.