Shape up before you hit the trail on tour, says Julia Clarke of Advnture.com
LEARNING TO GET FIT for hiking helps to increase your stamina and improve your leg strength, so you can go further. So before you lace up your boots on tour, add these six tips to your routine.
Walk, walk and walk
Before you start climbing mountains, start adding more functional walking to your daily routine. Walk to work if you can, or take a walk on your lunch break. Walk to the shops, or park a little further out when you’re going into town.
To keep track, we highly recommend investing in a fitness tracker or GPS watch – and wear your hiking boots, as this gives you a chance to break them in.
Take the stairs
Hiking tends to involve quite a bit of incline, so it’s good to start climbing before you get to the trail. Skip the lift or escalator and take the stairs.
Climbing the stairs, focus on engaging your hip flexors to lift your knee, and engaging glutes and quads as you drive your heel down to straighten your knee and come into hip extension. Make sure you also take the stairs down, so you can practise engaging your quads on the descent, and in both directions, ensure that your knee isn’t dropping inward.
Cardio plus strength
Hiking involves low-impact cardiovascular activity and leg strength, so make sure you train both of these. Any low-impact aerobic training will support you once you get on the trail – walking, swimming, cycling, elliptical, jogging, even yoga.
Aim for at least 60-minute bouts of low-intensity cardio several times a week.
You also want to train leg strength, to help with endurance, reduce injury risk and decrease your chances of muscle soreness following a hike.
Consider pilates, yoga, working out with resistance bands and common exercises for hikers, such as squats and lunges. Always consult a professional trainer or physical therapist for help in approaching these exercises safely.
Load your backpack
Even if you’re only heading out on a day hike from your caravan, you’re likely
