Unlike an ultramarathon training plan, these hiking exercises are easy to do and won’t leave you feeling pressured or worn out. I’ve been hiking for over 30 years now and have used every activity listed here to prepare for some pretty challenging hikes.

Let’s look at what it takes to get hiking fit, including some personal thoughts.

What exercises are best for hiking?

The following exercises practiced regularly, will boost your hiking fitness fast:

• Regular brisk walks
• Hill runs with a weighted backpack
• Running
• Goblet squats
• Deadlifts
• Squats
• Box step up
• Leg presses
• Lunges

Let’s break down each of these activities…

View every walk as a training hike

Browsing the web and searching for ways to train is daunting – there are a huge number of plans which, for the most part, are simply too complicated. The simplest piece of advice I can offer for beginner and seasoned hikers alike is this: use every walk you do as a training hike. But what does this mean?

Training tip 1: walk fast, everywhere

No matter where you are, when you’re on your feet and you need to get your body accustomed to moving at a pace that raises your heart rate to a point just outside your comfort zone. Why? Because hiking can be a tough activity and the more adaptations you can force on your cardiovascular system the better prepared you’ll be for longer, harder walking routes.

This doesn’t mean you need to force your body into a high state of stress. Instead, you need to elevate your heart rate and breathing to a point that feels a little uncomfortable which will force your body to adapt. Even a small amount of regular exercise at a brisk pace will result in huge positive gains and make your trips more fun and less arduous.

An everyday walk, on the streets or out with the family, is an ideal opportunity to start your training. Even a 30-minute brisk walk fires up your heart and lungs, producing huge benefits.

Note: Use your everyday walks to prime your body for hikes. Move at a brisk pace that leaves you a little out of breath.

Workout with a weighted backpack

Simply put, training with a weighted pack is the most effective way to improve your hiking fitness. Why? Because you’re teaching your body the demands that come with carrying weight on your back. Let’s delve deeper into this aspect of training

Training tip 2: getting your backpack weight right

No matter where you are and how fast you travel, wear a backpack with an appropriate weight (more on this latter aspect in just a moment). Firstly, this tip is a skill in itself – finding the right starting point is down to you, but we’ll give you some additional pointers.

Always start light. In other words, pick a weight you can carry without placing a huge strain on your body, in particular your chest and shoulders. We recommend the following:

• Start light. Choose a pack weight of 15 lbs, which is adequate as a starting point and produces little strain on your body.
• Build up slow. Over the weeks add small increments of weight to your backpack, ideally a couple of pounds per week.
• Ensure your backpack is well-fitted. Tighten all straps, in particular the chest straps, to ensure a close, comfortable fit which reduces movement of your rucksack.
• Carry ‘good weight’. Don’t use bricks or dumbbell plates. Instead, load your pack with items you can use such as food, water, and clothing.
• Right-size your backpack. A backpack that is too large will result in your gear shifting as you walk producing uncomfortable rubbing and even blisters.

Note: Start with a light weight in a right-sized backpack and don’t fill it with items that are of no use such as bricks and metal plates.

Running is a great form of cardio for hikers

Whilst not everyone enjoys running, it’s a great way to boost your cardiovascular fitness fast. A consistent training plan produces positive gains in as little as 4 – 6 weeks. On top of improved cardio, running produces gains in lower body muscle mass beneficial to your hiking activities.

Training tip 3: regular running

Create a plan of at least 3 runs per week, but don’t take it easy hard. Your aim is to improve your overall fitness rather than prepare for a long-distance run.

Your path to getting fit isn’t hard work and following guidance will be more than adequate as a training guide:

• Start with short runs. Run for 1 mile at a pace that doesn’t strain your heart and lungs. If this means you’re running 10 minutes, that’s fine.
• Run 3 times per week. And make this a regular activity to encourage your body to adapt.
• Introduce gradual increases in the distance over time. Add 10% to your distance each week. For example, if you cover 3 miles running in your first week of training, make the total for the second week 3.3 miles. Too much? Then ease it back to 5% increments.
• Run up hills. Leg power is important for your hikes and a few hill reps added into one training session per week results in increased strength and stamina
• Listen to your body (or use a sports watch). When running, you’ll soon become aware of how hard you’re working and if you feel overly tired, ease off.

Note: when you first start running carry out the hill reps once every two weeks. When done right this is a tough form of training and your body won’t thank you for going too hard, too fast. As your strength and stamina improve add more sessions until you run uphill fast once a week.

Workouts for hikers

Training for hiking in the gym is pound for pound, one of the most effective ways to build strength and stamina. I use a variety of exercises in my training plan. Additionally, these exercises can be performed with a weighted backpack.

The key to improving your hiking muscles’ strength and stamina is through gradually increased load and reps. Whatever you do, don’t go too heavy too fast.

Training tip 4: use the gym to get strong for hiking

Here’s the list of exercises I use for muscle building:

Squats (aka back squats)

Back squats aka squats are excellent exercises for developing powerful leg and back muscles which are important considerations for those hard days on the hill.

How to perform a squat

Safety first: if you’re a beginner use a Smith Machine as it removes some of the pressure on your lower back and the bar can be easily racked if you can’t get in a full rep.

1. Set the bar in place so that it rests across the top of your upper back.
2. Load the bar with a weight that allows you to complete 10 reps.
3. Stand under the bar, hands gripping a little wider than shoulder width, push up with your legs to take the weight, and roll the bar back to unlatch.
4. Squat down, keeping your abs tight and pulling yourself tight to the bar.
5. At the bottom of the squat pause, then push up until your legs are straight.

A free-weight squat is performed using a rack where the bar isn’t connected in any way. This type of squat is harder as it places more load on your lower back, and the risk of injury is higher.

Other benefits of squats:

• Calorific burn. Heavy, or high-rep, squats burn calories fast leading to weight loss. Research has shown this burning of calories can last hours after your training session is complete.
• Develops supporting muscles. In addition to strengthening your quads, squats produce strength and stability gains in the hips, hamstring, and oblique muscles.

Goblet squats

Goble squats target and develop the quads and glutes, two critical muscles hikers need strong for hill climbs and moving over difficult ground

How to perform a goblet squat?

A goblet squat is performed by holding a weight in your hands.

1. Press the weight close to your chest and squat in the same way as a traditional squat.
2. As you squat down to the lowest point ensure your elbows are between your knees.
3. When you reach the bottom of the squat, pause, the press back to the start position.

Goblet squats are less demanding on your body as they don’t place a load on your lower back.

Other benefits of goblet squats:

• A great exercise for beginners. Easier than a traditional squat, the goblet squat reduces strain on your lower back. In addition, the movement is more natural as it’s similar to day-to-day activities such as lifting boxes, and heavy items, from the ground.
• Targets the core muscles. By placing the load at the front of your body you increase the activation of core muscles (abs,

Deadlifts

The deadlift is the Swiss Army Knife of leg muscle development – it does pretty much everything. Hips, quads, hamstrings, core, upper, and lower back muscles are all worked when you deadlift.

How to perform a deadlift

The deadlift is performed using free weights – a barbell.

1. Load the bar with a weight that allows you to complete 10 reps.
2. Secure the weights with collars.
3. Bend your knees until you hold the bar with your hands shoulder-width apart.
4. Keeping your back straight and neck in a straight line, straighten your legs.
5. As you rise, keep the bar as close to your legs as possible.
6. As your legs straighten, push your hips forward into the bar and bring your body upright.
7. Pause, then lower the bar by reversing the above steps.

Other benefits of deadlifts:

• Strengthens forearms. Grip strength will improve through repeated deadlifts as will your forearm muscles because you need to hold a lot of weight in your hands.
• Improved lower back flexibility. This is an important consideration for hikers who move over uneven and loose terrain, or up hills.

Box step up

I love box step-ups. They’re easy to do, require minimal equipment and the results are amazing. As the exercise mimics the exact movements when you’re hiking uphill, or over large boulders, you’re guaranteed to get a workout that trains the muscle groups you’ll need to develop.

How to perform a box step-up

First, find a box or step that requires you to bring your thigh parallel to the ground when you place your foot on it.

• Lift your left foot up and step onto the box;
• Ensure the entire sole of your foot is on the box;
• Using only the muscles in your left leg, step up;
• Bring your right onto the box, beside your left;
• Step down with your right foot;
• Repeat for 10 -12 reps, then start again with your right foot.

Other benefits of box step-ups:

• Develops core muscles. When you step up your body will attempt to find a natural balance point and will engage your core muscles. This group is important as it helps stabilize your upper body when you’re carrying a heavy backpack.
• Strengthens lower leg muscles. Including those in your ankles. Stepping up and finding a balance point works the calf, tibialis anterior, and soleus muscle groups.

Note: To further build muscle strength and endurance, hold a dumbbell or kettlebell weight in each hand.

Leg presses

Leg presses are similar to squats, but you perform them in a reclined position. Most gyms have one of these machines and they’re a great way to develop your lower body without putting a strain on your back.

How to perform leg presses

• Lie on the machine and adjust the settings until your knees are at a 90-degree angle;
• Select a weight you can press 10 – 12 times without reaching the point of failure;
• Keep your feet flat on the footplate, then push into your heels and press up;
• When your legs are fully extended, pause for a second before ‘squatting’ back down under control.

Other benefits of the leg press:

• Isolates the legs. Because you’re not supporting a free weight on your shoulders and having to balance all the emphasis is placed on the leg muscles.
• You can go heavier. A leg press machine provides stability in a similar way to the Smith Machine provide. This removes the need for your core muscles to compensate and allows to you move more weight in your training sessions.

Lunges

Lunges work the same muscle groups as the box step up, but are a little easier to perform as the exercise is carried out on the floor. The only issue I find is that it’s sometimes harder to find the right balance point aka I only stumble when doing lunges!

How to perform lunges

• Find a moderate weight (dumbbell or kettlebell) and grip it with your right hand;
• Stand feet shoulder-width apart;
• Step forward with your left foot and plant it firmly on the ground;
• Your left upper leg should be parallel to the floor;
• Push up by pressing your left heel into the ground;
• Repeat 10 – 12 times;
• Switch the weight to your left hand and repeat the exercise using your right leg.

Note: If you’re unable to complete this exercise ditch the weight until you’re stronger and more confident.

Crunches

Often forgotten, the abdominal muscles are important stabilizers that help support a weighted pack and keep you in an upright position that allows your lungs to fully inflate. Without good core strength, you’re going to look like a jellified mass after a long day on the trails!

How to perform crunches

• Lie flat on the floor with knees at a 45 degree angle;
• Place your hands across your chest;
• Contract the abdominal muscles and raise your upper body into a seated position;
• Keeping your abs tight, lower yourself back to the floor;
• Repeat until your abs are screaming for mercy (Joke! Start with 10 reps and, over the course of six weeks, build up to 30).

Other benefits of crunches:

• Work the oblique muscles. Located on either side of your abs, the obliques are a keep muscle group used to support the upper body.
• You’ll look great on the beach!: Toned obliques give your abdomen tone and shape making you look amazing when it comes time to whip off your t-shirt.

Note: A half-sit is a good alternative if you’re not able to complete a full crunch. And if you want to hit your obliques harder try the Russian Twist (basically, a crunch but at the top of the movement you bring your right elbow over to touch your left knee).

Bridges

As well as good abdominal strength you’re going to need to work on your lower back to maximize the strength in the supporting muscles. A bridge is a simple and effective exercise you can perform anywhere. Well, except on the bathroom floor – that’s too dirty!

How to perform a bridge

• Lie flat on the floor;
• Slide your feet back towards your buttocks until your knees are at a 45 degree angle;
• Press your shoulders into the floor and raise your buttocks until your abdomen and thighs form a straight line;
• Repeat 10 – 12 times.

Other benefits of the bridge:

• Strengthens the hamstrings. This muscle is vital in helping other leg muscles, the hips, and the lower back to operate efficiently (all very key considerations for hikers);
• Improves flexibility. Which is vital when you have to move across uneven or difficult ground.

Note: You can further increase the difficulty and muscle growth by holding a barbell plate on your stomach, or using a Smith Machine to add resistance.

Wrapping it all up

Some of these hiking exercises might seem daunting, but don’t be too worried. This ‘how to train for hiking guide’ was written with completeness in mind which is why there are so many options available. If you’re not keen on going to the gym, use the first three tips as the foundation for your training plan.

The post Hiking Exercises: how to train for hiking appeared first on Hillways.

The Garmin stress score is a detailed metric showing how your body responds to physical activity and the speed at which your body recovers. The scoring can be used by athletes to plan their training efforts to coincide with the times when they have the most energy. At the heart of the system, Garmin uses your heart rate, and variability, to track the stresses on your body.

That’s the technical jargon out of the way, now let’s get down to the ins and out of Garmin’s stress score system and what it means for you.

Note: this scoring system is not available on older watches such as the Tactix Delta Charlie (review here), etc. If you want this function you’ll need a more recent model from their watch range.

Stress level grading

Garmin’s measures stress score on a scale of 0 – 100, which is a pretty wide range. One way to look at it is this:

Zero equals uber-chilled. In fact, you’ve probably zoned out and there’s nothing that can upset the delicate balance of your training regimen. If you have one at all!

One hundred is the danger zone. Your life, your training and your future prospects look dim. In fact, if you don’t ease off and take some time off training, and get a good sleep, you’re in dange of burnout, or worse!

Okay, so that was a little tongue in cheek, but I think you get the idea. The lower your stress score, the faster your body will recover after a hard workout.

Note: your sports watch provides constant tracking which is why it’s important to wear it at night. Heart Rate Variability (HRV), a recent addition to the Garmin’s range of watches, is a key metric. HRV is monitored when you’re on the move and at rest. Accuracy drops if you’re not wearing your watch.

How accurate is Garmin’s Stress Score?

I’m going to go oout on a limb here and give my personal view on accuracy. The score seems to be pretty accurate; following a long run, a time when I’m tired, my watch pretty much tells me as much. And when I’m fully rested and ready for the next training session… you’ve guessed it – my watch is correct.

But that’s not really the heart of the matter. After all, we humans are pretty good at estimating when we feel good, and when we feel bad. However, we don’t always get it right, or we are too eager to get back into training.

Which is where stress score accuracy comes into play.

On the whole, as I mentioned above, the metrics I see feel like an accurate representation of my stress level. And I tend to side with Garmin’s interpretation when planning out my training sessions. Let me explain…

If my watch says I need 50 hours rest following a 100km run, I follow that advice.

If my watch says it’s okay to kick off a new running, or hiking, session after 12 hours, I follow that advice.

But why? After all, am I not a good judge of my body’s state? Yes, and I’m rarely wrong. For me, the key issue is one of assuming I’m ready to run, or hike, again, when I’m clearly not. You know, the Superman effect… nothing can hold me back. Unless I start flagging halfway through a sesion I started too soon, then trip and injure my ankle.

So I put some of my faith in the digital partner strapped to my wrist.

One point to note before we move on. In the early days the scoring seemed erratic, but that was because my wriststrap was loose. Keep it snug to your wrist, a little way above your wristbone, but not too tight that circulation stops and get that ‘dead arm’ feeling!

Wait! There is one more comment to make. This functionality is not to used as a way to diagnose medical conditions associated with stress. Garmin’s intention is that you use it for purely personal purposes.

A good level of stress, according to Garmin?

Quick recap: 0 equals a resting, possibly comatose state. 100 equals your peronsal dager zone. Got it? Cool, let’s move on

So, what is a good Garmin Stress Score?

According the manufacturers guide, aim for a score of between 25 and 50 to maintain a stress-free day. Which goes against the grain of why this feature exists on Garmin watches! As we all know, the application of stress improves performance (as long as you rest between sessions). And it’s fact that makes the previous statement, well, silly!

By keeping your body in an unstressed state, no adaption takes place. Your pace and recover don’t improve, and you’ll never experience the utter joy of beating your annoying work colleague ‘Mr. 50 Trophies’ over the finish line of a marathon. Hmm, see where my motivations are rooted?

Joking aside, remain in the recommended zone and your cardio will flatline.

What factors affect your stress score?

The list of factors affecting stress score and quite scientific, so here are some personal thoughts.

When I’ve had a few drinks, my stress score pogos up and down. Alcohol causes an increase in blood pressure and, as a consquence, your HRV drops. The drop results in an increased stress score.

Snoring, and a poor night’s sleep, also cause flucutations in my HRV (the image below shows my HRV following a paticularly ‘loud’ night). As you can see, the variability score fluctuated and I felt drained for pretty much the whole day.

Being ill – an unavoidable fact of life – will kick your HRV where it hurts! Fingers crossed, I’ve not been ill since I had COVID in early 2022 and am unable to show you the results illness has on HRV.

A good night of sleep ramps up your stress score. As we know, sound and restful sleep is one of the many components of a healthy life. And stress score. Make sure you get plenty of ZZZs.

To my mind, those are the key factors. Garmin has a full list here.

How to lower your score?

Now that you have an understanding of the scoring system, you’re not doubt wondering how to reduce the overall stress on your body, right?

The simple way to reduce your stress score is to have a solid training plan accommodating both training and rest periods. And stick to the plan. Be aware that intense training sessions spike your stress resulting in a proportionate period of relaxation.

As mentioned, factors such as poor sleep, snoring and alcohol impact your level of stress. For me, good sleep is key to not only feeling positice, but also waking refreshed ready for the rigours of my next run, or hike. Quitting alcohol is not essential, but I find drinking in moderation, and stopping before 2000 (except at weekends!) makes a huge difference to how I feel in the morning. As for snoring – get yourself some good quality nasal strips; they work a treat and, for good measure, they’re fantastic for opening your nasal passage when training.

Which watches have stress score built in?

As I mentioned back at the start of this post, some of the older Garmin watches don’t have the stress score built into them. Way back when, the technology wasn’t available and so we had to make do with intuition aka “I don’t feel goo today”. The more recent additions to Garmin’s range have this function built in and include the Vivoactive 4, Tactix Delta, Fenix 5 upwards and Vivosmart 4 (this last option is a great activity tracker – I own, and still use, my Vivosmart 3 HR)

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Simon, a friend from way back, is now based out in the United States. He’s a keen runner and hiker. Amongst his repertoire of achievements, he’s completed a number of ultra-marathons, regularly canoes long distance along the rivers in New York state and skis. His preferred hiking watch is the Garmin Tactix Bravo.

Here are Simon’s thoughts on this watch:

I love it. It does everything that I need especially as I do a large range of activities… snow shoe, xcountry ski, hike, run, indoor run, row, bike, kayak etc.

There are many pros to this watch, too many to list so here’s a quick rundown of the points that matter to me. Whilst it’s not as up to date at watches like the Fenix 6 (reviewed here), the rugged design and no nonsense functionality make it one of the best hiking watches I’ve ever used. In fact, it’s the perfect all-rounder and I’ve used it for ultra marathons, kayaking and long distance bike rides.

Did I mention the price? It’s way less expensive that many of the more modern watches.

Garmin’s regular updates of the Tactix help keep the watch at the forefront of the multi-activity sports watch clan. I’m sure there will come a time when technology leaves it behind in favour of cutting edge devices, but for now it does exactly what I need it to.

Great to create bespoke workout screens. This lets me multi activity workouts. Whilst we’re on the topic, the hardened screen is great although any extra protection will ensure a much longer life. As you’d expect from any watch aimed at serious hikers and sportspeople, it has been engineered to be rugged and then some. Even though it’s no spring chicken and has taken a few knocks there is very little sign of wear (the surround has a few scuffs and scrapes

In my opinion it’s… ‘One watch to rule them all, one watch to find them, one watch to bring them all… and in the darkness bind them’ :@)

I can’t finish this review without adding a few cons.

The Tactix is a little too bulky to wear all day and especially at night to gain sleep data. I use a Vivosmart during the day and night when I am not specifically exercising which is far smaller and lighter.

Large form means it is liable to get knocked about when wearing all day.  The black finish tends to take abuse and show nicks and therefore seems much older than it is.

Slow screen changes when you put a bespoke screen on (see pic). Once I created my own screen the change to other screens sometimes takes seconds.

On the down side, the plastic strap breaks quite easily… specifically the ‘ladder rungs’ on the non-clasp side that the clasp locks into.

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