Summit Strength‘s Rowan Smith offers sound advice for training for that big hike.
My earliest bushwalking memory is of the Cascades Trail in Garigal NP, NSW. I often walked with my dad and my brothers. At the bottom of the trail was the ‘Cascades’ where we would catch tadpoles, race stick ‘boats’ through the water and stuff our faces with snacks.
I’m an online personal trainer for hikers and trekkers. I help hikers get strong and pain-free so they can conquer every adventure. I first started working with hikers a few years ago, when I got a job at a simulated Altitude gym. It became evident that there were so many hikers who needed help; to get ready for big trips, overcome aches and pains, or simply feel more comfortable and confident in their local hiking. I realised with my background in hiking and my years of experience as a trainer and coach I could help them, and that was where Summit Strength was born.
I work with hikers of all shapes and sizes and in all different situations, but typically most of the people who come to see me need help in one of two areas:
- They have a slightly bigger trail adventure ahead and are concerned they won’t be ready. And while they are doing a bit of training, they are not sure whether all this time and effort they are investing is the best way to prepare for this particular type of challenge properly.
- They struggle with some pain on the trail. These often include knee, back, foot or just general muscle pain.
Two common mistakes I see from people preparing for long-distance hikes are:
- Only doing their training through walking and hiking. Yes, this is an important part of your preparations but if this is all you are doing, you are selling yourself short. I recommend you consider things like strength training, hiking specific interval training and mobility training.
- Ignoring aches, pains and injuries. If you have any issues like this, they will not magically get better. You need to do specific work to get on top of them. So talk to a professional and get the direction you need.
Core strength plays a big role when hiking with a heavy pack. And developing your core can help your hiking performance, comfort, and reduce the risk of aches and pains. If you have dodgy knees, the best piece of advice is to start doing some specific, structured strength training. Areas you want to target are the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings and calves. Each of these muscles plays an important role in knee stability.
If you want to train for hills, beyond getting your legs strong (with strength training) and practising hills in your local neighbourhood (both with and without a pack), one method of training is called ‘aerobic power intervals’. These intervals are designed to help improve your breathing going up hills.
This is how you do it: Find a stationary bike, an elliptical or a long set of stairs; go quick for 3 minutes; rest for 1.5 minutes; repeat this 5-9 times. Each week you do this, either add an extra repeat or push a bit quicker. Over time this can do incredible things for your hill hiking.
Words_Rowan Smith