8 Exercises that Will Turn You into a Powerful Hiker

A listener named Tess who lives in the Southern Hemisphere called the Get-Fit Guy hotline and asked:

"It's spring here in New Zealand, and I am starting to think about heading for the hills to start hiking again. Do you have suggestions for exercises in the gym that would be useful to get me fit enough? The type of hiking I do involves big steps up and down and scrambling over rocks, so in the past I've found getting a bit of leg strength has been good."

Tess is right on the mark. Getting a bit of leg strength is a great place to start. But I would also encourage her to work on her leg stability, balance, core strength, and overall stamina if she really wants to become a powerful hiker who can go anywhere with ease and confidence.

You need strength, stamina, agility, and balance to tackle those wilderness trails.

The truth is, hiking is not just a walk in the woods. You really do need strength, stamina, agility, and balance to tackle those wilderness trails. 

Be prepared

Unless you're among the most active of people in the world, you won't enjoy yourself if you simply stand up from your couch or desk, slip on your hiking shoes, and hit the trail. You'll most likely need to prepare for your hike. 

Trails are the opposite of the flat, smooth surfaces we're used to walking on. They're uneven, tend to include some amount of elevation gain, and may have obstacles that you'll need to navigate. The good news is that preparing for these challenges isn't as hard as you think and won't cost you hours and hours in the gym. 

Movements to build into your daily life

Here are a few things you can start doing as a part of your normal routine without even calling them a workout. 

Whenever possible, get off the safe and smooth pavement and walk on a surface that challenges your proprioception.

Start spending more time walking on uneven or unstable surfaces. Navigating uneven terrain can go a long way toward building strong and pain-free feet. Find some gravel, sand, or dirt and walk on it. Whenever possible, get off the safe and smooth pavement and walk on a surface that challenges your proprioception (sense stimuli arising within the body regarding position, motion, and equilibrium). Doing this builds the neural connections and muscles that will protect your hips, knees, ankles, and feet when you're on a long and challenging hike. 

Increase your range of motion by moving more of your body, more often, in more different ways. Do things like squatting to unload the...

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