Yes, hiking is a great way to get trail-ready, but it’s not enough. Follow these backpacking fitness tips and routines to hike stronger, longer and healthier.
Your feet carry you every step of the way, so don’t neglect them in your training. This workout hits every major muscle group while building foot strength, which improves mobility and balance and safeguards against common injuries. Complete this circuit once a week along with a cardio and strength regimen, and allow yourself at least six weeks to train before a big hike.
Whether it’s a moderate overnight load or 45 pounds of expedition gear, the moment you put on a pack your body must acclimate to additional pressure on your joints, muscles, and spine. Add these exercises to your workout routine to feel like a champ no matter how much you're carrying.
Escape the gym with these movement-based routines designed to take your workout outdoors.
Before you hit the trail, try these exercises to build leg strength and stamina.
Does “go big or go home” hold up on a dawn-to-dusk mission?
Stay ready for the trails with these simple exercises you can do at home.
Up your fitness the easy way with these simple exercises.
Go from couch potato to trail monster with these simple tips from a personal trainer.
A strong body helps you get out into nature, but a well-trained mind makes the time count. Use these three exercises to derive more rejuvenation from your next hike.
Can our writer get in the best hiking shape of his life—without doing a single hike over 10 miles?
You train your legs for the trail, right? Now do the same for your upper body and make your days on the water easier. Bonus: These exercises work the same muscles that help you carry a heavy pack.
Less oxygen? No problem. Crush your alpine goals—whether ski-touring in winter or hiking in summer—with these tips from Peter Hackett, MD, founder of the Institute for Altitude Medicine.
Use pressure-point stretching, known as myofascial release, to loosen key hiking muscles and boost recovery.
Strengthen your legs for early-season hikes, which often involve postholing in lingering snow up high and crossing run-off swollen rivers down low.
From your muscles to your meal planning, all it takes is a little fitness to make your hikes longer, better, and more fun than ever.
The trails are still covered in snow, but it’s not too late to start getting ready for your first thru-hike.
Strengthen your hips to avoid pesky knee pain on the trail.
Want to achieve your fourth-season dreams? Lay the groundwork with these exercises.
Whether you need to carry a full load of winter gear or just an extra camp chair, train your muscles to take the weight with these three exercises.
Hike farther, faster, and pain-free with these training tips and exercise.
Get those noodles ready for hoisting heavy packs, hauling your body over boulders, and poling through tough terrain.
Push through big climbs and banish quad burn by increasing your lactate threshold.
Weather trapped you inside? Limber up and quiet your mind with these easy poses.
Strengthen joints and banish sprains for good.
Few devour distance like Joe “Stringbean” McConaughy, who holds the overall speed record on the Appalachian Trail. Here are his tips for wringing more miles out of the day.
Build up your abs for better balance and all-day comfort on the trail.
Skip the dumbbells and the gym membership. This year, whip yourself into shape with nothing more than your backpack.
Train like a pro to perform like one. Bryan Pope of Earth Native Wilderness School recommends these exercises with high reps and low weight to build the strength and endurance of a mountain guide.
OK, so you blew off your preseason training plan. Now what? Start the season right with this 10-minute-a-day workout, and you’ll be ready for the trail in no time.
Start spring in better shape than ever by working on your weaknesses.
Yes, there's a better way to put one foot in front of the other. Improve your stride, trek farther, and end leg and back pain with our guide to the new science of healthy hiking.
Humans did it for thousands of years. But is barefoot walking right for you? The experts sound off.
Are you dealing with aches and pains? The problem could be right on your feet.
With a high school reunion coming and a gut to lose, our writer tries to remake himself on the trail.
Free-the-heel fans call it the most elegant way to get down a mountain. Can our man learn to turn?
Forget CrossFit. Forget hot yoga, Soulcycle, Soloflex, and your Body Pump class. There is no better short-duration, full-body workout than postholing. With a pack on. While snowshoeing. Uphill.
If you’re after the perfect balance between speed and savoring the sights, sounds, and Christmas-tree smells of the winter world, then go straight for the middle way with cross-country skiing.
Slice across a white tapestry of untouched snow via backcountry skiing and experience the mountains’ grandeur in a new way.
Cross log bridges and other tricky terrain with the grace of a ballerina.
Get fit for your next adventure even while you're stuck in town with these tips from a pro trainer.
Cross-training at the gym got you in a monotonous slump? Give these 10 summer sports a try for a fun way to boost your backpacking game.
[Sponsored] The steeper the climb, the higher the peak, the more accomplished you feel.
Are outdoors workouts the key to fun fitness for hikers? Our man tries a new fitness philosophy in an effort to ditch the gym forever.
Busting common myths about stretching, caffeine, and more.
Yeah, yeah, any workout is good fitness. But we think you'll agree: Hiking is just BETTER.
Upgrade your fitness by tackling one of these tough, close-to-home training hikes.
Don’t let mud season slow you down. Ultrarunner Jerry Armstrong shares his tips for staying out no matter the weather.
Limber up with these ten essential stretches for hikers.
Prepare for the long haul with advice from Appalachian Trail speed record-holder Jennifer Pharr Davis.
Pick one of these 10-minute techniques to work on every day, and in no time, you'll be in your best trail shape ever.
6 key pieces of gear that go from gym to trail.
In hiking, as in life, clear goals are key to success. Here's how to set better hiking goals so you can complete the backpacking trips of your dreams.
Develop better flexibility and strength with these yoga poses for hikers and trail runners.
Learn these key hiking fitness principles to get the most out of your time on the trail.
Follow these 3 rules for the best walk of your life.
How do you get good at hiking? Hike a lot. And we haven't met anyone who's logged more miles than Cam Honan.
Use this no-cost, do-anywhere training program to enhance hiking strength and speed this spring.
Hold these poses post-workout to elongate muscles and flush lactic acid.
Use these controlled movements to warm up pre-hike and -workout.
Strengthen your lower back for a more comfort on the trail.
Build a strong core for better injury prevention.
Build your pack-hefting back and core.
Shopping for boots becomes a whole lot easier if you know whether you're an overpronator, have a high arch, or a "normal" foot. Try this wet test to determine your foot type.
See a week's worth of terrain on an epic dawn-to-dusk hike.
Strengthen three key areas - shoulders, ankles, and core - this winter so you can tackle tougher trails next spring.
Ease post-hike pain and prep muscles for the next day.
Sprained or broken ankles are the most common injury for hikers and backpackers. Here's how to deal.
Your hiking buddy torqued their knee? This simple splint can prevent further injury and let you both limp home.
Hike farther, faster, and pain-free with these training tips and exercise.
Try this exercise to give your lower back the strength you need.
Nothing's worse on the trail than knee pain. Prevent and cure it with this exercise.
Tackle big miles with this essential exercise.
Want legs that handle any terrain. This is the exercise.
Get core strength with this key exercise.
Want strong knees when hiking season starts? Work your hamstrings now.
Here's what 2,000-plus miles does to your system–and how to get the same results at home.
Follow this winter workout and conquer the steeps come spring.
Get over the hangover and go big this year. Then make it a tradition
Study shows that a head cold doesn't reduce performance or recovery
20 minutes to get the blood and body parts moving will keep you in the game