Hiking is one of the most enjoyable activities. We can say hiking is the best one, particularly for travelers and mountaineers. But in order to hike to the extremes, one needs to have the legs to do it! So, it is always better to start training if you want the legs to take on any climb, no matter how heavy your backpack is or how far the hike is. Speaking of recreating the activities, I will immediately consider hiking uphill. In today’s time, this outdoor activity has become a trend for many young people worldwide. The thing is, participants need to be physically and thoroughly prepared for an uphill hike for a delightful trip. There is no need to worry if you don’t have any idea where to start for exercise that gives explosive power for hiking uphill.
You may find it hard to believe that certain exercises are better than others. But I promise, in this case, I will prove that this certain exercise really gives explosive power for hiking uphill. So, let’s begin.
The Importance Of Physical Strength In Hiking Uphill
First of all, I am going to discuss the importance of physical strength in hiking uphill. Because most of us make a mistake in thinking that hiking uphill is like tourism, so you can go as long as you like. But the actual thing is when you start your journey for 10 to 15 minutes, you will feel muscle aches and knee fatigue right away.
So it is important to have good health, and in case if you do not have good health, you cannot hope for a successful trip. One more thing exercising before hiking uphill keeps you from bumps and acclimates to vigorous exercise first so your muscles can relax and be painless when you first get used to it.
By the way, when you have good strength, you will only focus your feelings on the journey, not worry about your legs hurting or tired. As a result, you will thoroughly enjoy the atmosphere of the mountains and forests, the lively sounds of nature, and the joy inside you. Besides, on the long trips, participants may need to be physically ready for hiking for several months to be confident enough to hit the road.
How To Prepare For Uphill Hiking
Now, the question is, how am I going to prepare myself for exercise that gives explosive power for hiking uphill? Here goes the answer below.
Accessories
For uphill hiking, one will definitely need some accessories. Hiking attire is one of them. The hiking attire will depend on the terrain and weather of your destination.
Suppose you go in the dry season, so it is obvious the weather will be hot. In that case, you need to choose clothes with elasticity, good absorbency, lightweight, deodorizing, and, most importantly, UV-resistant.
When you go into places with heavy rain or high humidity, you should prepare waterproof clothing and heat-proof clothing, pants, or leggings to avoid insects. Accessories such as bandanas, gloves, and hats are also necessary items.
Food and Drinking Water
Food and drinking are one of the most important things to take along. Because food is important to stay healthy. For example, a journey that consumes a lot of energy like hiking uphill, preparing food and drinks is necessary. In that case, you should bring foods that are high in energy, but easy to digest, such as crackers, nuts, beef jerky, hard candy and similar items. Never forget to bring 2-3 liters of drinking water, depending on the route. You should definitely bring mineral water, water containing electrolytes, and vitamin C.
Strengthen Muscle
Strengthening muscle is important for uphill hiking. If you are the one who exercises every day, runs the gym every day, then you can easily make your trip successful.
So, if you do not have a habit of exercising, then you better start now, do not think, “Is it too early” – I boldly asserted, “It’s never early.” You can start exercising easily by warming up and building muscle groups. You need to pay attention to your back and lower body muscles, such as the thigh muscles and calf muscles.
Besides, back exercises are also important. You must do the uphill hike to get into great shape. When you are in great shape, the extra weight you carry on your back will be light, and the exercises you do on your back will be easy.
Practice Endurance
Endurance allows the muscles to function in their best condition. It also increases power for hiking uphill performance and also avoids injury, muscle tension, or joint pain. Endurance is improved by stretching muscles before and after the exercise.
Generally, post-workout muscle stretching speeds up post-workout muscle recovery. Hiking uphill is hard work. Flexibility in your legs and hips is important so your body will have the ability to withstand the rigors of the trail.
But the thing is, endurance training is a process that takes from low to high. It is wise to begin with, 30 minutes a day and gradually increase to 40 minutes, 50 minutes, and more; when you reach your endurance goal, you need to practice every day to maintain it.
Practice With A Backpack
As it is clear that an uphill hike is a long journey so it will definitely require a lot of strength. Therefore, a heavy pack can be a “burden” if you carry too many unnecessary items. You should only take items that are really essential, compact, instead of carrying trivial things. A backpack with a back support bar, a belly belt will help you become “easy to breathe” a lot while moving.
If possible, you should also choose a waterproof backpack to protect your belongings in case it rains. The backpack training can be done shortly before the trip. Backpack training can be done when you go for a morning jog.
The purpose of this is to help you familiarize yourself with the use of the backpack and its weight. It also helps you to familiarize yourself with the use of power belts, fixed belts, especially if you are a beginner; this is absolutely necessary.
Choose The Right Shoes
It is important to choose the right shoes for us. Because hiking is all about walking. So it is wise to practice with shoes before starting your trip.
You must choose shoes that fit either foot or one size wider, with smooth lining and good elasticity to avoid blistering due to heavy movement. You can also prepare more rain slippers and 1 or 2 pairs of socks to avoid wearing wet socks for too long. After choosing a shoe you like, the next thing you need to do is adopt it.
While using shoes, if you feel it is too tight or too wide, then immediately change to another pair of shoes because shoes significantly affect the trip’s success. A couple of inappropriate shoes can turn the trip into a disaster!
Benefits of Training for Hiking Uphill
Doing exercise is good for our whole body. It is equally great for our cardiovascular health and improves our strength. But before counting the number of benefits of hiking, training your legs is very beneficial and important as well. Because training before a hike will help to build strength and endurance. This exercise gives you explosive power for hiking uphill.
It will make you feel more energetic no matter how long the climb will be or how high it is. You’ll be able to reach your destination faster, and also without having to take too many breaks. Doing the right exercise will build the muscles which are needed to hike up high inclines without chances of cramping or injury. It also increases the flexibility of the human body, which is also necessary if you are planning on going rock climbing while hiking as well.
Training and exercising burn a lot of calories. These exercises will help burn off fat and excess weight, which will make you lighter and leaner. It’s better to burn off any unnecessary fat before your climb so that you don’t have to carry more weight that may bring you down.
Anyways before training for explosive power when hiking uphill, you will need some basic gym equipment and materials. Preparing these will make your workouts more comfortable and efficient.
Basic Gym Clothes
For doing exercises we need some basic gym clothes. I will recommend clothes which are made of a material that absorbs sweat easily. So try to buy those that are breathable and keep you fresh to avoid discomfort. Try to take a towel for a lot of sweat!
Good running or gym shoes are equally important.
Mat
For doing exercise on the floor, we need a mat. Because it helps to avoid any kind of accident when you are on your toes or doing other types of sensitive workouts.
Quality Sound System
Make sure you have a phone with earphones. Because music helps pump you up, and most importantly, with the happy beat, you’ll feel more inclined to push yourself.
Jug of Water
Exercising will make you sweat, so you need to hydrate yourself fully during your break. You might even want to have small snacks or healthy energy drinks.
Dumbbells
You should also work on your arm muscles. Dumbbells are a great piece of gym equipment that you can use at home or in the gym.
Uphill Area or Elliptical Machine
Either of the two is needed for efficient runs when you are preparing for the hike uphill. You can also use a treadmill that has high incline adjustments to work out.
A Heavy Backpack
Since you plan on hiking uphill, it is quite obvious you’ll be carrying the extra weight. So, it will be good if you practice with uphill runs or walks with your backpack to have the feel of your uphill hike.
Chair
You also need one for various exercises to support your legs or upper body.
Types of Exercise Those Gives Explosive Power for Hiking Uphill
Now the question is which type of exercise gives explosive power for hiking uphill. So, here we go. You can try these exercises to get that explosive power.
Lunges
Lunges are one of the most fitness moves. It includes forward, and knee bends. It builds muscles such as the hip, thigh, calf, knee and also helps to balance the whole body.
Here are tips for doing Basic Lunge the right way:
First of all, you should stand in a standing position. The two roles are well balanced. Extend your legs hip-width apart, keep your arms gently relaxed, and rest your hands on your hips.
Now perform the left foot step-ups, about 60 – 90 cm from the original position, so that the calf and left knee are at an angle of 90 degrees.
Note, the knee does not touch the floor. The heel should be raised, and the toes should contact the floor. Then squeeze the abdominal muscles to keep the body balanced.
Now return to an upright position, then perform the same movements with your right leg as the left leg in step.
Squats
Squats are among the essential exercises in the hiker’s strength training. It is important for building muscles. Squat exercises help to make the most explosive power for the buttocks and leg muscles.
Squat also increases blood circulation to the body so that the skin becomes more youthful and shiny. These exercises also help increase heart rate, promote consumption, burn calories, bring high efficiency for weight loss, and reduce belly fat.
Squats help bones and joints though, it promotes flexibility and balance of the body.
Preparing posture: Try to keep your chest open to shoulder width, eyes straight, arms crossed over chest or chest locked with shoulder, legs split horizontally open hip, knees, and toes in the same direction.
Start lowering your body: Keep the Knees bent, slowly lower your body, focus on heels and hips.
Return to the prepared position: Squeeze your thighs and abdomen, then lift your body.
Deadlifts
The deadlift is the most potent full-body strength-building exercise, which gives hikers explosive power. It mainly targets the shoulders and forearms with a certain weight. Deadlift helps the upper body and lower body be best developed, such as muscle groups such as glutes, thigh muscles, shoulder muscles, back muscles, pectoral muscles, and chest muscles. The deadlift can prevent injury by building the strength of the muscles surrounding vital tendons and ligaments.
Vertical Plate Press
The vertical plate press is a strengthening exercise that is aimed at building explosive power for the shoulders, inner chest, forearms, traps, and triceps.
This exercise requires a weighting plate when performing. This exercise not only gives you a six-pack body but also develops stability and responsiveness in the abdominal muscles that stabilize the spine.
Hill sprints
Running speed at a high pace for 1 minute or 8 minutes is essential for achieving maximum physical fitness.
At this rate, the body reaches its limit, the heart rate and oxygen consumption level are at a peak.
The effort is pushed to the extreme. The lactate concentration in the blood reaches 12-20 millimolar. Breathing up to the maximum threshold is usually one-to-one breathing. This is definitely one of the moves that give you explosive power for an uphill hike.
Hill sprint basically makes two critical changes in the body. The first one is a change in the nervous-muscle system. Single muscle groups begin to work better together, so you can create more power for hiking.
At the same time, large muscle groups, such as the quadriceps work better together. Increase the frequency of steps and create flexibility in the running step. Basically, the body becomes more efficient and coordinated more smoothly. Sprints also significantly affect the whole body as you run on your feet and generate strength from the abdominals, pelvis, and hips.
First, to hill sprints, try to choose a short hill with a medium slope. Take long uphill walks at an effort level of 85% of your maximum heart rate.
Magnify your arm rotation. With your arms, try pumping hard and high. Try to do 6 to 10 repetitions.
Band walk
Band walk is an exercise that helps to build strength in the lower back and legs. Hikers commonly choose band walks to exercise to build muscle on the legs and lower back.
Miniband is an elastic string that stretches many different levels of stretch. The harder it is to stretch, the better the result is. Therefore, if you want the best performance, choose strings with as low a stretch as possible.
If you start with elastic strings, choose a good stretch.
First, try to start the band walk and hook the miniband onto the ankles.
Plyometrics
The Plyometric is a muscle shock workout method. The typical exercise program for this series is Drop Jump. Step down from a certain height, and Depth Jump is jumping from a certain height and bouncing on the ground. Plyometric enhances muscle strength. Combining both Squats and Plyometric exercises improves bounce, jump drastically. The Plyometric is a strength-building exercise that helps muscles generate significant force in a really short period of time. The muscles in the human body will react much quicker when they practice fast exercises.
Agility drills
Agility drills are systems of exercises aimed at improving and developing the speed of an entire body. These exercises help the body become more flexible and agile to perform all activities in practice. The agility drilling exercise is designed to improve leg coordination. Try to run with your knees high forward through the steps, landing in any step space.
For this simple move, the proper form is a must. Please be sure to land on your feet and forward with your arms.
Box jump
Box Jump is basically a perfect match for Plyometrics and Squat. When you are going to start any exercise, you will need to warm up your body and let your elbows get used to avoiding accidents during training. So it is better to get into the squat position and forcefully pop on a prepared wooden box after the warm-up. Try to finish with a Squat on the wooden box.
The movement is effortless, but it can definitely bring highly effective results at any time for the practitioner. Just repeat the exercises and persevere over a long time. Your body will make reasonable changes and build muscles.
Plank
A plank is an exercise that directly affects the core, arm muscles, and thigh muscles. These exercises help reduce belly fat effectively.
Plank helps build core strength and reduces the risk of back and spinal injuries increase overall metabolism. It also improves posture, increases balance, and helps stabilize the brain. This also treats anxiety and stress.
Forearm planks
Forearm planks exercise helps build strength in the core, shoulders, arms, and legs. To get this pose right, better to start in a pushup position, but you need to bend your elbows so you can rest on your forearms. Make sure you keep your body straight and focus on holding your abs and squeezing for 30 seconds. For more difficult posture, place your forearm on an exercise ball and use the ball to support most of your body weight to do it better.
Side plank
This is an alternative to the regular plank pose. Side plank helps build muscle for our abs and lateral muscles.
To do this, you need to lie down, lean on your right side with your legs extended. Make sure to place your right elbow just below your right shoulder and support the body on your forearm. Try to tighten your abs and lift your right hip off the ground.
Try to hold it for at least 30 seconds. After that, switch sides and repeat.
Burpees
Burpees are efficient fat-burning exercises for the whole body. These are a series of movements that are performed in succession. It helps to burn massive calories, build muscle strength, endurance, and endurance of the body. The movement sequence in this exercise will affect many muscle groups on the body, such as glutes, thigh muscles, shoulder muscles. Continuous activities help the body to burn excess fat effectively, and the entire body will feel exhausted after the exercise.
The basic Burpees exercise will consist of 5 consecutive combined moves. They are Squat – Squat Thrust – Push Up – Frog Jump – Jump Squat.
Hip Bridge
This strength training exercise gives explosive power to your abs, buttocks, hips, and lower back. For doing this exercise, firstly, you need to lie on your back with your hands on either side of your body. Then you have to bend your knees, and your feet are flat on the ground and below your knees. After that, raise your hips over your heels, so your body forms a straight line from your knee to your shoulder. Then gradually lower your body down to the original position and repeat for 30 seconds. Keep the focus on tightening the abdominal and leg muscles while lifting and lowering. You can modify this pose a little bit to make them more challenging by lifting one leg off the ground and stretching it out in front of you.
Stretch (Quad and Hamstring stretch)
Stretching exercises work on the muscles. After a successful workout, it helps relax the muscles. It also promotes blood circulation to bring more nutrients and oxygen into the muscles.
The standing Hamstring Stretch
The Standing Hamstring Stretch is a stretching exercise that works mainly on muscle groups, including the neck, back, thighs, and calves. The instructions for this exercise are given below :
First of all, stand up straight with two legs hip-width apart, knees slightly arched, and arms stretched at both sides. After that, exhale as you bend forward at your hips, lower your head toward the floor and keep your head, neck, and shoulders comfortable. Then bring your hands back, embrace your legs and hold the posture for about 45 seconds to 2 minutes. At last, return your body to its original state when you are done with the exercise.
Standing Quad Stretch
For this exercise, firstly, stand upright with your legs closed close together and arms stretched along your torso. After that, bend your left knee and use your left hand to pull your left leg toward your buttocks. Keep your knees together in the whole process. If you need to place one hand on the wall for balance. Try to hold for 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Repeat it on the other leg.
Barbell Step Up
Barbell Step Up works mainly on the thigh muscles, and it will help your thighs look more prominent and become stronger. The thigh muscles and calf muscles are also affected, supporting the legs to develop the most comprehensively by doing this exercise.
Single-Leg Calf Raises
The calf raise is a simple but very effective calf lift. If you want to tone your calves or slim your calves, this is an exercise for you. This exercise helps to dissipate excess fat in the calf area and at the same time build muscle in that particular area.
The calf muscle is a group of muscles located in the lower body, which is used on a daily basis.
Safety Tips For Uphill Hiking Training
Here go some tips for uphill hiking exercise that gives explosive powers
- It is strictly forbidden to skip breakfast because breakfast is really important after a sound sleep. Breakfast should be made before 8 am.
- The second tip is to chew carefully, eat slowly, and drink plenty of water. When drinking water, try to drink small sips without gulping down the whole bottle.
- Put a limit to eating greasy, starchy foods and rice. Mainly try to eat green vegetables, pork, beef, chicken, boiled eggs.
- After each meal, make sure to eat one banana. The effect of bananas is mainly stimulating digestion.
- Get at least 6 hours of sleep a day, and it will be better to 8 hours of sleep.
- Do not drink coca or alcoholic beverages, which are harmful to the liver and kidneys.
- Avoid eating at night.
- Jogging is the most crucial exercise because it builds endurance and increases stamina, and is also great for health. Jog at least 5km per day, jog continuously for 1 km, then rest once. It would be better to jog in the morning.
- The following week, exercising more intensity than the previous week by putting extra weight in the backpack to increase stamina.
- Practice meditation daily in the morning because mediation is the best way to practice breathwork.
- The afternoon is the most suitable time for leg and abdominal exercises.
- Exercise legs should be done one day and two days off.
- Remember, try to do your best until you can no longer practice. When the foot hurts, use hot water on the sore muscle. Massage the muscles but do not quit.
Muscle pain after exercising is absolutely normal, and that is a sign that you have been exercising correctly. It will only hurt the first time because your leg muscles are not used to it. The next time you will not feel pain anymore.
Frequently Asks Questions & Answers
Here in the below, there are some basic questions and answers which frequently come into the hiker’s mind.
Are These Exercises Above Enough to Give Explosive Power for Hiking Uphill?
The most asked question is, are these Exercise Gives Explosive Power For Hiking Uphill? So, the answer is
The top exercises above are a combination of exercises to help you stay fit and build the necessary muscles for upcoming hiking uphill. A reasonable training schedule combined with moderate eating will give you an ideal physique for hiking uphill.
How Long Does The Uphill Hiking Training Take?
The next question is how long does the training take? The answer is about 8 to 12 weeks is an ideal time to train your strength, stamina, and agility before starting the hiking uphill.
What Exercises Build Explosive Power the Most?
Another question is, what exercises build explosive power the most? The answer is like hill sprints, deadlift, burpees, and Plyometrics give the muscles a high level of activity, which stimulates the muscles to grow and give them explosive power.
How Do You Train Explosive Power in Your Legs?
To train explosive power in the legs, Band walk, box jump, and barbell step up are exercises that put pressure on the muscle groups in the legs, thereby increasing leg strength and endurance.
What Is The Best Breathing Technique For Running?
During high-intensity runs or hiking uphill, it’s recommended that you breathe through your mouth since it’s more efficient. Inhaling and exhaling through the mouth allows more oxygen to enter the body and fuel the muscles.
How Do I Run Smoothly?
To run smoothly, you can Imagine you’re Gliding. You can pretend you’re running on ice. Try to relax Your Body. Be light on your feet and focus on a Midfoot strike. Most importantly, try to bring the Heat.
Conclusion
Training for uphill hikes doesn’t only involve hard and lengthy work, but smarter! Through the proper training and exercises, you’ll be able to climb to the extremes!
Hopefully, this article can help you to choose which exercise gives explosive power for hiking uphill and which is best for you. So, do not waste your time thinking. Start doing these exercises and pick up outdoor gear for that major hike today.
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