Hiking Strength Program
The final installment of the Hiking Strength Series is here! This post will layout a 10 week program that will target your training to crush your upcoming hiking adventure!
The previous Hiking Strength posts detailed different movements and exercises that are the basis of this program. Descriptions, photos, graphics and videos help provide explanations and movement standards to help get you on your way.
The Hiking Strength Program is broken into three different phases. The first two week block is the Ramp Up. It’s an introduction to the movements and is meant as a primer to get you moving and familiar with the exercises. If you are already comfortable with the movements and have a solid fitness base, feel free to jump directly to Phase 1.
Phase 1 and Phase 2 are the primary modules of the program. They combine strength and conditioning work with hiking and running in a simple 8 week routine.
Within the phases, each week has three training days. Two of these will be gym days and the third will be an outside day. They can be divided for whatever your schedule allows, I prefer Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
INSIDE WORK
The gyms days should always start with a warmup. Your warmup is based on your individual needs for what it takes you to prepare your body. I recommend starting with something aerobic for 5-10 minutes, light jogging, rowing, biking, jumping jacks or jump rope are a few suggestions. After that a few rounds of calisthenics and some dynamic stretching should do it.
Strength
After you’ve adequately warmed up you are ready to move on to strength. For this series, the strength movement on day one will be Squats and day two will be Deadlifts. Building strength in these big, compound movements will develop the entire body and should not be thought of as just ‘leg’ exercises. They work legs, core, back, shoulders and everything in between, improving endurance, balance, power and explosiveness.
When working the strength lifts, reps and sets will vary every two weeks. Before getting to the primary set/rep scheme do a few sets of around 3-5 reps each to build up to the working weight. The working weight you choose should be a weight that challenges you. The goal each week will be to increase the weight by 5-10 pounds. Every two weeks on the last set, you should push to get as many reps as possible at that weight. Record all weights and number of reps you are able to get for future tracking and comparisons.
MetCon
After the strength movement is a type of metabolic conditioning workout. These workouts are designed to keep you moving and stress muscle endurance capacity. CrossFit has popularized this type of workout and I am definitely a fan. The idea is to perform as much work as possible (while maintaining good technique) in a given timeframe as possible. This is generally 2-4 different exercises one performed after the other for a set number of repetitions. That series of exercises is performed as either a set amount of work performed as fast as possible or a set amount of time to get as much done as possible.
Ultimately, the goal is to just get work in. Scale the movements as required to get through the workout. For example: performing rows instead of pullups to get through the workout and keep moving. As you build strength the more difficult movements will come, just continue to work at it and scale as necessary.
Cash Out
On some days after the MetCon workout I included an addition separate exercise. This is primarily core or grip work that works well as a finishing movement to stress a specific function. Perform these for max time or reps as indicated.
OUTSIDE WORK
For the third day of work each week, you’ll either be hiking, sprinting or carrying a sandbag for distance. This will get you outdoors, in the environment and provides a different stimulus than what can be accomplished in the gym. Outside you can vary terrain, elevation, exposure and mileage. Here’s a few notes on the different events:
Hiking
You’ll be hiking at least every other week (feel free to get out more!). I’ve prepped this program for about a 10-14 mile hike, but if your goal is more just increase the distance incrementally. On these hikes you’ll want to go with the pack and the weight (or more) that you’ll be hiking with on your trip. This will get you used to the pack and allow you to make adjustments to improve comfort before travelling.
Sprints
The sprint days are shorter work periods but provides a stimulus you won’t get from anything else. I prefer to sprint hills or inclines but if you training area is “elevation challenged”, flat sprints work as well. These sprints should be all out efforts (after a solid warmup) for the durations listed in the program. After each sprint rest for a minute or so, till your heartrate and breathing has settled, before hitting the next one.
Sandbag Carries
For these just load up a duffel bag with 25-50 lbs of rock or sand and take it out to your local trail. Shift it from shoulder to shoulder, hold it out in front or behind your head. For added work, throw in some squats, lunges and pushups while out on the trail!
DOWNLOAD
The PDF of the complete 10 week program can be found HERE. Print it off and use it to keep track of your weights, reps, and distance.
Thank You for checking out the Hiking Strength Series Program! If you have any questions, comments or stories, please let me know in the comments. I wish you the best in your training and hope your next adventure is incredible!
Once again download the Hiking Strength – 10 Week Program
