When to start training before a trip to the mountains?
Even if before the anticipated holiday you had missed out on the opportunity to take care of your shape, remember that training started a month or even two weeks before the trip will be better than nothing. After all, mountain hiking is an activity that often lasts many hours, with short stops, and we usually do it several days in a row. A stagnant body, accustomed to sitting for hours at a time, can have a lot of trouble coping with such intense exertion. Of course, the best scenario is to care for your shape all year round – in such case, you are least likely to be surprised by something on the mountain trail.
Legs strong as a rock – in the mountains, it’s a must
The claim that strong leg muscles are of great importance in mountain hiking is unlikely to come as a surprise to anyone. In both going uphill and downhill, it is the muscles of the buttocks, thighs and calves that are subjected to the most strain. The stronger this muscle group is, the easier and more enjoyable hiking on mountain trails will be.
How to prepare your leg muscles for such an effort? The best way to increase the strength of the buttocks, thighs and calves will be multi-joint exercises with free weights, such as squats, lunges, box climbs and hip thrusts. Multi-joint exercises allow you to engage multiple muscle groups in the legs at the same time, and the extra weight is a stronger stimulus to increase muscle strength. Besides, an additional load, such as a barbell placed on the shoulders, will get our bodies used to carrying on the trip a backpack filled to the brim with provisions or a carrier with a baby.
Read also: "Working out with a backpack – 10 exercises for everyone".
In this case, isolation exercises (performed on machines) will have less impact on the strength of leg muscles, but can easily serve as auxiliary exercises.
Efficient lungs and heart – cardio training vs. trips to the mountains
When it comes to mountain hiking, however, muscle strength is not everything. Climbing uphill for hours is not only a test for the strength of our legs, but also for the capacity of our heart and lungs. In this regard, endurance (cardio) training such as running, cycling or swimming, will be most effective.
In order to prepare for a trip to the mountains, it can be a good idea to combine different forms of cardio training. On the one hand, workouts that are longer and involve relatively low heart rate ranges, i.e. those that mimic a mountain hike, will work well. On the other hand, interval training at higher heart rates (reaching HRmax, or maximum heart rate) will push up the so-called “maximal oxygen uptake” (VO2 max), which will directly affect the capacity to climb more peaks.
Read also: “Heart Rate Zones – What Are They and Why Is It Important to Know Them?”.
If you feel that your fitness level does not allow you to do intense workouts in the form of running or intervals, there is another, easier method. One very effective and easily accessible solution when it comes to building endurance will be… ordinary hiking, even on flat terrain. Walking a few kilometres, preferably with a backpack, will not only be good physical preparation, but also mental preparation for walking for hours on mountain trails.
Mobility and stability will help avoid injuries
While focusing on your body’s strength and performance, don’t forget to stretch. Taking care of joint mobility and muscle flexibility is one of the most effective methods of preventing injuries. Mountain terrain is uneven and, depending on weather conditions, can sometimes be slippery, making it relatively easy to get injured by taking one wrong step. A flexible body, working in full ranges of motion, will be more resistant to, for example, unfavourable foot or knee positioning during climbing.
For more information, read the article: “12 Stretching Exercises to Prevent Injury”.
Warm up before a trip to the mountains
In the weeks leading up to the mountain hike, it is a good idea to combine all of the components mentioned into one training plan. On a weekly basis, it may look as follows:
Day 1: Strength workout – legs
Suggested exercises: back squats with a barbell, walking lunges with a barbell, box climbs with a barbell, hip thrust, forward leg bends on a machine, toe climbs with a weight.
Day 2: Mobility workout
Suggested exercises: rolling (e.g. calf in back support with a roller, aponeurosis plantaris with a ball, quadriceps in forward support with a roller, iliotibial band in side support with a roller, glute in back support with a ball), dynamic stretching (especially ankle and hip joints), static stretching (quadriceps and biceps of the thigh).
Day 3: Cardio workout – a longer walk in the field (preferably with a backpack)
In case of bad weather – longer cardio on a treadmill in the form of uphill walking or step workout, which will equally well prepare the body for a proper mountain effort (read more about it HERE).
Day 4: Full body workout
Suggested exercises: deadlift, barbell rowing in the back, squats with a barbell in the back, overhead press, push-ups, plank.
Day 5: Cardio workout – interval
Suggested exercises:
- workouts or fitness classes like tabata or metabolic workout
- interval running workout on a treadmill or rowing on a rowing ergometer
- intensive swimming with breaks every specified distance (e.g. 50 m / 100 m / 200 m / 400 m).
Whether you follow the whole plan or only a part of it, regularity is the key to training success – and not just before a trip to the mountains!
………….
References:
1. Frédéric Delavier, „Atlas treningu siłowego”, PZWL, wyd. 2, 2011.
2. Wang C, Xing J, Zhao B, Wang Y, Zhang L, Wang Y, Zheng M, Liu G. The Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training on Exercise Capacity and Prognosis in Heart Failure and Coronary Artery Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Cardiovasc Ther. 2022
3. Glen Cordoza, Kelly Starrett. Bądź sprawny jak lampart. Jak pozbyć się bólu, uniknąć kontuzji i zwiększyć sprawność. Wydawnictwo Galaktyka, 2015.