Although it might be a month too late for New Years resolutions, I am still resolving to figure out how to get in shape for hiking season this month – & then to achieve awesome hiking fitness before the summer backpacking season begins! I am calling it Fitness February, and you can follow me in figuring out what will really physically prepare a hiker hitting the trail strengthened and pain free.

What exercises should hikers do?

As a runner, weekly yogi, and a hiker I know that I personally love workouts that get my blood running and  make me feel a connection to my world. I am worried though after seeing so many knee and back injuries (including a tender knee of my own at the end of last backpacking season!) that blindly doing these exercises without a plan will not prevent injuries.  Instead I need learn what I can do to make my core stronger, joints healthier, and build endurance. The tools I will be using for this include The New Rules of Lifting for Abs by Lou Schuler for core and strengthening advice, Backpacker Magazine fitness tips, alignedandwell.com to understand the relationships between my muscles, and all the general resources I can find on my favorite fitness apps, blogs, and at my local library.

But enough talk – lets get the ball rolling with Beaut-Tree’s New Total Body Hiking Fitness plan.

Total Body Hiking Fitness Workout

And since I am not a doctor, feel free to not do this. Or since the weather/availability of fitness classes varies from location to location, feel free to mix up the days. The point is to get moving at least a little bit everyday and find a balance between endurance, strength, and flexibility training. Right, so lets look at some specific ideas of what I might be doing this week – the Week 1 of my fitness February.

Yoga Routine

I love my yoga class up here at the Little House in Groveland, and since the start of this winter it has been available in the evening two times a week! But if you can’t get out to yoga or want to enjoy it in the comfort of your own home then this series from Yogayak is great – it is long enough to get into the yoga mood and teaches yoga history too. You can fast forward past the first 7 minutes if you want to get straight to the action. And a 2nd Video is here if you want to continue the series.

Cardio Routine

I just finished doing a Couch to 5K which had I started when my knee was feeling pretty grim. With that under my belt I wanted to try again to do a barefoot 5K. I will be training with the 5k to barefoot 5k program mentioned on RunningPlanet. But, since the goal this month is to learn about my knees and what is happening with them I could change my mind!

Strength Training Routine

I have started the workouts listed in NROL for abs! But if you don’t have the book then you can start with this core and lifting routines:

For the core routine I picked this video from LiveStrong Women with Ashley Borden. I love Ashley’s “Perfect Form” videos because she really tells you where you want to put your body and how to modify the movement without ruining the exercise’s intention. From what I have read in NROL for abs the authors really want to emphasis lengthening and stability ab exercises are more productive to our functioning abs then contracting moves (like the the standard crunch). This video does this with planks, side planks, and that move we always do in Yoga – which I learned is called Bird Dog?! (Pretty Adorable right?)… The one contracting move she does do is kinda hilarious too, so even if NROL wouldn’t approve you have to lighten up sometimes ;)

Ugh, strength training is not by thing, but what if I am trapped under a rock? Or, need to punch a bear? Or, pick up my pack without looking pathetic? All good reasons for a hiker to have some upper body strength! I thought to make this better would should have this cute -if slightly dopey and ‘roided up looking- trainer (uhm, apparently Redy Reyes from HBO’s NSFW Generation Kills mini-series). The video leads you though some squat presses, a push press, and this scary T-Stand push-ups. In NROL they say it’s alright just to do push-ups instead if you can’t do these T-Stands.

Hiking!

You know what to do – get out there and hike, snowshoe, ski, bike and enjoy the fresh air! If you need any ideas for trails in your area check out the Beaut-Tree Yosemite Day Hikes Archives, Beaut-Tree’s general blog archives by location, or one of my favorite trail search sites Nature Find by the National Wildlife Federation.