How Can Gym Work Help You Enjoy Hiking In The Hills More?

Now that spring is upon us and the clocks have gone forward, many people will be looking forward to getting outdoors more. For some, this is not just to relax in the garden or hit the beach, but to make the most of the long daylight hours while hiking in the mountains.

For those in the latter category, this can involve some big challenges. Some may want to climb Britain’s highest summits. Others may want to ‘bag’ as many peaks as possible as they work their way down a tick list. Some may take on a long-distance trail.

Whether it is about building up the leg strength to tackle steep slopes, the general strength and energy to carry a heavy backpack for many miles, or the very specific hand and arm strength for exercises like scrambling or rock climbing, training is important.

Why Is Walking Not Enough To Get You Fit For The Mountains?

Some will tell you that walking in the hills is a training exercise in itself, because it means you use the very muscles that you need. But others disagree and will recommend gym work to build up strength and stamina in a way that will reward you when you head for the wilds.

An example of the latter is US-based fitness coach and mountain guide James Appleton, who has recommended a series of gym exercises that can give you the strength and fitness you need to take on big outdoor challenges.

You might not think a 6ft Olympic barbell would be just the thing to help you be better at mountaineering, but Mr Appleton’s list of exercises will make good use of such equipment.

This includes using the barbell back squat, which is designed to be “not just a leg exercise, but a full body exercise”.

The main benefit is that the bar sits on your back, which means the whole body is bearing its weight as you lift, ensuring every muscle is involved. He recommended between five and ten reps with heavy weights, adding a little extra weight each week.

Doing this, he said, will bring noticeable benefits for strength and performance out in the mountains.

What Other Exercises will Get You Mountain Fit?

Other strength exercises he recommended included:

• A trap bar deadlift
• The Romanian deadlift

·       Loaded step-ups, using a box or bench and done while wearing a heavy backpack and holding dumbbells, of which Appleton said: “There might not be a single better exercise that translates to climbing up a mountain.”

• Bench presses while using weights, either dumbbells or barbells
• Planks, which train the core muscles to deal with carrying a heavy backpack
• Burpees, which boost core strength

What Gym Equipment Can Help With Mountain Fitness Training?

These exercises will use various items of gym equipment, from barbells and dumbbells to benches and training mats. Many of them will be beneficial for all kinds of physical and athletic pursuits, but they offer specific benefits for making the most of your mountain time.

Other expert mountain training providers recommend similar exercises, with bench squats, box-steps and pull-ups all adding to your strength in much more rounded and full-body ways than simply walking a lot to build up your leg muscles.

Of course, some specific leg muscle exercises may be particularly useful to some people. For instance, using an air bike means that, just as when riding a bike outdoors, you are building up the leg muscles around your knee. This can help to protect against injury.

However, it is important to be aware that cycling, whether indoors or out, can also lead to knee problems for various reasons, from increasing your workload too fast to having the saddle set at the wrong height. Injury avoidance is essential.

It is also true that, as with so many other physical pursuits, sustained fitness also depends on being generally active and having a healthy diet. Besides this, there are no bad exercises for hill walking, as anything that gets you fitter will help.

Why Does Mountain Fitness Matter So Much?

Nonetheless, walking for several hours up mountains, carrying a lot of weight, sometimes in inclement weather and often in the heat (although it is always cooler up high) will challenge your stamina and can bring the threat of injury.

This is compounded by the fact that if you do get into difficulty, it may be far from safety. You may be helped down by Mountain Rescue, but an injury caused by a lack of strength and fitness training could keep you out of action for weeks.

Your home gym may seem a world away from the lofty summits of the Scottish Highlands, the Lake District or Snowdonia, but the work you do in one room of your home could make a huge difference that you will feel and appreciate when you are standing at the summit.