{"id":15999,"date":"2026-07-29T11:33:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T11:33:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=15999"},"modified":"2026-07-29T11:33:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T11:33:21","slug":"8-tips-to-help-you-crush-your-next-hike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=15999","title":{"rendered":"8 Tips to Help You Crush Your Next Hike"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-body\">\n<p>Published July 29, 2026 03:00AM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Hiking is intense. It\u2019s even more intense for those starting out or for people who haven\u2019t hit the trails in a while.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re someone who\u2019s new to hiking and is hoping to crush your first hike or explore multi-day hikes, you may be in for a bit of a challenge. But with the proper preparation, your dream hike may be more attainable than you think. \u201cIt\u2019s not about surviving the trip; it\u2019s about having fun, and the more you train for the trip, the more fun you\u2019re going to have,\u201d Stefan Ballek tells <i>Outside<\/i>. Ballek is the deputy operations manager for the Greater Grand Canyon branch of <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/wildlandtrekking.com\/destination\/grand-canyon-hiking-tours\/\">Wildland Trekking<\/a>, a Grand Canyon guided hiking vacation company.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s no secret biohacking involved. The goal? Training as specifically and consistently as you can. Here\u2019s what hiking experts and physical therapists suggest.<\/p>\n<h2>1. Do Your Research on the Trail<\/h2>\n<p>Every trail is different, and you can\u2019t train properly without knowing what to expect in terms of factors like daily mileage, elevation gain, weather, and altitude. If you\u2019re traveling with a guide or company, they may send you a suggested training program, which is a great resource.<\/p>\n<p><iframe class=\"fp-remove\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.riddle.com\/embed\/a\/0xwEJzu6\" width=\"720\" height=\"1400px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"yes\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>2. Assess Your Baseline Fitness Level<\/h2>\n<p>Once you understand the demands of your hike, compare them to your current fitness level. Think about what you do for exercise now, and how applicable it is to hiking. The less experienced you are, the more time you need to train.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInexperienced people want to give even more, because they want to succeed without knowing how much energy and effort it takes, so they tend to push themselves [harder],\u201d Davide Guzzardi, founder and director of <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/expedtribe.com\/en\/home\/\">Exped Tribe<\/a>, tells <em>Outside<\/em>. Exped Tribe is an outdoor expedition company that offers planned trips worldwide. \u201cThat\u2019s actually counterproductive if it\u2019s not done step by step.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Even acknowledging your own weather tolerance is helpful. Ballek has seen people from colder climates struggle on summer hikes in the Grand Canyon, regardless of their fitness levels.<\/p>\n<h2>3. Try to Simulate Your Dream Hike Where You Live<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cFitness is activity-specific,\u201d Ballek says. The best way to practice hiking is\u2026to go hiking. But it\u2019s not always easy to replicate trail conditions while training, especially for urbanites. \u201cI grew up in Chicago, so there\u2019s literally nowhere within a ten-hour drive that you could go and get 5,000 feet a week,\u201d Ballek says. \u201cYou would have to do so many laps on the local sled hill. You\u2019d go nuts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But, as Guzzardi says, \u201csimulate the things you can.\u201d If your route has a lot of elevation changes, for example, take the stairs\u2014a lot of stairs. Try finding a long set of bleachers, rather than using a Stairmaster, to make sure you train both uphill and downhill. Ideally you\u2019ll train outside on natural surfaces to accustom yourself to the smaller stability challenges of the trail.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.goodrepspt.com\/about\">Emma Kennedy<\/a>, a physical therapist and endurance athlete coach, thinks of designing a training program as reverse-engineering from your end goal. For a multi-day hike, that means challenging your body in similar ways for several days in a row.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately for those at sea level, there isn\u2019t a meaningful way to mimic the effects of altitude. You can try to increase your overall physical strain with other variables, like training in higher temperatures or carrying an even heavier load, Alicia Filley tells <em>Outside<\/em>. Filley is the founder of <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thehealthyhiker.com\/\">The Healthy Hiker<\/a>\u2014a hiking training program. Ultimately, the best strategy is to add a few extra days to your itinerary to acclimate.<\/p>\n<h2>4. Do Strength-Training Exercises That Work Your Arms and Legs<\/h2>\n<p>Score another one for the \u201cbenefits of weightlifting\u201d list. If you\u2019re going up a mountain, you need lower body strength. Filley recommends starting with something as basic as just spending more time on your feet. In the gym, moves like squats, lunges, step-ups and calf raises can all help you build the muscles that do most of your hiking work, while stability exercises can help you avoid injury.<\/p>\n<p>The rest of your body isn\u2019t out of the game either. If you\u2019ll be using trekking poles or wearing a backpack, work on upper-body moves like push-ups, bench dips, and rows, plus moves like planks to strengthen your core and help you stay balanced.<\/p>\n<h2>5. Practice with the Gear You Plan to Use During the Hike<\/h2>\n<p>Pack your backpack with what you\u2019ll be carrying on the trail (or as close as possible) and start breaking in your boots. \u201cI always have my clients practice how they\u2019re going to perform,\u201d Filley says. \u201cWhen you have that familiarity with your gear in the way that you\u2019re going to use it, it gives you confidence that you\u2019ve eliminated as many variables as you can.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>6. Try to Train Regularly\u2014Even When You\u2019re Not Totally Feeling It<\/h2>\n<p>The biggest challenge ahead of you may be just sticking to your training schedule. \u201cLife happens,\u201d Kennedy says. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t have to be 100 percent compliance, but most of your steps you take toward this goal really do need to be consistent from week to week; otherwise,\u00a0it gets harder to build that strength or endurance that you need.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re injured or\u00a0fatigued, you don\u2019t need to force yourself to train, but keeping your body moving with a long walk (if you can manage it) will help maintain your fitness. You might even find that your motivation returns.<\/p>\n<h2>7. Get Adequate Recovery<\/h2>\n<p>Great news: this means you get to eat and sleep more. With intense efforts, your body\u2019s rest and nutrient demands go up, and you need to adjust accordingly. If you still feel beat up more than two days after your workout, that\u2019s a good indicator you may be overtraining and need to back off.<\/p>\n<h2>8. Understand the \u201cWhy\u201d Behind Your Hike<\/h2>\n<p>No matter how much training you do, at the end of the day, endurance hiking is hard, and it eventually becomes more mental than physical. Try to remember what brought you to the trail in the first place. \u201cA lot of times when people go out and do a multi-day adventure, there\u2019s a reason behind it,\u201d Filley says. \u201cTo be deeply connected to your \u2018why\u2019 is going to help motivate you when you\u2019re having a tough day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHaving that endurance mentality to say \u2018I know that I have the strength for this\u2019 and the grit to keep going, that\u2019s the distinguishing factor between people who really thrive with endurance sports and people who struggle,\u201d Kennedy says. \u201cBeing willing to accept that discomfort and trust that your body can handle it is the key benchmark to knowing that you\u2019re ready for it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>Want more\u00a0<\/b><b><i>Outside<\/i><\/b><b>\u00a0health stories?\u00a0<\/b><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/hub.outsideinc.com\/bodywork_newsletter_sign_up-0\"><b>Sign up for the Bodywork newsletter<\/b><\/a><b>.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><span hidden=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/health\/training-performance\/hiking-training-tips\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Published July 29, 2026 03:00AM Hiking is intense. It\u2019s even more intense for those starting out or for people who haven\u2019t hit the trails in a while. If you\u2019re someone who\u2019s new to hiking and is hoping to crush your first hike or explore multi-day hikes, you may be in for a bit of a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16000,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wild-living"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15999","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15999"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15999\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16000"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}