“How to train for hiking with workouts on a treadmill?”
If that is what you’re wondering now, let us be by your side! We interviewed many well-known fitness trainers and hiker experts, then compiled all the information in this article. Let’s take a peek!
How to Train For Hiking With Workouts On Your Treadmill
Exercise 1
Who should try it:
- Beginner hikers
- Exercisers who had a big week of training
Duration: 30-60 minutes
Instructions:
Set your treadmill on 2% or 3% incline
Choose your comfortable walking pace (the speed that you still can talk without out of the breath of feeling dizzy)
Note: Focus on your breath. If you haven’t known about the abdominal breathing technique, watch here:
Want to challenge yourself a bit more:
Per 4 minutes, put your hands above your head while walking on the treadmill. Keep it for one minute while focusing on keeping your breath.
Exercise 2
Who should try it: People who want to improve their aerobic capacity in a more interesting way
Duration: 60 minutes
Instructions
Wear a backpack that weighs 10% of your bodyweight
Set the treadmill on 0% incline, then choose your comfortable walking pace.
Increase the incline by 1% every two minutes. Adjust the walking pace to remain the same exercise intensity. Keep doing that until you reach the highest incline setting.
Start and keep decreasing the incline by 1% every two minutes until you reach the lowest incline setting
Want to challenge yourself a bit more:
Increase the weight of your backpack and extend the workout interval to an extra 10 minutes each time you do this exercise.
Exercise 3
Who should try it: People who want to improve aerobic power & want to feel less fatigued or nauseated when going up hills
Duration: 18 minutes
Instructions
Set your treadmill at the highest incline
Keep walking for three minutes and take a short break of 90 seconds.
Do 4 sessions.
Want to challenge yourself a bit more:
Increase the walking speed setting or do one extra session every time you do this exercise.
Exercise 4
Who should try it: People who want to improve their muscular endurance
Duration: 30 minutes
Instructions
Set your treadmill at the highest incline
Wear a backpack that weighs the same as the pack you’ll carry for the upcoming hiking trips (a trick is to fill it up with water bottles)
Choose your comfortable walking pace (that you still keep a conversation without out of breath, but you can’t sing a song)
Take a break of two minutes
Do 3 sessions.
Want to challenge yourself a bit more:
Increase the weight of your backpack or extend the workout interval every time you do this exercise.
Exercise 5
Who should try it:
- People whose calves usually feel painful for the following few days after walking downhill back to the trailhead
- People who want to improve their leg strength
Duration: 45-60 minutes
Instructions
Set your treadmill on 0% or 1% incline and choose your comfortable walking pace, then walk in 10 minutes.
Focus on the way you walk: Exaggerate a tip-top stride and push off of your toes without letting your heels touch the walking mat.
Walk off the treadmill and start doing 10-15 single-foot toe hops with a jump rope. Take note to not let your heels touch the floor.
Next, do 10-20 calf raises. Take a break of 5 minutes.
Do 3 sessions.
Want to challenge yourself a bit more:
Increase the number of 10 to 20 calf raises and the number of calf raises, or do calf raises with a stability half-ball, or extend the duration of this workout.
Exercise 6
Who should try it: People who want to strengthen their core muscles
Duration: 45-60 minutes
Instructions
Place a yoga mat next to your treadmill, along with a PVC pipe or a weight bar.
Set your treadmill on the max incline and choose your comfortable walking pace. Walk for 5-10 minutes to warm up.
Get off the treadmill, do 10 to 20 “supermans” on the mat.
Then, do 5 to 15 “good mornings” with the PVC pipe or weight bar.
Take a break of 2 minutes. Do 3 sessions.
Want to challenge yourself a bit more:
Increase the number of Superman and Good mornings while increasing the walking interval every time you do this workout.
Stretching
Don’t skip this step every time you finish your workout on a treadmill. It is worthy to take a couple of minutes to stretch for these good reasons:
- Stretching helps slow down your body gradually
- Increase muscular coordination
- Improve range of motion
- Boost your energy
- Cut off lactic acid
- Improve blood circulation
- Increase your flexibility
Here is a tutorial video about how to stretch your body after a workout:
Conclusion
And, that is everything we’d like to share with you on how to train for hiking with workouts on your treadmill. Hopefully, these exercises helped you train with more fun and excitement. In addition to planning an appropriate workout, you should pay attention to your diet.
Thanks for reading!
Nancy Lang
