Hiking: A Beginners Introduction to Weight Training. By: Eve Pearce

By: Eve Pearce

 

Hiking: A Beginners Introduction to Weight Training

The health benefits of hiking, as described by We Love 2 Hike, are far-ranging. Hiking can decrease blood pressure, aid weight loss, calm and de-stress the mind, and even slow down the aging process. There’s no doubt about it; hiking is a fantastic way to keep fit and healthy. One of the lesser known, or less considered, benefits of hiking, is muscle toning. Of course all types of exercise tone the muscles to a certain degree, but if you would like to go further than simple toning, and actually build up your body muscle, then look no further than hiking for your introduction.

 

Why Hiking?

If you’ve long written off your resolution to make this year the year of the rock-hard abs, all is not lost. Many people are put off weight training if they’ve never tried it before, fearing that it will be too difficult for them and will lead to embarrassment. Weight training needn’t just be confined to musclemen showing off in the gym though. The greatest thing about hiking as a physical activity is that it is open to people of all levels of fitness, experience, and age. All it takes to master hiking is to start small and work your way up to bigger and tougher things. Once you have successfully completed some initial beginner hikes and have measured your fitness level, you will be ready to begin your weight training.

 

Beginning Your Weight Training

Before beginning your weight training hike, it is important to make sure your body has enough fuel for both the cardio and toning aspects of this activity. You can do this by eating the correct foods, and should aim to eat about one hour before beginning your workout. Ensure you eat enough carbohydrates, such as pasta or brown rice, and enough protein, such as eggs, beans, or meat, to sustain your body.

During a hike you are naturally toning and building your lower body muscles without even realizing it. Once you have mastered a few basic hikes, you can up the ante on your lower body toning by increasing the elevation. While leg toning occurs naturally, you will need to take special measures in order to build your upper body muscle during your hike. To engage your back, shoulders, and arms, carry a standard mountain backpack. Sounds simple right? It is simple, and incredibly effective. Start with a load that is light, but still heavy enough that you feel a slight strain, and then gradually increase the load with each hike you do.

 

How Does It Work?

This simple act of strapping a bag to your back whilst walking performs a multitude of actions all at once. The trapezius muscles; the muscles at the base of your neck, are engaged and strengthened, as this is where the shoulder harness rests. While walking your lower abdominal muscles automatically work hard to stabilize the pack, stopping it from tilting left or right, an action which also utilizes your lower back muscles. Lastly, when lifting the bag on and off your back, something which you will be doing frequently on long hikes when you need to stop for water, your shoulder, arm, and lower back muscles are all engaged. Make sure you alternate which arm you take your pack off with, to get an equal workout on both sides. It is vitally important that you begin with a light load, as if your muscles are not strong enough to deal with these actions, it could be very uncomfortable and even lead to injury.

 

Progressing the Weight Training

When you have reached the stage at which you can carry a heavy load on your back with ease, you may wish to progress your training to focus more on building your arms, as well as on your back and abdominal muscles. The easiest way to do this is to carry small weights, or for a more homemade version, tins of food, in your pack. You can then take regular intervals to do sets with these weights. Make sure to take off your pack before beginning the weights to avoid any back strain. When you’ve completed your beginner’s course in weight training and sufficiently built your muscles, you may even feel confident enough to face the musclemen at the gym. Here you can embark on a more intense weight training program, if you so desire. Just make sure not to give up on your hiking training. As great as huge arm muscles are, there’s nothing better for your body and mind than breathing in the fresh air whilst hiking through stunning scenery.

 

 By:  Eve Pearce