Those of us living in the Phoenix area are blessed with a plethora of hiking trails. Whether you’re looking to hike South Mountain, Camelback, or more outlying areas like the Superstition Mountains, hiking can become strenuous, especially as the weather warms up. Here’s a circuit training workout for hiking, designed to help you prepare your body, allowing you to enjoy the beautiful scenery you’re hiking through instead of sucking wind and stopping every five minutes.
This workout is designed to combine strength training with high intensity cardio.
Dumbbell Pushover – This exercise works your lats, which are the biggest muscle in your back. It’s helpful for climbing and pulling on objects like walking poles. Lie on your back on a weight bench with one dumbbell facing vertically, resting on your chest. Griping the dumbbell so that your thumbs and index fingers are touching, forming a diamond which the weight rests in. Press the dumbbell upward so it’s hovering above your chest, and your elbows are slightly bent. Reach the dumbbell straight back over your head until your arms are parallel with the ground. Then, pull the weight back up until it’s over your chest.
Walking Lunges – Walking lunges are great for building and toning your leg muscles for both walking movements as well as climbing inclined trails. And, building your legs will also help you with carrying a heavy pack. Hold heavy kettlebells or dumbbells by your side, one in each hand, and take a big lunging step forward. Drop your back knee to the ground, then stand up by bringing your back foot up to your front foot. Lunge forward until you run out of room, then turn around and continue until time’s up.
Planks – Your core muscles are important for dealing with carrying any kind of pack while hiking, and “the plank” is a wonderful exercise for building strength and endurance into your core and ab muscles. Get into a pushup position on the ground. Then, put your forearms on the ground so your elbows are directly under your shoulders. Your body should be in a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles. Hold this position until time is up. To make it harder, put a heavy sandbag or weighted plate on your lower back.
Stair Climbs – If you have access to a flight of stairs, or a stair climbing machine like the StairMaster Free Climber, doing endurance work by going up and down stairs as fast as possible over 30 second intervals are a great way to prepare for climbing trails. Add to your workout by wearing your pack with supplies, or by holding dumbbells at your side while doing your stair climbs.
And, if you need fitness equipment like dumbbells, kettlebells, or more, stop into any of Fitness 4 Home Superstore’s three Phoenix area locations today!
