This 30 minute workout will have you climbing mountains like a pro! 

It should be done twice a week. It can be a standalone workout, or it can be blended into your workout routine. The workout consists of two supersets (exercises combined in sequence without a break) . I do it on Monday and Thursday. Here is the basic run down (detailed explanations further down)

The Workout:

Super Set # 1: (Goal is 3 sets)

• Pushups: 20 reps 
• Bulgarian Split Squats: 10 reps (alternative: walking lunges)
• Dips: 10 reps 
• Standing Obliques Crunch: 10 reps (alternative: side planks)

* Rest for 1-2 minutes (based on heart rate - try to stay in zone 2)

Super Set # 2: (Goal is 3 sets)

• Planks: 1 minute
• Step ups: 10 reps on each leg 
• Pull ups: as many as possible
• Weighted Glute Bridges: 10 reps

Keys to why this workout boosts hiking ability:

• When hiking, you are predominantly in zone 2 or zone 3. This workout mimics this so that you are building your strength and endurance in these zones.
• When hiking, we engage a large number of stabilizing muscles that we don’t use often (these are usually what cause us problems hiking). This workout targets many of those stabilizers and builds strength and endurance there.
• Core Strength is vital to avoiding injury while hiking. Your core holds the entire body in balance and when carrying weight as in hiking, this job gets much tougher. This workout targets core muscles in the abdominals and glutes that are crucial for stabilization. 

How Much Weight to Use?

This is going to depend on your starting fitness level. In general, it's better to start lighter than what you can actually do because you will be engaging many muscles that you might not normally use. So to avoid injury in the beginning, go light. Most of these exercises can be done with just body weight in the first week to get a feel for everything.  

The goal is to be able to do 3 rounds of each of the supersets. Once you can do this, start increasing weight. 

** My goal for all of the leg workouts is to do slightly more than I would normally carry in my pack. For example, my pack normally weighs 14-16kg but can sometimes get up to 20-24. So my max weight goal for this workout is 30kg (15kg in each hand). Once you reach that goal, there is no need to keep adding weight, instead add more reps or extend the workout with more exercises.

How to extend this workout? 

A few other good extensions for this are Turkish getups, kettlebell swings, calf raises, walking lunges and banded horizontal steps. These all work to strengthen and engage key muscle groups. You can also add an inclined treadmill at the end to keep the zone 2-3 training going. 

What is Zone 2-3?

For most people, Zone 2 is going to be around a heart rate of 110-125bpm and be indicated by light but steady breathing (this will vary from person to person) and Zone 3 falls around 125 to 150bpm indicated by more rapid breathing and light perspiration (like you just walked up 1-2 floors of stairs). If you are huffing and puffing and pouring sweat you've likely moved into zone 4 and need to slow down or take a little breather.