Are you planning to hike for several days and want to get in shape so that everything goes as well as possible? Here are 8 tips to prepare for a long hike so that you won’t have any issues once on the trails!
Start your physical preparation early
Ideally, you should start to prepare yourself physically well before the start of your hike. Experts advise you to start working on your endurance at least 6 months before your departure. Good physical preparation is essential, because long hikes are demanding on the body. This will prevent you from being exhausted and demoralized in the early stages!
Improve your daily physical condition
To improve your fitness and endurance over the long term, you need to develop good habits. Take into account… what place does physical exercise currently have in your daily life? Do you often travel on foot often? How do you get to work? Do you walk to go shopping?
It will be beneficial to improve your physical condition on a daily basis, by promoting increased movement on foot, by bike, or by taking the stairs rather than the elevator. To prepare for your hike, for example, you can challenge yourself to try to walk at least 40 minutes a day to get to work or for errands. And even better, take the opportunity to bring your purchases home in your backpack!
Also read our post: Hiking For Beginners – The Hiking Guide For Beginners
Gradually improve your endurance
To prepare for your long hike, do not forget to work on endurance! You need to be physically active for at least 2 hours a week to really notice an improvement in your endurance. These 2 hours can be spread over three sessions of 30 to 40 minutes each.
Monitor your heart rate. The ideal heart rate should be between 60% and 80% of maximum heart rate (MHR). You can bring a heart rate monitor to determine the intensity of the exercise performed. As a rule of thumb, you need to reach at least 60% for exercise to have an impact on endurance.
It’s also easy to calculate your maximum heart rate. Just do the following calculation: 226 – your age for women, 220 – your age for men.
Also read our post: 5 tips to manage fatigue while hiking
Take day hikes
The best way to prepare for your big hike … is obviously to hike!
Each type of sport activates different muscle groups in a specific way and helps to provide specific endurance. Day hikes can not only help prepare your body for a longer trip, but it will also help you improve your orientation and walking time assessment skills. In addition, day hikes will also help you reduce stress and allow you to reconnect with nature.
Also read our post: The benefits of walking for the heart
Don’t forget about complementary sports
There are also other sports that will also help you improve your fitness when you are preparing for a long hiking adventure.
Think of so-called “cyclic” sports in which the same sequence of movements is repeated: running, cross-country skiing, rollerblading, Nordic walking, cycling and swimming… All these sports will help you improve your physical condition over the long term and are great ways to prepare for hiking.
Yoga also has many advantages. It helps develop your sense of balance through many poses. A greater mastery of the balance will be useful to you during ascents and descents in the mountains.
Train with a load on your back
To prepare for your big hike as well as possible, why not try to reproduce the real conditions… and practice walking while carrying a load on your back!
The weight of a backpack greatly increases the level of physical demands of the hike. Therefore, it pays to invest in comfortable and durable equipment. Choose a backpack with good carrying comfort. The carrying system is more or less sophisticated depending on the brands and types of bags. The best is to take one with adjustable straps and flexible frames that will ensure a good transfer of the weight on the hips.
Also read our post: Hiking Checklist – What to Pack When Hiking in Europe
Test the weather conditions
Good preparation also means familiarizing yourself with all kinds of bad weather, because you will likely encounter some during your long hike!
On the paths, you will be exposed to all kinds of weather conditions over many hours. And bad weather can bring its share of small problems… Wet clothing, discomfort, or low morale… it is better to know what to expect and prepare accordingly! We therefore advise you to go out for a walk in all weathers, or even for example, to go hiking for a day in the rain! This will give you an experience that can approximate the real conditions of a multi-day hike. And even better, it will allow you to test the hiking equipment in which you have invested, even to make some changes before the big departure!
Also read our post: 4 tips for hiking in the rain
Be positive!
In addition to physical fitness, do not forget to work on your mind to prepare for your big hike!
On the trail, you will need to be able to be flexible in the face of unexpected situations. A positive attitude and a strong mind will help you overcome any little hassle and achieve your goals on the hike!
By being positive, you will enjoy the journey much more. You will stay motivated and be open to new experiences or changes to the schedule. A long-distance hike will also give you the opportunity to get to know yourself better. By facing different situations, you will become aware of your strengths but also of your limits. And above all, you will learn one essential thing: to be able to rely on yourself .
Also read our post: 6 tips to recover well after hiking
In conclusion, preparing for your big hike means gradually integrating outdoor physical activities into your daily routine, increasing your endurance, and staying positive!
With that in mind, we wish you lots of fun on your next big hike!
