Training for a Big Hike: Leg Strength, Cardio, Carrying a Pack and Trekking Poles

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The permit came through. Half Dome in July, a rim-to-rim of the Grand Canyon, the Tour du Mont Blanc, the first week of the Appalachian Trail, or simply the 12-mile ridge loop your friends keep talking about. You have three months, a pair of boots and a staircase at work. Good news: training for a big hike isn’t complicated, and it pays off. In a survey of 1,295 long-distance Appalachian Trail hikers, those who didn’t train before the trip were almost three times as likely to report a musculoskeletal injury (odds ratio 2.82), and strength training, stretching or yoga and endurance training were all linked with fewer injuries. This page lays out what to train and how to build it up, for weekend hikers, Scouts heading to Philmont, backpackers and thru-hikers.

General guidance for healthy people. If you have a heart, lung or joint condition, or haven’t been active in a while, check with your doctor first; a physical therapist (PT) can tailor a plan around old injuries. Back to the hiking hub.

What a big hike asks of your body

• Hours on your feet: long days at a steady, talking pace. The National Park Service’s rule of thumb: if you can talk while you walk, you’re at the right speed.
• Climbing: legs and lungs that can push uphill for an hour or more. Grand Canyon rangers tell hikers to plan on the climb out taking twice as long as the hike down.
• Descending: strong, resilient thighs. Downhill walking is what leaves most hikers sore for days (see hiking injuries).
• Carrying a load: a day pack or a backpack with food, water and shelter. At Philmont, a heavier pack relative to body weight was one of the factors linked with injury.
• Balance and ankles: roots, rocks and stream crossings.

Cardio: build the engine

The best training for hiking is hiking, ideally on hills. Around it, any steady cardio works: brisk walking, incline treadmill walking, stair climbing, cycling, running for those who already run. A simple pattern many hikers use over 8–12 weeks:

• 2–3 weekday sessions of 30–60 minutes: incline walking, stairs or a hilly neighborhood loop.
• One long weekend hike that grows a little most weeks, in time, distance and climbing, with an easier week every third or fourth week.
• A “dress rehearsal” 2–3 weeks out: the longest training day, with the boots, pack and food you’ll use on the trip.

Grow gradually: sudden jumps in training are a classic cause of overuse pain such as shin splints, says the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). A heart-rate strap or GPS watch helps keep easy days easy and shows your climbing per week; see hiking wearables.

Leg strength: step-ups and friends

Two short strength sessions a week make climbs feel easier and descents kinder. The exercises below are the ones most hiking plans share; start with body weight, add a backpack or dumbbells as they get easy, and stop anything that causes sharp pain.

• Step-ups: the single most hiking-like exercise. Step onto a sturdy box or bench at knee height or lower, drive through the whole foot, stand tall, then step down slowly.
• Slow step-downs: stand on a step and lower the other heel to the floor over 3 seconds. This trains the thighs for the long descent.
• Squats and split squats (lunges): for climbing power and knee control.
• Hip hinges or deadlifts and glute bridges: for the hips and back that carry the pack.
• Calf raises: for steep trails and ankle strength.
• Planks and side planks: a stable trunk under a pack.
• Single-leg balance: NATA recommends balance and neuromuscular training of at least 3 months for people who have sprained an ankle. Add eyes-closed or pillow-standing as it gets easy.

Two or three sets of 8–12 controlled reps is a common starting point. Older hikers benefit too: a study of hikers hurt in falls in the Austrian Alps found they were older than the average hiker, which makes leg strength and balance work even more worthwhile with age.

Carrying load: train with your pack

Your legs, hips and shoulders need to get used to a pack before the trip, not on day one. Start with a light day pack on your weekday walks, then add weight in small steps over several weeks (water bottles work: you can pour some out on a hill). Practice with the actual pack you’ll carry so you can dial in the fit: hip belt on the hip bones, most of the weight on the hips, not the shoulders. Keep the pack itself as light as the trip allows: at Philmont, a higher backpack-to-body-weight ratio, a body mass index over 30 and a past injury that needed a doctor were all linked to more injuries.

Trekking pole technique

Poles were linked with fewer complaints among Appalachian Trail hikers, and in a study on Snowdon, hikers with poles reported less effort on the climb and less soreness afterward. A 2020 review found they reduce the load on the legs and can add stability with a heavy pack. Practice with them on training hikes so they feel natural:

• Length: on flat ground, set the poles so your elbow bends to about 90° with the tip next to your foot (REI’s and LEKI’s guidance).
• Uphill: shorten each pole about 5–10 cm and push down and back.
• Downhill: lengthen each about 5–10 cm and plant them slightly ahead to take some weight off the knees and keep you upright.
• Traverses: shorten the uphill pole, lengthen the downhill one.
• Rhythm: opposite arm and leg, as in normal walking; on steep steps, plant both poles and step through.

A sample 12-week build

Weeks	Weekdays	Weekend
1–4: base	2 cardio sessions (30–45 min), 2 strength sessions (body weight)	Hike 2–3 hours, light day pack
5–8: build	2–3 cardio sessions with hills or stairs, 2 strength sessions with added weight	Longer hikes with more climbing; pack weight rising
9–10: peak	Same, plus a weekday stair or incline session with your pack	Dress rehearsal: longest day, full gear; back-to-back days before a multi-day trip
11–12: taper	Shorter, easier sessions; keep one strength day	Easy hike; check gear, break in anything new

It’s an example, not a prescription: adjust it to the trip, your starting fitness and how your body responds. Going to altitude? Training doesn’t prevent altitude sickness, so plan a slow ascent as the CDC advises (see injuries). Food and water for long days are on hiking nutrition, and how to plan the day itself is on Hike Day. For a related plan, see our running training page and the soccer training model for strength and prevention work.

Mobility and the mental side

Hips, calves and hamstrings get tight after hours of walking and climbing; 10 minutes of stretching or yoga after sessions, which the Appalachian Trail survey linked with fewer injuries, is time well spent. And the mental side matters: training hikes in rain and wind, a practiced turnaround (turning back on schedule even when the summit is close), and a few navigation sessions with map, compass and app make the real day calmer. Practice with a foam roller or a massage gun after long training days if you like them.

Hiking training: FAQs

How long should I train for a big hike?

Many hikers give themselves 8–12 weeks for a hard day hike or a first backpacking trip, longer for a thru-hike or high-altitude trek. The research point that matters most: Appalachian Trail hikers who trained before their hike reported fewer injuries than those who didn’t.

What is the best exercise for hiking?

Hiking on hills, with the pack you’ll carry. In the gym, step-ups are the closest match, with slow step-downs for the descents, squats or lunges, calf raises and balance work.

How do I train for hiking if I live somewhere flat?

Use stairs, stadium bleachers, a parking garage, an incline treadmill or a stair machine, with your pack on. Add step-ups and slow step-downs to train the descent your flat streets can’t.

How long should trekking poles be?

On flat ground, with the tip near your foot, your elbow should be bent about 90°. Shorten them about 5–10 cm for climbs and lengthen them about 5–10 cm for descents.

Can training prevent altitude sickness?

Fitness helps you enjoy the trip, but the CDC’s prevention advice is about how fast you go up: a slow ascent, limited gains in sleeping altitude and extra nights to acclimatize. Talk with your doctor about medicine if you’re heading high.