Give your legs a break: Building your upper body is one of the most overlooked ways to improve your backpacking. Spending some time training your arms and core will have significant benefits for balance, power, and comfort on more demanding terrain. Do these backpacking upper body workouts twice a week, along with a HIIT cardio move, like belches, to build strength without mass.
oblique crunches
Oblique crunches simulate the movement of quickly balancing on moving rocks or logs. Hold a weight in one hand, the other hand on your hip, and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Lower the weight along your side, flexing your midsection. Reverse the movement at your lowest point, which places the weight around your knee, and be sure to only move from side to side, not forward or backward. Do three sets of ten for each side with a weight that is heavy enough that you can do the required reps while maintaining control of the movement.
deadlift
The deadlift is a great compound movement that will work all the muscles in the back half of your body.. Stronger posterior muscles mean less back strain with heavier loads and longer days in the field. Start with your legs shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and back straight. Grab the weight and slowly lift it off the ground, straightening your knees and keeping your spine straight. Raise until you’re standing, pulling your shoulder blades back slightly, then carefully lower to the floor. Start with three sets of ten, using a weight that brings you to the brink of failure on the final rep.
Wood Chops
Wood chops are another great oblique exercise. They also work the back and shoulders. Set a cable machine with a single handle attachment to its highest setting. Face 45 degrees from the machine and hold the handle with both hands. Pull down and twist with your core until the handle is next to your waist on the opposite side of your body. Reverse the movement and do three sets of ten on each side. Not only will this help with your balance, but it will also simulate putting on your backpack, which can save your back the stress of repeatedly lifting your backpack. If you don’t have a cable machine, the move can also be done with free weights. Do three sets of ten reps with a weight you can control throughout the movement.
Ab Wheel Rollouts
Abdominal wheel rollouts are one of the best exercises for overall core strength. Start on your knees with your back arched and both hands on the wheel. Lower yourself slowly, keeping your arms straight until you’re an inch off the ground, or as far forward as your muscles will allow. As you go, slowly extend your body from hunched over to completely straight. Reverse the movement at the bottom, flexing your abs as you return to the starting position. If your back begins to hurt, stop the exercise and adjust your posture back to a neutral spine. Do three sets of ten, with minimal rest between sets. The benefit of working your abs statically, slowly and with purpose, is more control over your core. This comes into play on steep or rocky terrain, where being able to readjust your center of gravity quickly can save you from potentially dangerous situations.
I’m asking
Dips work the chest and triceps., and it will help you feel more stable on your hiking poles, taking some pressure off your legs and helping you on uneven terrain or steep inclines. Start on a dip machine or bars with both arms straight and down at your sides, legs dangling. Bend your arms until they’re at 90 degrees, lowering your body, and then straighten them, pushing your body up. If you don’t have a machine, use two benches, putting your legs on one and your hands on the other. Take your legs off the bench to make the exercise easier. Do three sets of ten.
More fitness tips for backpackers
The best way to build a fitness base for hiking: walk. But spend time exercising off the trails and you’ll go faster, feel more comfortable and injure yourself less in the backcountry.
Originally published June 2018; last updated January 2022
