Hill Training In Flat Locations
Hill training in a flat location can feel challenging. Today, I’ll share with you a number of ways you can train for elevation no matter where you live. I will walk you through how to train for your hike if you live in the city or somewhere flat. It’s not uncommon for me to have someone reach out and say, “Hey, I live somewhere flat in a city, or maybe Louisiana, where it’s pancake flat, and I need to train for a hike or a mountain climb. What can I do to train?” Thankfully, there are a lot of workouts you can do in this instance.
Stair Workouts For Hill Training
Stair workouts are great even if you live somewhere flat. There’s probably a hotel, parking garage, outdoor park, or stadium with stairs you can access. This workout is very simple—you’ll alternate a different rhythm and step pattern going up each flight of stairs. It’s a great way to work on uphill and downhill strength and conditioning.
Lunges
Lunges are my favorite exercise to prepare for hiking. They do so much in range of motion for the big toe, the foot, and the hips. They work on strength and conditioning for uphill and downhill hiking. There are various ways to incorporate lunges into your workout. For example, you can do a track lunge workout where you walk one lap quickly, pushing your nose and breathing tolerance, and then perform 50 walking lunges (25 per leg) or 50 step-ups per leg (100 total).
1000′ Step-up Test
Another workout you could do is the 1,000-ft step-up test. You’ll find a box or a chair about mid-shin high, measure that height, and calculate how many steps you need to take up on that box to reach 1,000 ft. It’s a great way to work on conditioning and endurance for hiking the hills.
Treadmills For Hill Training
A treadmill is also a valuable training tool. Adjusting the incline is straightforward, and you can monitor your speed as you work out. You can also play with the incline each week to vary your workout.
Another option is a stair climber, although some prefer step-ups due to the more significant effort required and the more complete movement compared to a stair climber.
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