Too Busy To Train? Do These Exercises!

by | Feb 3, 2025 | 0 comments

Too Busy To Train? Do These Exercises!

Are you feeling too busy to train for your upcoming adventure? Try to sneak in fitness where you can with these exercises! Sometimes, the work-life balance gets a little out of hand, or there aren’t enough hours in the day to train. It happens, and thankfully, you can add fitness to your day in several ways. While training on a tight schedule might not be ideal, you can maximize your time with these options.

Take The Stairs To Train For Hills

As simple as it sounds, taking the stairs to train for hills is super effective! If you work in an office building, the odds are good that a stairwell is nearby. During a work break or lunch, spend a few minutes going up and down the stairs. If no stairs are nearby, you might find some at a parking garage. You can also use a curb as a step-up if you’re far from any stairs.

To TrainCalf Raises

These are other great exercises that you can do anywhere. Sneak them in while the coffee brews, while cooking, standing in line, pumping gas, or even brushing your teeth. It’s pretty easy to rack up the reps when you start adding these to your day.

Walk More To Hike Comfortably

This one might seem obvious, but again, little actions add up! Parking farther away when possible is an easy win for getting more steps in. Aim to hit 8000 steps per day or more. Walking after lunch for a few minutes can do wonders for mood and digestion, so doing a hot lap around the building at work is worthwhile. Taking a few minutes to walk around the block when you get home can be a great way to de-stress from the day and also help you train for hiking.

I also wrote more about this topic for Backpacker Magazine. You can read that article here.

Workout Blitz To Train Quick

There are a few ways to go about workout blitzes. To do a workout blitz, take one or two exercises and alternate between them for either time or repetitions. I like an upper body or core exercise paired with a lower body movement to maximize your time. Doing push-ups or planks at work might be more out of the ordinary, whereas squatting or lunging might be more acceptable. Do what feels best to you, and if you can work in planks or push-ups behind closed doors, do so.  Here’s how I might add these to my day.

  1. On a 5-minute clock, complete as many reps of 15 squats and ten push-ups as possible
  2. Every hour, complete 10 to 15 squats
  3. During a work break or restroom break, add in 10-15 squats or lunges
  4. Complete 100 reps of squats or step-ups as quickly as possible
  5. Max holds a front or side plank in the morning and evening

Balance

Training balance might seem silly, but consider walking across logs or rocks while crossing a creek or river, navigating a tricky section of trail with a full pack, and throwing off your balance. Our balance also tends to diminish as we age, so adding it into our day can pay bigger dividends down the road. 

As with calf raises, you can add balance easily around the house or during more mundane activities like pumping gas or standing in line at the grocery store.

author avatar
Lee Welton Owner
Lee has been helping hikers feel strong and confident so they can enjoy their adventures, not endure them since 2017. He's hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, scaled Mount Rainier, and hiked through the Dolomites in Italy.