5 Fitness Tips for a hiking holiday

The hiking holiday as a calorie burner

On a hiking holiday you not only get rid of mental ballast, you also shed the superfluous kilos. Many calories are burned on hikes lasting several days. An average trained person burns around 300 calories per hour on a leisurely hike. Hike lengths of five hours per day are a good average. The hike alone burns 1.500 calories a day. Within a week, a hiker burns at least 10.000 calories. That is the equivalent of about 20 Wiener Schnitzel.

5 Fitness Tips for the hiking season

Fitness Tip 1: Basic fitness level & stamina

So, what is more important than a good basic fitness level? It does not matter whether you are hiking, biking, canoeing or performing any other outdoor activities: if you regularly train your endurance, you will not run out of breath during your active holiday. Train at least 2 times a week. Anyone who runs for 30 to 40 minutes at a relaxed ‘chatting pace’ or rides a bike for 60 to 90 minutes has already done well.

Our recommendation: if you want to improve, first increase the number of units per week and then gradually increase the speed and duration.

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Fitness Tip 2: Forward Lunge

Ideal for stretching the hips and strengthening the leg muscles at the same time are lunges.

And this is how it works: in an upright position, your arms are placed on your hips. Both big toes pointing forward. Now take a big lunge forward. Lower the back knee almost to the floor, keeping the weight on the front leg. Push off backwards with your heel to return to the staring position. Switch legs. Make sure your back is straight and your knees are in the right position. The front knee must never protrude beyond the tip of the big toe! 3x20 repetitions per leg, resting about 2 minutes in between.

Fitness Tip 3: Strength for the calf muscles

On a hiking holiday, the legs are put under a lot of strain by daily walking tours. Added to this is the weight of the backpack on your shoulders. Squats, a real classic among fitness exercises, help to strengthen your muscles. The large muscle groups and the lower musculoskeletal system are trained.

And this is how it works: in an upright position, both legs hip-width apart, both big toes pointing forward. Stretch your arms out in front. Bend your knees keeping your back straight. Important: only bend so far that both heels are always in contact with the ground. The knees should never protrude beyond the tips of the toes. 3x25 squats, resting about 2 minutes in between. A backpack with weights on the shoulders can also reinforce the exercise.

Fitness Tip 4: Push-ups

The effective push-up exercise has a preventative effect on a wide variety of stresses. In addition to strengthening your lower body, don’t forget your arm and shoulder muscles when you train.

And this is how it works: first, get on all fours, legs stretched out backwards and hip-width apart, with your toes up on the floor. Face down, arms straight, palms supporting your body weight. Now lower your torso towards the ground by bending your arms and push up again. 3x push-ups until exhaustion. Variations by placing the arms in different width positions increase the efficacy of the training.

Fitness Tip 5: Bench plank or Plank

Muscle tone and core strength are amongst the most important elements, especially when climbing. Unfortunately, numerous recreational athletes have major deficits here. But a stable torso and core helps with all sporting activities and significantly increases the duration of the fun factor. An effective exercise is the bench plank. You can use it to train your upper arms, torso and buttocks – and without much effort.

And this is how it works: the basic position is the same as for push-ups. Stand on all fours, legs hip-width apart and stretched out, tiptoes on the floor. The arms are bent at 90 degrees – you lean on your forearms. Important: head, torso, hip and knee joints are in a straight line. Hold this position for at least 50 seconds, repeat 3 times after and equally long break. Gradually increase the duration of the hold position.

What are you waiting for? Find a cosy place in the great outdoors or at home and prepare yourself optimally for your next individual hiking holiday with Eurohike. Goodbye burning thighs and painful sore muscles.