The 12-week training plan as a free PDF

Poor fitness, knee pain when walking downhill or back problems caused by a backpack can spoil the fun of hiking. But that doesn’t have to be the case! Our training plan will get you fit for hiking in the mountains in 12 weeks – download the PDF now for free!

Hiking in the mountains is very popular with many outdoor enthusiasts from spring to autumn. In addition to meticulous tour planning and appropriate equipment, good physical condition is a prerequisite for having fun on tours lasting several hours and for preventing injuries and pain. Our 12-week training plan, which you can download for free from the PDF library, is aimed at beginners and advanced hikers who want to prepare specifically for hiking tours in the mountains.

Fit for hiking: This is how the training plan is structured

The focus of the “Fit for Hiking” training plan is on building strength – especially in the legs and core – and basic endurance, as well as stability in the ankle, knee and hip joints and balance. This is intended to prevent overload and pain in the knees when walking downhill or in the back from carrying a heavy backpack.

Ideally, you should start training three months before the start of your hiking season to be perfectly prepared. But of course you can also start a few weeks beforehand – better late than never! However, do not try to make up for missed training sessions and squeeze them into your planned training plan. Sufficient recovery time between sessions is necessary so that you do not overload your muscles and joints. In the worst case, this would end your hiking season before it even begins.

Two to three endurance sessions (walking, jogging or cycling) and two strength or stabilization training sessions are planned each week. The individual training sessions last approximately 30 to 90 minutes.

You can also do the training plan without mountains and a gym. However, for some exercises, small aids or additional weights are useful – especially from week 7 onwards, when you have already built up fitness.

Also interesting: The most beautiful hiking tours in spring: Between the Ammergau and Chiemgau Alps

Strengthen basic endurance

If you quickly run out of breath when hiking uphill, you should strengthen your cardiovascular system and train your endurance. Good endurance not only allows us to breathe more calmly under stress, but also ensures that our muscles do not tire as quickly.

This is an important point when hiking if you want to complete longer tours without pain or falling. Small accidents such as falls caused by stumbling, slipping or twisting an ankle often occur when the muscles in the legs become weak and concentration wanes. Or tired hikers slip into poor posture on the last few kilometers, which leads to excessive strain on the joints or spine.

In addition to strong muscles, good basic endurance is a prerequisite for preventing these problems. The training plan calls for two to three endurance sessions per week, which are mainly in the GA1 range. This means that you walk, jog or cycle at a relaxed pace at which you could still easily have a conversation with a training partner in full sentences without getting out of breath.

Read more: Knee pain when hiking? Tips for effective prevention

From week 7 onwards, there is one endurance session per week, during which the GA1 zone is left in short intervals to increase the pulse rate a little. From this point onwards, the long endurance session with a few metres of elevation gain must also be completed in order to gradually get used to ascents and descents in the mountains.

Also interesting: Workout for cardio and strength: The perfect combination of rope skipping and bodyweight exercises

Build strength in leg and core muscles

When hiking, it is important to have well-trained leg muscles in order to be able to move safely and comfortably for several hours on sometimes steep and impassable terrain. The training plan includes strength training exercises for the thigh extensors and flexors as well as adductors (inner thighs), buttocks and calves.

Another key part of the body that should be strengthened for pain-free hiking is the torso. The focus of the exercises is on the deep core muscles, stomach and back. They hold and support the body, which is particularly stressed by the terrain and, not least, a heavy backpack. A stable torso is also a basic requirement for preventing falls.

Additional weights should be used in strength training when the specified number of repetitions can be performed effortlessly using clean technique. If you can do 20 squats instead of 15 without any problems, it is too easy. Then you can use dumbbells in your hands, a barbell on your shoulders or a backpack weighted down with water bottles on your back. The weight is right if you cannot do another clean repetition after the specified number.

You can also make core exercises such as the “swimmer” (detailed description of the exercises in the training plan PDF) more difficult by, for example, passing a small water bottle behind your back.

Beginners can do strength training largely with their own body weight (e.g. push-ups, planks, stair climbers). However, after 6 weeks at the latest, they should also use additional weights to increase the load. This way, further training progress is possible.

Read more: Which muscle groups should you train together?

Important for pain- and fall-free hiking: stable ankles and correct leg axis

A study by the University of Innsbruck in 2017 analyzed data from a period of 9 years. The researchers not only found that around 75 percent of hiking accidents in the mountains occurred during the descent, they also identified the ankle as the most frequently affected body region in both women and men.

Therefore, from week 7 onwards, the training plan places a greater focus on stabilizing the ankle joints (including through circuit exercises with Theraband) and leg axis training (e.g. one-legged squats on stairs). Pay particular attention to a controlled pace and clean execution of the movement in these exercises (but also in all others). Speed, joints in protective positions, wobbling around, etc. are counterproductive.

Fit for hiking – the 12-week training plan

Do you want to start the hiking season fit? Then download the free training plan PDF “Fit for Hiking” from the PDF library.

To do this, you must register once and easily with our media login USER.ID.

Tip: Exercises for a correct leg axis (imaginary line between the ankle, knee and hip joints) and balance training can be easily incorporated into everyday life (ideally barefoot). For example, stand on one leg while brushing your teeth or stand on one leg for 10 to 15 seconds and close your eyes. The classic standing scale also trains your coordination and balance. Whenever a (safe) opportunity arises, try to stand on wobbly surfaces (e.g. on the playground) and balance the movement.

Note: If you are unsure about how to perform the exercise, ask for instructions from a specialist at the gym or sports club. We recommend that beginners and those returning to sport, but also everyone else, have their fitness checked by a doctor before completing the training program. If you suddenly feel pain or ill during training, you should stop training immediately and have the symptoms checked by a doctor.

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The author is a former competitive athlete (alpine skiing and ski cross), certified fitness trainer (B license) and ski instructor.