Build up your abs for better balance and all-day comfort on the trail. No offense to your legs, but it’s your abs and lower back that matter most when it comes to managing pack weight—and not just those superficial six-pack muscles, either. Ditch the workaday crunches for these whole-system exercises to target the deeper back…
Read More
Strengthen joints and banish sprains for good. You’re only as strong as your weakest link, and for backpackers, that’s usually the joints. Connective tissues like tendons and ligaments are tougher to strengthen than muscle, and injuring them isn’t pretty: Tweaked knees, rolled ankles, and achy hips can be trip-enders. Improve your odds of a pain-free…
Read More
Gear up for the United States’ toughest long path with these expert picks. On a path as long, high, and remote as the Continental Divide Trail, there is little room for gear errors. For four to six months of walking, CDT thru-hikers have a laundry list of concerns that outpace those of many other long…
Read More
With a high school reunion coming and a gut to lose, our writer tries to remake himself on the trail. Photo by Istockphoto.com/adventure_photoI suspect I am not the only person who, with the clock ticking toward yet another high school reunion, has passed a mirror and thought, “How did that happen?” Time was not on…
Read More
Learn these key hiking fitness principles to get the most out of your time on the trail. by Rick McCharles/Flickr1. It’s better to exercise a little, and often, than to do a lot once in a while. If you push too hard in a workout, you’ll feel sore days after and won’t be able to…
Read More
It’s easier than you’d think to eat paleo on the trail. These 9 paleo snack and meal recipes will have you focusing on the scenery, not your food. Even if you’re hiking above tree line, these coconut-packed bars will whisk you away to a tropical place. Make this recipe.View the 9 images of this gallery…
Read More
Pick one of these 10-minute techniques to work on every day, and in no time, you’ll be in your best trail shape ever. Get fit for the hike of your dreams with just 10 minutes of training per day. iStockphoto.com / deimagineCan I really get fit for hiking in just 10 minutes a day? If…
Read More
Get ready for the long fitness haul with these skills, workouts, and essential info. The Body Fit hikers in this age range routinely overtake huffing and puffing twentysomethings on big days. That’s because endurance performance reaches its absolute peak in the late 30s. Long-distance runners and most mountaineers achieve their greatest physical potential during this…
Read More
A hiker makes a Leave No Trace confession, and we’re here to dole out penance—and a piece of advice. “I was on a solo hike a few weeks ago and, well, I really had to go. There was just no time—I crapped right next to the trail. I feel really bad.” –Incontinent in Idaho Dear…
Read More
Get ready for the gnarliest hikes with these tips—and a simple, 9-week training plan. In the mountains, fitness means safety.Couch potato is a lifestyle choice. Make a different one: Start training, stop complaining, and yadda yadda yadda, you’re a trail-eating beast. You’ll thank us later when you’re flexing a rippling quad while pointing some outdoorsy…
Read More