Staying In Shape

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Busting common myths about stretching, caffeine, and more. 1. Myth: If you aren’t sweating, you aren’t working hard enough. Let’s be honest, you can work up a sweat just lounging around on a hot summer day. You don’t even have to be moving. That’s because your body produces sweat to cool itself down. According to…