

December 10, 2018
Today Omkar, Physiotherapist at Bodyset, is here to share his favourite free weight exercises for targeting specific muscles and improving your experience when you’re out in the countryside.
If you enjoy walking around in the soft and muddy regions of the Peak District, Yorkshire Dales and Lincolnshire, strong ankle muscles are essential. For those who love the predominantly rocky terrain of the Lakes, Snowdonia and North Wales, working on the strength of your hip and knee muscles is most important. For long-distance hikers and wild campers who carry big rucksacks, core and back strength is crucial.
Hikers benefit most from using submaximal weights and performing eight to fifteen safe and precise reps. A submaximal weight refers to a weight that is less than the maximum of which you are capable of lifting. Explosive strength training, high weight, low reps and plyometric training have minimal benefits for long-distance hikers or mountain climbers. However, explosive high step-ups can be a very useful exercise to incorporate if you are adventurous on your climbs and love a bit of rock climbing alongside mountain hiking.
You can plan your weight strengthening programme using both free weights and gym machines. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Free weights replicate normal movements and the body’s kinetic chain more effectively. They are also convenient to use at home and you only need a few basic weights to get started. Exercising with free weights also recruits your deep stabiliser muscles and helps you strengthen the kinetic chain better compared to machines. However, if used improperly or you go ‘too hard too soon’ you can expose yourself to serious injury.
Try the following exercises to target specific muscles needed for hiking:
Weighted goblet squats are a fantastic building block to work up to practising back and front squats using a barbell. Squats strengthen glutes, quads and hamstrings, as well as working on the core muscles which stabilize your back. Choose a dumbbell or a kettlebell of a submaximal weight for best results.
How to do it:
Dead lifts are a great exercise for targeting your core, glutes, abs, hamstrings and quads. You can perform them with either a kettlebell or barbell.
How to do it:
This exercise also targets core, glutes, abs, hams and quads, working from a single-leg starting point. Single leg work is essential for mountain hikers to build strength and stamina for long-distance hikes.
How to do it:
Bulgarian split squats are another variation of single-leg strengthening. Their main benefit is to efficiently strengthen the posterior chain.
How to do it:
Heel raises are an excellent exercise for ankle strength; essential for mountain hikers and injury prevention.
How to do it: