Published September 17, 2026 02:47PM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The first time I ever went backpacking abroad, I was so unprepared for the climbs that I couldn\u2019t complete my planned itinerary. The route in question should have been a dream loop through the Italian Dolomites. But instead of frolicking through alpine passes, I found myself two days in, on the verge of tears, staring down yet another 6,000-foot climb. The sun was about to set, and my quads were Jell-O. I couldn\u2019t do it. I booked a room in an inn I couldn\u2019t afford, climbed the pass the next morning, and then took a bus to my endpoint.<\/p>\n
While there\u2019s no shame in calling a trip early, it\u2019s a bummer to miss out on miles of beauty just because your hiking fitness isn\u2019t where you thought it was. And while it\u2019s relatively easy to train for a route if you have similar terrain close to home, it can be tough to prep for truly enormous climbs\u2014like the kind you\u2019ll find in the Colorado Rockies, the Italian Dolomites, or the French Alps.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s especially hard to train in America for stuff like the Alps or the Dolomites because those mountains are so steep,\u201d explains Alexa Hasman, a mountain athlete, personal trainer, and founder of Rise Ultra Coaching. The trick, she says, is to combine endurance training with hill repeats and gym time to build serious muscular power. Here are a few of her favorite hill workouts.<\/p>\n
1. The Endurance Climb<\/h2>\n
Your first order of business is to build a strong endurance base. For this, Hasman recommends finding the longest hill you can (or setting your treadmill to its maximum incline) and climbing at a consistent pace for one to two hours. Ideally, you\u2019ll carry a little weight: Hasman suggests starting with ten percent of your bodyweight and hiking for 60 minutes. Add 15 minutes each week.<\/p>\n
You can also play with weight, adding about five pounds per week until you\u2019re at 20 percent of your bodyweight. Hasman cautions against carrying any more than that.\u00a0 Upwards of 20 percent, the likelihood of injury outweighs the diminishing strength gains. (Also avoid increasing weight and distance in the same week\u2014up one or the other, but not both.)<\/p>\n
Throughout, stick to a pace that\u2019s engaged but sustainable. \u201cYou should be conversational,\u201d Hasman says. \u201cIf you can say three sentences at a time without gasping for breath, that\u2019s where I want you.\u201d<\/p>\n
2. The Double-Dipper<\/h2>\n
A single long hike is great, but it doesn\u2019t quite simulate the back-to-back days of serious vert that you\u2019ll encounter on a backpacking trip. To prepare, Hasman recommends doing two endurance workouts per week on consecutive days.<\/p>\n
\u201cCumulative fatigue is really important there,\u201d Hasman says. \u201cIt teaches your body to work on tired legs. You might feel stiff, sore, or heavy the next day, but that\u2019s normal. This is just as much about mental training as it is physical.\u201d<\/p>\n
3. Uphill Repeats<\/h2>\n
Once you have a strong endurance base\u2014i.e., you can reliably hike uphill for 90 to 120 minutes while carrying 15 to 20 percent of your bodyweight\u2014it\u2019s time to start building speed and power.<\/p>\n
Find a steep hill and charge up it at close to your max effort for ten seconds. Walk slowly down to the base of the hill, then do it again. Your goal is four total reps. Over time, build up to reps of 30 seconds, then 60 seconds, then two minutes, then three minutes.<\/p>\n
If you live near a hill that\u2019s long enough for a three-minute interval, great. If not, do this on a treadmill at its maximum incline setting.<\/p>\n
4. Downhill Repeats<\/h2>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re an uphill athlete, then you\u2019re also by nature a downhill athlete,\u201d Hasman says. And if you\u2019ve ever done a long descent with weight on your back, you\u2019re probably aware that downhills are the real quad-killers. To avoid jellified quads during your trip, Hasman recommends training downhills specifically.<\/p>\n
One way to do this is to reverse the above workout. Walk slowly up a hill, then charge down it as fast as you can go without being reckless. Do this for four reps. You can also combine these two workouts: Book it up the hill, then book it down, and take your rest at the bottom.<\/p>\n
5. Wall Sits<\/h2>\n
Welcome to the least-fun workout on this list\u2014but perhaps the most effective.<\/p>\n
\u201cWall sits are my secret sauce for downhill,\u201d Hasman says. They\u2019re great because they hold you in an exaggerated, active downhill-hiking position for an extended period.<\/p>\n
\u201cI start my athletes with one-minute wall sits a couple of times a week. After a few weeks, we go until failure. Then we add weight.\u201d Once you can sit with a ten-pound plate on your lap for a minute or two, you\u2019re ready for boss level: single-leg wall sits. \u201cMost people can only hold them for a second or two\u2014it\u2019s almost like marching while sitting against a wall,\u201d Hasman says. \u201cIf you can hold it for 30 seconds, you\u2019re an absolute beast.\u201d<\/p>\n
6. Step-Ups<\/h2>\n
Nothing beats single-leg exercises for building uphill strength and stability. To this end, Hasman recommends getting into the gym at least twice a week during the meat of your training. Focus on your glutes, quads, hamstrings, and core. While there are tons of relevant exercises, Hasman says step-ups are a particular must-do.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo 15 to 30 reps on one leg, then switch,\u201d she recommends. Start with three sets. Every week, either add a set or add five pounds of additional weight to make it harder.<\/p>\n
Other Recommendations<\/h2>\n\n- Start training early: <\/b>Building leg muscle takes time. You\u2019ll need to train consistently for at least three to six months ahead of your objective to see significant gains.<\/li>\n
- Rely on perceived effort\u2014not heart rate: <\/b>Some folks love training within heart-rate zones, but Hasman says these aren\u2019t perfect measurements, especially when it comes to hill training. Instead, she prefers \u201crate of perceived effort\u201d\u2014in other words, how hard are you working on a scale of one to ten? Endurance training should be a four to six on that scale, and hill repeats should be closer to an eight or nine.<\/li>\n
- Take rest days: <\/b>Even if you\u2019re prepping for a seven-day sufferfest, try not to train for more than three days in a row, Hasman says. Rest is critical to building muscle.<\/li>\n
- Avoid dumping your water weight: <\/b>Some hikers hill-train with water so they can pour it out at the top and breeze downhill. Hasman isn\u2019t a fan: \u201cIf you have knee pain, this can be useful, but if you don\u2019t, you\u2019re just robbing yourself of downhill training.\u201d<\/li>\n
- Remember to taper: <\/b>Three to four weeks out from your objective, start to back off on the training. This will give your legs time to recover so you\u2019re fresh for your trip.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Want more <\/b>Outside<\/i><\/b> health stories? <\/b>Sign up for the Bodywork newsletter<\/b>. And for tips on how to train, fuel, and recover better, <\/b>sign up for the Sweat Science 101 newsletter<\/b>.<\/b><\/p>\n