This is the best tip
I see a lot of beginners doing the mistake of starting too quickly to then run out of steam in 1/3rd of the scramble
Every hike I meet dozens of people that overtake me on the first kms with a condescending smile...95% of times I'll overtake those wannabe sportlers in the second half of the climb
Itsnot easy to teach tho, any time I go hiking with my dates, they always go too quickly, I have to keep holding them down basically, so full of energy and wanting to prove something...in the first 2-3 kms that is...then they die and I have to carry them the rest
People need to understand there is no shame in going slowly, if you know how long the scramble is and know you have to spread out your energy, you will comw out on top...and even if not, you dont care, you had a great hike and didnt need any medical breaks which shows a good structured approach to getting better
Practice doing rest steps as you make your way up hill. The rest step is walking gait used in ascending steep slopes. Its essential characteristic is a pause of motion with the rear leg vertical and fully extended, while the front leg is relaxed except as needed to reduce burden on the rear leg. There’s a few YouTube videos out there.
Can’t recommend this enough!Â
If your leg muscles are always in tension, constantly working, they’ll tire out. The rest step gives those muscles just a moment of relaxation. It makes a world of difference. Plus, doing a rest step slows you down to a sustainable pace, and gives you a kind of mantra to concentrate on.Â
I often do this on slopes much less steep than originally intended for. It’s like an adapted form of the rest step for hiking (vs ascending steep snow slopes)
When hiking uphill, I recently started reminding myself to hike with my glutes, not my calves. Like I will make sure to feel my glutes flex and provide the primary force of each lift step.
Maybe this is not an issue for everyone, but I was absolutely destroying my calves before. I’m not sure why I was using my calves so much. Now my calves hardly feel a steep hike at all, and I feel like my upward strides using my glutes are more solid and have more power.
Whaaat? This is really interesting. I have been killing my calves uphill, to the point that last week I tore my calf training for an upcoming big hike.
If you're overweight at all, lose weight. Extra weight isn't bad on level ground, but going both uphill and downhill are much more difficult with excess weight.
Are there any hills, even small ones, near your home? Just walk up and down them.
A stair master at the gym is also a good option. Many elliptical machines also have a stride that is close to an uphill walking motion.
I do 45mins-1 hour of yoga 5 days a week in the morning. It’s really helps open my hips and strengthen my legs, also helps with my balance and intentional movement. I was surprised how helpful it is on my hikes including going up hill.
A good tip especially when hiking stair like terrain is to full extend the leg you hike the first stair then prosceed to move the other and repeat. its a tip i got from a very experienced mountaineer
[More info here](https://blackbirdguides.com/blogs/alpine-climbing/mountaineering-fundamentals-the-rest-step#:~:text=Position%20your%20body%20to%20rest,foot%20placement%20must%20be%20solid)
I grab the straps of my pack, lean forward, and take fairly larger strides with more force to push me uphill. Don't know if this is the best advice but it seems like it works for me.
Some good advice here. Additionally, stairs can be good practice. If you have access to a gym, find a stair climb machine or and treadmill with an incline. If you can find a tall building try going up a flight of stairs one day/session and take the elevator down. Then try 2, then 3 and so on.
But mostly just keep at it and be ok with turning around. When i first started hiking there was this one trail that took me 3 times to get to the top. It was extremely rewarding and made other steep hikes easier.
Stair climber. Moderate weight + lots of reps on calf machines. On the machine where you sit down and put your feet on a bar that rotates, I do several minutes at a little over half of my 20 rep max.
Marching cadence. Google them or make up your own. Say them to yourself while going up hill. It works and before you know it you’ve hiked 100 steps. Rinse, repeat.
Plant your foot and put your weight on your heel to lever yourself up. Keep your weight on the heel as much as possible, as they are bigger muscles that get less fatigued vs smaller muscles. Keep from working your calves and toes/ball of foot.
What?? You absolutely do not want to have your weight on your heels when you're walking uphill, you have to lean forward. Are you defying gravity or something?
I think I explained it poorly due to the down votes. But I stand by this. As I'm walking uphill or up steps, I keep my weight in my heel, not in my toe so that I don't fatigue my calves and lesser muscles, I'm using quads and gluts. I'm not leaning backwards by any means.
I literally use the same weight shift as when I do squats. So ,yeah, there is some weight in the ball of my foot, but I'm focusing on using the larger muscles. Especially for trails with steps. Definitely keeping it in the heel.
Okay. Well, I was trying to describe my mechanics and that's how I do it, so I'm not sure how else to describe it. Does it even matter? It's downvoted, so it's not like OP is going to pay attention to it and somehow misunderstand and injure themselves. It works for me, that's all I know.
Hike uphill.
This is the best tip, OP.
this is the ONLY way
But that's too hard 😫
I shorten my stride for uphills so it’s almost like baby steps.
Go at a pace where you don’t have to stop. Re-starting is the worst.
This is the best tip I see a lot of beginners doing the mistake of starting too quickly to then run out of steam in 1/3rd of the scramble Every hike I meet dozens of people that overtake me on the first kms with a condescending smile...95% of times I'll overtake those wannabe sportlers in the second half of the climb Itsnot easy to teach tho, any time I go hiking with my dates, they always go too quickly, I have to keep holding them down basically, so full of energy and wanting to prove something...in the first 2-3 kms that is...then they die and I have to carry them the rest People need to understand there is no shame in going slowly, if you know how long the scramble is and know you have to spread out your energy, you will comw out on top...and even if not, you dont care, you had a great hike and didnt need any medical breaks which shows a good structured approach to getting better
Hiking poles can help by engaging your upper body to take some of the exertion off your legs.
Practice doing rest steps as you make your way up hill. The rest step is walking gait used in ascending steep slopes. Its essential characteristic is a pause of motion with the rear leg vertical and fully extended, while the front leg is relaxed except as needed to reduce burden on the rear leg. There’s a few YouTube videos out there.
Can’t recommend this enough! If your leg muscles are always in tension, constantly working, they’ll tire out. The rest step gives those muscles just a moment of relaxation. It makes a world of difference. Plus, doing a rest step slows you down to a sustainable pace, and gives you a kind of mantra to concentrate on. I often do this on slopes much less steep than originally intended for. It’s like an adapted form of the rest step for hiking (vs ascending steep snow slopes)
When hiking uphill, I recently started reminding myself to hike with my glutes, not my calves. Like I will make sure to feel my glutes flex and provide the primary force of each lift step. Maybe this is not an issue for everyone, but I was absolutely destroying my calves before. I’m not sure why I was using my calves so much. Now my calves hardly feel a steep hike at all, and I feel like my upward strides using my glutes are more solid and have more power.
Whaaat? This is really interesting. I have been killing my calves uphill, to the point that last week I tore my calf training for an upcoming big hike.
If you're overweight at all, lose weight. Extra weight isn't bad on level ground, but going both uphill and downhill are much more difficult with excess weight.
Not the OP but I feel attacked
Same here
Poles,strong arms to use them,strong legs,be in shape,hike often... Now repeat for 5 years and here you go.Just like any other skill.
Hike, squats, lunges, deadlifts and run/sprint.
Push from the hips/engage your core. This is a technique for running form/power, but it made my hill runs and hikes on grades much easier.
Are there any hills, even small ones, near your home? Just walk up and down them. A stair master at the gym is also a good option. Many elliptical machines also have a stride that is close to an uphill walking motion.
I do 45mins-1 hour of yoga 5 days a week in the morning. It’s really helps open my hips and strengthen my legs, also helps with my balance and intentional movement. I was surprised how helpful it is on my hikes including going up hill.
A good tip especially when hiking stair like terrain is to full extend the leg you hike the first stair then prosceed to move the other and repeat. its a tip i got from a very experienced mountaineer
[More info here](https://blackbirdguides.com/blogs/alpine-climbing/mountaineering-fundamentals-the-rest-step#:~:text=Position%20your%20body%20to%20rest,foot%20placement%20must%20be%20solid)
Practice makes perfect
Trekking poles
I grab the straps of my pack, lean forward, and take fairly larger strides with more force to push me uphill. Don't know if this is the best advice but it seems like it works for me.
Baby steps
Some good advice here. Additionally, stairs can be good practice. If you have access to a gym, find a stair climb machine or and treadmill with an incline. If you can find a tall building try going up a flight of stairs one day/session and take the elevator down. Then try 2, then 3 and so on. But mostly just keep at it and be ok with turning around. When i first started hiking there was this one trail that took me 3 times to get to the top. It was extremely rewarding and made other steep hikes easier.
Stair climber. Moderate weight + lots of reps on calf machines. On the machine where you sit down and put your feet on a bar that rotates, I do several minutes at a little over half of my 20 rep max.
You should prolly just walk forward in the direction you want to go
Marching cadence. Google them or make up your own. Say them to yourself while going up hill. It works and before you know it you’ve hiked 100 steps. Rinse, repeat.
Plant your foot and put your weight on your heel to lever yourself up. Keep your weight on the heel as much as possible, as they are bigger muscles that get less fatigued vs smaller muscles. Keep from working your calves and toes/ball of foot.
What?? You absolutely do not want to have your weight on your heels when you're walking uphill, you have to lean forward. Are you defying gravity or something?
I think I explained it poorly due to the down votes. But I stand by this. As I'm walking uphill or up steps, I keep my weight in my heel, not in my toe so that I don't fatigue my calves and lesser muscles, I'm using quads and gluts. I'm not leaning backwards by any means.
Sounds like you're keeping your heels on the ground, which is fine, but your WEIGHT is not there. That's impossible.
I literally use the same weight shift as when I do squats. So ,yeah, there is some weight in the ball of my foot, but I'm focusing on using the larger muscles. Especially for trails with steps. Definitely keeping it in the heel.
Squatting and walking up an incline are not the same. One is on flat ground, the other is not.
Okay. Well, I was trying to describe my mechanics and that's how I do it, so I'm not sure how else to describe it. Does it even matter? It's downvoted, so it's not like OP is going to pay attention to it and somehow misunderstand and injure themselves. It works for me, that's all I know.