Now, as the leaves fall and winter looms, is a great time dial in your home gym. Spend your addressing any aches, pains, or muscle imbalances, so you can hit the trails stronger this spring. Working out at home offers loads of flexibility, and it doesn’t have to break the bank. Here are three exercises and three home gym equipment additions I’d add into a workout routine.

Adjustable step

The adjustable step is a highly versatile piece of gym equipment for hikers. Adjustable steps are usually between 3 to 4 inches on the lowest height and each additional riser adds 2 to 4 inches depending on the model. With the lower height, you can focus on form and movement control. As you get stronger, add risers to increase the range of motion and difficulty level. This will maximize your workout efforts and help reduce risk of injury on lots of different types of terrains and on-trail obstacles. One of my favorite exercises for hikers is the lateral step-down.

Lateral Step-downs

The lateral step-down will do wonders for your knee health by strengthening the hip and quad muscles. In addition, this movement can help reduce downhill hiking knee pain.

For hikers, start this exercise with three sets of 10 to 15 repetitions at the lowest step height. If you can maintain good form and control—meaning your knee stays in line with your second toe and doesn’t move inward—then you are ready to increase the step height. Add a riser, repeat sets and reps until proficient, then progress to add another riser. If you experience any knee pain during this exercise, try a lower step height.

1. Start by standing with your left foot on a step. Bending your left knee, slowly lower the right foot toward the floor and tap your heel. Try not to reach for the floor with your right foot; instead, lower yourself only with the left leg.
2. Press through the left foot to return to the start position. Slow and controlled is the key here; fast reps won’t do you any good. Aim for a three-second lower. Do 10 to 15 repetitions, then switch legs.

Try to keep your hips level during this exercise. Imagine two flashlights on the front of your hips, one on each side. As you raise and lower, you want the flashlights to shine straight forward during the exercise. By keeping your hips level, you will engage your side hip muscles, which are essential for healthy knees.

Adjustable Weights

Arguably one of the most versatile additions to any home gym would be a set of adjustable dumbbells. There are numerous brands available that allow for weight ranges from 5 to 90 pounds, and they don’t take up as much space as non-adjustable dumbbells.

There are no shortages for exercise options using dumbbells. There are lots of variations of squats, deadlifts, carries, presses, rows, and lunges to help you get stronger for both hiking and life demands.

Goblet Squats

Goblet squats are friendly for beginners and advanced gym-goers alike, and they offer many benefits for all skill levels, especially strengthening muscles in the torso, improving posture.

The goblet squat offers a slight variation on the traditional squat. Keeping your feet about shoulder width apart, grab a weight and hold it close to your chest as you perform a squat. Use a weight that allows you to complete the reps with good control. As you squat, keep your core engaged as you unlock your knees, bringing your rear toward the floor.

Maintaining an upright torso and engaged core, squeeze your glutes to return to standing. Avoid letting the knees move inward during the squat throughout the movement. By keeping the weight close to your chest, you engage more muscles in the mid-back and core, which will help you carry a loaded backpack on the trail.

Begin with three sets of 15. If you can complete the reps with ease, increase the weight until you find the last two to three reps more challenging.

Suspension Trainer

A suspension trainer or similar brand is another valuable piece of home gym equipment. There are so many benefits to suspension trainers: They’re portable, making them great for travel, and they’re quite versatile. Suspension trainers generally come with a door attachment that allows you to anchor the trainer in any room of the house.

With the suspension trainer in place, you can perform a variety of squats, lunges, rows, and presses. There are also a number of great core exercises you can add in such as fall-outs and plank variations. One of my favorite exercises for hikers are reverse lunges. Suspension trainer lunges are the same as a standard reverse lunge but your arms can now take some of the load as you descend and rise. With help from the arms, you’re putting less . Using the suspension trainer to modify the reverse lunge, hikers with ache-prone knees can build strength without adding too much pressure to the joint.

Reverse Lunge

, hold the suspension trainer straps so they are taut in front of you, keep your core tight and take a big step backward, lowering your hips to bring your back knee toward the floor. Keep your back knee directly below the hip in the bottom position of the lunge. Make sure your front knee stays stacked over your ankle during the lunge—it shouldn’t push forward.

Return to standing by squeezing the glute on your front leg while pressing through the front foot. Avoid leaning forward as you do so; keep your torso upright, your core engaged, and the suspension trainer straps taut the whole time.

Perform a set of 10 on each leg before switching to the other leg. Repeat three times.

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No matter what type of workout you have planned, you can finish it off with exercises that make you a stronger and more injury-proof hiker. The suggestions below are ideal for hikers who are short on training time yet want to address remedy common issues like knee pain or poor balance or add a boost of low-impact cardio before their next adventure.

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Take 5 to 10 minutes to perform box step-ups after a workout. This short routine will provide an extra dose of exercise for the legs and lungs alike. Select a box height that is anywhere from mid-shin to about knee-high. Don’t have a box on hand? A park bench will do the trick. For an additional challenge, you can do these with a weight vest or while holding dumbbells. Alternatively, these can be performed as lateral steps up and over.

Lateral Step-downs

Lateral step-downs are an excellent option for hikers who experience knee pain while hiking downhill. This exercise requires a step of 6 to 8 inches in height. If there’s pain with the exercise at this height, lower the height to 2 to 4 inches and retry.

To perform a lateral step down, start by standing with your left foot on the step and your right foot next to the side of the step. Bending your left knee, slowly lower the right foot toward the floor and tap your heel. Be sure to keep your left knee in line with your left foot and behind your toes as you bend. Also, the lowering motion should come from your left leg, not from your right foot reaching for the floor.ÌýÌýÌý

Press through the left foot to return to the start position. Slow and controlled is the key here; fast reps won’t do you any good. Aim for a 3-second lower and a 1-second raise. Begin by performing three sets of 15 per leg and build up to four sets.

Treadmill InclinesÌý

The treadmill is a great tool to help prepare for climbs, especially if you have a limited amount of time to train. This workout finisher is straightforward and helpful for building aerobic capacity for hill climbs. Set the treadmill at an incline level between 3 and 6 percent and set a pace to keep you moving steadily for 10 to 15 minutes. Focus on nasal breathing during the session to mimic climbing a hill while hiking. will help to keep the intensity where it’s most beneficial for hikers and optimize training time. To progress, add a weighted pack, and increase the incline or speed while maintaining nose breathing.

Row or Bike

Utilizing the rower or bike as a training tool can be helpful, especially if there’s a history of any joint pain. These machines are low-impact and excellent at building aerobic conditioning for hiking.Ìý

For the rower, a 1,000-2,000 meter low-to-moderate effort focusing on nasal breathing will provide a great cardio workout finisher while targeting some of the larger muscle groups that hikers need. On the bike, pedal for 10 to 15 minutes with a low-to-moderate effort to maintain a consistent cadence or watts. Focus on nasal breathing for this workout also.Ìý

Balance

Good balance can be the difference between staying dry while crossing a creek or ending up with wet feet. Not to mention that balance also , which is helpful on a technical trail. This often overlooked component of training also serves us well in life beyond the trail.Ìý

A few balance exercises are easy to fit into a daily routine, fit in between larger groups of exercise, or practice at the end of a workout. There are two types of balance: static and dynamic. Static balance is done on a hard surface without additional movement. Dynamic balance typically incorporates less stable surfaces and/or adds motion to challenge balance further.

Static balance at home might look like standing on one foot , while your food reheats in the microwave, or while you brush your teeth.

In the gym, add dynamic balance with a weighted pass. Stand on one leg and hinge at the hips so the torso is slightly forward. Transfer a 10-pound weight from one hand to the other while maintaining balance. Balance for 20 seconds per leg and repeat three times.Ìý

Lee Welton is a physical therapist assistant and personal trainer in Southeast Idaho. He thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 2018 and trekked through the Dolomites in Italy. He can typically be found hiking and exploring the trails in Idaho and Wyoming. For more information, videos, and resources from Welton, visit .

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