Get Your Body Ready to Hike

The most common beginner mistake is doing too much too soon. Build up in three steps, and change only one thing at a time.

1. Choose your surface. A paved trail is a hard, even surface with no roots or rocks to watch for, so it is a good place to find your pace. An unpaved natural trail is softer underfoot but uneven, and it asks more of your feet, ankles, and balance. See what each looks like on our Trail Surfaces page.
2. Add distance. Once a route feels comfortable, go a little farther on the same kind of surface.
3. Add elevation gain. Climbing and descending are harder on your legs and knees than flat miles, so add hills last.

Our Difficulty Examples page shows what each level looks like on the ground, so you can pick your next step with confidence.

Most hiking aches fall into three groups. Knowing them helps you prevent them.

1. Joints. Your feet, ankles, and knees absorb every step, especially on rocky ground and downhill. Stronger muscles around them take some of that load.
2. Muscles. Soreness and strains usually come from going too hard, too soon, or starting cold. A short warm-up and a cool-down stretch go a long way.
3. Skin. Blisters are caused by friction and moisture. The right socks and shoes prevent most of them, and our Hiking Shoes and Socks guide explains how.

These three moves build the muscles that support your knees and ankles on climbs and descents. You can do them at home a few times a week with nothing more than a sturdy step. Do 2 sets of each.

Step-Ups

1. Face the step.
2. Step up with your right foot, then your left. Stand tall at the top.
3. Step down with your right foot, then your left.
4. On the next rep, lead with your left foot. Left up, right up, left down, right down.
5. Keep switching your leading foot with each rep. Do 8 to 10 reps with each foot.

Lunges

1. Step forward (or back) with one foot, and bend both knees toward 90 degrees.
2. Keep your front knee over your foot and your weight in your front heel.
3. Push through that heel to stand back up.
4. Do 8 to 10 reps with each leg.

Deep Squat

1. Sit back as if you were reaching for a chair, keeping your weight in your heels.
2. Go only as deep as feels controlled, and keep your chest up.
3. Do 8 to 10 reps.

There are two kinds of stretching, and each one has its time. Move before the hike and hold still after it.

Long holds on cold muscles can briefly make them weaker, and they don’t warm you up. Save the holds for the end of the hike, when your muscles are warm.

Spend about five minutes at the trailhead on these five moves. Do each one about 10 times, or 10 times per side. Start small and let the movement grow as you loosen up, then hike the first few minutes at an easy pace.

1. Ankle circles. Lift one foot and roll the ankle in each direction, then switch feet.
2. Hip circles. Put your hands on your hips and circle them one way, then the other.
3. Leg swings. Hold on to your car or a post and swing one leg forward and back, then switch legs.
4. High knees. March in place, bringing each knee up toward hip height.
5. Walking lunges. Take a long step forward and bend both knees, then bring your back foot through into the next lunge. Keep them shallow at first.

Hold these five stretches after the hike, while your muscles are still warm. Ease into each one until you feel a gentle pull, not pain. Hold without bouncing for 20 to 30 seconds, and do both sides.

1. Calf stretch. Lean into your car or a tree with one leg back, that knee straight and the heel pressed to the ground.
2. Hamstring stretch. Rest one heel on a curb or low step with that leg straight. Keep your back flat and lean forward from your hips until you feel it behind your thigh.
3. Standing quad stretch. Hold something for balance, bend one knee, and draw that foot toward your seat.
4. Hip flexor stretch. Step one foot forward into a small lunge and ease your hips forward until you feel it in the front of the back hip.
5. Figure-4 stretch. Sit tall on the tailgate or a car seat and cross one ankle over the opposite knee. Keep your back straight and lean forward from your hips until you feel it in your hip and seat.

Some muscle soreness a day or two after a new or longer hike is normal. Pain is different. If a move or a hike hurts, stop.

• Stop if the pain is sharp. Sharp or sudden pain in a joint is a signal to stop, not to push through.
• Stop if it changes how you walk. If you start limping or favoring one side, turn around and take the shortest way back.
• Rest if it lingers. Swelling or pain that is still there days later is worth a visit to your doctor before your next hike.

If you have a heart condition, a past injury, or have been inactive for a while, check with your doctor before starting a new exercise routine.

• Beginner Hikes—short, gentle routes to start with.
• Difficulty Examples—see what each level looks like before you step up.

This guide is general information from a volunteer trail organization, not medical advice. In an emergency, call 911. See our Terms of Use and Trail Safety Disclaimer.