The Best Strength Training Exercises for Backpackers

Backpacking demands more than simply being able to walk for several hours. A loaded pack adds resistance, while steep climbs, long descents, uneven ground, and repeated days on the trail place additional demands on your legs, hips, core, and upper body. A well-designed strength routine can help you prepare for those demands and make carrying your pack feel more manageable.

For anyone beginning backpacking training, the goal should not be to build maximum gym strength at the expense of endurance. Instead, focus on exercises that develop useful strength, stability, balance, and muscular endurance that transfer to the trail.

Why Strength Matters on the Trail

Walking uphill with a backpack can place substantial demands on the muscles around the hips. A Journal of Biomechanics study found that carrying an additional 40% of body weight increased hip-muscle work, with particularly high demands during uphill walking. The researchers also highlighted the importance of eccentric strength in the hip flexors and hamstrings for people carrying heavy backpacks.

This is one reason hiking strength training should include both lifting and controlled lowering movements. Your muscles need to produce force when climbing, but they also need to absorb force repeatedly when descending.

Steve House, a professional mountain guide, climber, and co-founder of Uphill Athlete, puts the importance of strength simply: “Strength training is the foundation of the fitness house.”

1. Squats for Stronger Legs

Squats are one of the most practical exercises for backpackers because they train several of the muscles responsible for climbing, standing, and carrying weight. Your quadriceps, glutes, and core all contribute to the movement, making squats a useful foundation for a hiking workout.

Start with bodyweight squats if you are new to resistance training. As your technique improves, gradually add resistance with dumbbells, a barbell, or another appropriate load.

2. Step-Ups for Climbing Strength

Step-ups closely resemble the repeated motion of climbing a trail. They train one leg at a time while challenging your balance and stability, which makes them particularly useful for uneven terrain.

Use a stable platform that allows you to perform the movement with control. Progressively increasing the height or resistance can make the exercise more challenging without requiring complicated equipment.

3. Split Squats for Single-Leg Stability

Backpacking rarely involves perfectly symmetrical movement. Trails can include rocks, roots, steps, and slopes that require one leg to stabilize your body while the other moves.

Split squats strengthen the quadriceps and glutes while also challenging balance. They are especially useful for developing the unilateral strength needed for climbing and descending varied terrain.

Research involving trained British Army soldiers found a relationship between lower-body force-time characteristics measured during an isometric mid-thigh pull and 2-km load-carrying performance, reinforcing the relevance of lower-body force production to loaded movement.

4. Romanian Deadlifts for the Posterior Chain

Romanian deadlifts target the hamstrings and glutes, two muscle groups that play an important role in controlling movement and producing force around the hips. They also teach you to hinge at the hips while maintaining a stable torso.

This exercise has particular relevance to downhill hiking, where the muscles of the posterior chain need to help control repeated lowering movements. Start with a manageable weight and prioritize controlled technique.

5. Calf Raises for Long Days on Foot

Your calves work repeatedly with every step, particularly when walking uphill. Calf raises are simple but useful for developing lower-leg strength and muscular endurance.

Perform them on both legs initially, then progress to single-leg calf raises as your strength improves. Controlled repetitions are more valuable than simply rushing through a high number of reps.

6. Rows and Carries for Pack Strength

A backpack does not only challenge your legs. Your upper back, shoulders, and trunk must help maintain posture while you carry the load for hours.

Rows can strengthen the upper back, while loaded carries train your ability to stabilize your torso while moving with resistance. A study examining different external loads found that increasing load mass affected heart rate and perceived exertion during running, illustrating how additional weight can substantially change exercise demands.

7. Planks for Core Stability

A strong core helps transfer force between your upper and lower body while you walk with a loaded pack. Planks are a simple way to train this function without requiring heavy equipment.

Rather than trying to hold a plank for as long as possible, focus on maintaining good alignment and controlled breathing. Side planks can also add an element of lateral stability that is useful on uneven trails.

How Heavy Should Your Training Be?

Progress gradually rather than attempting to replicate your full backpack weight immediately. Research found that additional loads can alter endurance performance and developed prediction formulas for understanding how people respond to different backpack loads.

A separate study found that longer-duration load-carriage performance was associated with Army Combat Fitness Test scores and fat-free mass in trained soldiers. While military populations are different from recreational backpackers, the findings provide useful evidence that general physical fitness and body composition can influence loaded-carrying performance.

The key is progressive overload. Increase resistance, repetitions, or pack exposure gradually while allowing adequate recovery between demanding sessions.

Build Strength Without Forgetting the Trail

Gym exercises are only one part of preparation. Your body also needs to become accustomed to walking for extended periods while carrying a pack.

Hilary McCloy, a Doctor of Physical Therapy, former U.S. Ski Team athlete, and experienced hiker and trail runner, describes hiking as an activity that “activates the majority of your lower extremity and core stabilizing muscles.” 

That specificity matters. Combine your strength sessions with progressively longer hikes, hills, and pack-carrying sessions. A balanced backpacking workout should prepare you for the actual combination of strength, endurance, balance, and load carriage you will encounter outdoors.

Train for the Trail, Not Just the Gym

Strength training should make backpacking feel more manageable, not leave you exhausted before every hike. Two or three well-planned resistance sessions per week can provide a useful foundation, particularly when combined with appropriate aerobic training and gradual trail-specific conditioning.

The best strength training for hiking is therefore not about chasing impressive gym numbers. It is about developing strong legs, resilient hips, a stable core, and enough upper-body strength to comfortably carry your equipment over varied terrain.

Build the Strength to Go Further

A strong backpacker is not necessarily the person who can lift the most weight. It is the person whose body can repeatedly climb, descend, stabilize, and carry a pack without breaking down.

Squats, step-ups, split squats, Romanian deadlifts, calf raises, rows, carries, and core exercises provide a practical starting point. Add progressive loaded hikes and consistent endurance training, and you can build a more complete physical foundation for your next adventure.