A free five‑week training plan for your next multi‑day hike
Walking is the base, your pack is the weight, and nine simple exercises do the rest. No gym needed. Three levels, so you start from what you already do.
Free PDF. It comes with Mowser's Musings, read by 6,500+ hikers. Leave any time.
What is in the plan
A plan for your level
Beginner, intermediate or advanced. Each level starts at a different week, close to what you already do.
Walks first
A daily step target and two walks most days, growing a little each week.
Hills, then the pack
Hill or stair repeats come next. When the pack goes on or gets heavier, the walks and hills stay the same.
Nine strength exercises
Squats, lunges, planks, calf raises, step-ups, step-downs and more, each with a link to a demonstration video. No gym.
Ready for the descents
Step-ups and step-downs in week 4 build the control your legs need on the way down.
Print pages and a log
One printable page for each level, a weekly log and a shakedown walk check before you taper.
Five weeks, one step at a time
The load builds for four weeks, then drops by about half so you arrive fresh.
Foundation
Easy walks, a daily step target and bodyweight strength.
Beginners start hereWalks and hills
Longer walks and the first hill session.
Intermediates start herePack on
The pack goes on. Walks and hills stay the same.
Advanced start herePeak
Your biggest week. Step-ups and step-downs start.
Taper
About half the work, so you arrive fresh.
Three levels. Start where you are.
Pick the column that sounds like you today, not the one you would like to be. Train for the walk you plan to do.
| Training | BeginnerYou walk most weeks | IntermediateYou exercise 2 to 3 times a week | AdvancedYou carry a loaded pack often |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steps a day | 5,000 to start | 9,000 to start | 15,000 |
| Daily walks | Two 15-minute walks | Two 25-minute walks | Two 40-minute walks with 8 to 10 kg |
| Each week | One full rest day each week | One hill session a week, a 5 kg pack from week 3 | Two hill sessions and one interval session a week |
| Strength | Bodyweight, twice a week | Bodyweight | Weighted strength and the farmer's carry |
| Start at | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 |
A note before you start
I am not a qualified trainer. This plan comes from 35 years of hiking and what has worked for me and the hikers I have guided. It is light on purpose.
If your trip pack is heavier than your week 4 pack, repeat week 4 and add a little weight each time. If you have an injury or a health condition, talk to a doctor or physio before you start.
"My wife and I recently completed a 5-day hike of the Sunshine Coast Trail in BC, Canada. ... your guide and calorie/weight calculator have made our lives easier."
Alan, Canada, on the fitness planCollect testimonials with Warmwords
Start this week
Download the plan, find your level and do the first walk today.
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