Hiking Sequence
A quick exercise sequence to align before hiking.
Heading out for a hike? Before you hit the trail, it’s worth taking a few minutes to prepare your body. These simple exercises activate key muscles, improve alignment, and help you feel balanced so you can enjoy the hike with less strain.
1. Standing Arm Circles
Start with your feet in hip-width position. Pinch your shoulder blades together gently, but avoid arching your back. Use a modified golfer’s grip to lock your wrists straight, then begin circling your arms forward at a steady pace for about 40 repetitions. Afterward, turn your palms upward and circle your arms backward for another 40 reps. Keep your posture upright and “stacked” — your ears, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles should stay in line.
2. Standing Windmill
Stand with your feet at hip width. Slowly bend your torso side to side, avoiding any hip sway or shoulder compensation. Perform five bends in each direction. Next, widen your stance slightly and repeat the sequence. Finally, take your feet to their widest stance and do five more bends each way. After completing all three positions, return to your starting stance. If you have a wall, tree, or fence nearby, you can use it for feedback, but it works fine without.
3. Standing Inline Glute Contractions
This one is performed while walking. Place one foot directly in front of the other as you move, like you’re walking on a balance beam. With each step, contract both glutes. Focus on your hips, not your back or stomach, and aim for even activation on both sides. This exercise not only challenges your balance but also wakes up the muscles that support your stride on the trail.
These three movements take only a few minutes but set the tone for a better hike. You’ll feel more stable, aligned, and ready to take on uneven ground with confidence.
Serving Colorado from our centrally located office in Westminster and seeing clients from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs, Denver and Boulder, we can also help globally via WebCam such as Zoom or FaceTime.
Anu Lawrence owned Egoscue Method clinics for over a decade before moving to private practice in 2022 and is a certified master instructor in the Egoscue Method, having learned the craft from Pete Egoscue directly.
