Is Hiking Aerobic Or Anaerobic? Hiking the long rough terrains and mountaineering are both rigorous exercises. They involve all muscle groups, especially the lower body muscles. Most people do hiking because it is an adventurous and stress-relieving activity that works wonders if you try to do it more often. If you do hiking consistently, it can also make you lose weight or fat and gain that chiseled muscle.
If you’re thinking of losing some pounds on the scale or want to train the lower body muscles, they seem all toned up; hiking can help you.
Wondering Is hiking an aerobic or anaerobic exercise? Luckily, It’s a combination of both. When you climb uphill or move down a steep road, it involves all of your body, working all the muscle groups to help you get a healthy body and mind. Aerobic exercise is a cardio exercise that is optimum for getting rid of body fat, whereas anaerobic exercises tone up the muscles to give them a more sharp look.
Before hopping on to the hiking venture, you must consider buying hiking boots that work best for you. You’ll get blisters or foot aches if the hiking boots are too tight or loose. Make sure your hiking clothes are comfortable and breathable so you can hike sweat-free.
Also, put a first aid kit in your backpack and keep yourself hydrated during the hiking or running activities. When you bulge on the aerobic threshold, you need water for muscles to keep running or hiking.
To understand the combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercises that forms the whole hiking regime, let’s first make our definitions clear to know is hiking aerobic or anaerobic:
What Are Aerobic And Anaerobic Exercises?
Aerobic exercises elevate the heart rate so that the oxygen levels in the body rise and hence burn fat and lose calories. It is good for those who want to strengthen their lungs, heart, and body muscles.
Aerobic exercises are also called cardio exercises. It involves cycling, rowing, running, jogging, hiking, and mountaineering. When you exercise aerobically, your body uses sugar and fat as an energy source to make the muscles and joints work with more agility. However, the fat source is always much used when aerobic exercises; hence it is ideal for people looking to lose fat.
Anaerobic exercises elevate the heart rate but not like aerobic exercises. It means oxygen levels are not that high when you do anaerobic exercises. It uses the sugar or glucose already stored in the body, and most people do it to gain muscles and burn fat.
If you are a person who is overweight, then you must add aerobic activity along with the anaerobic routine so that you can lose the fat more efficiently. These exercises are done in short intervals because they are so intense on the muscles. Most hikers and athletes do these exercises to tone and train their muscles. Activities like weight training, sprinting, and pilates are all anaerobic exercises.
Hiking Blends In Both Aerobic And Anaerobic Exercises
Hiking is an activity that involves both of these modes of exercise. It has incredible health benefits. Aerobic benefits elevate the heart rate, and oxygen is transported to all your muscle groups through the lungs. Brain activity increases, and you feel relaxed when the sweat gets out of your body.
Also, the toxins release and exit the body, leaving you healthy and happy. It also makes your endurance levels high, making you less prone to muscles or joint injuries. Moreover, the blood pressure also lowers down while you do exercise. However, if you already have a low BP problem, you must take electrolyte water with you so that you don’t faint while hiking or doing any aerobic activity.
The cyclic movements during the hiking account for the aerobic activity, and we would say since hiking is mostly about it, overall, it’s an aerobic activity. However, you also do an anaerobic activity when you encounter steep mountains or hike on inclined or rough surfaces.
Lunges and making small steps all account for anaerobic exercises and lifting your backpack or other things in your hand. At the same time, hiking also creates an impact and is categorized as anaerobic activity.
When you do these activities regularly, you’ll see and feel the difference in your body inches, and your muscles will gain mass. You will look sharp and toned up with a defined body like those you see in the magazine.
Benefits Of Aerobic And Anaerobic Exercises
Benefits Of Aerobic Exercises
- Any mountain sport or training sessions that focus on endurance building are aerobic activities, and their benefits are as follows:
- You don’t feel dizzy or tired after doing aerobic exercises
- They are lighter on the muscles and more like a villain for the fat.
- You can do work more efficiently after the sessions
- You will not feel any stress because of the toxins released after doing the exercises
- You’ll not feel a need to snack every half an hour to keep the energy levels elevated
- Your body learns to burn and eat its fat as a fuel source
- You will not feel a need to eat all the sugary meals to keep on moving with your day
Benefits Of Anaerobic Exercises
- You can gain muscle mass and get a chiseled look while burning fat
- You can use your stored glucose and empty the fat cells
- You feel cramps in the body, and your body loses fat even after the exercise
Muscles soreness will create endurance in you - You will less likely feel tired and will have energy for the whole day
- It boosts the metabolism, which means that you can lose weight
- It protects the joints by making the muscles stronger
Training For Hiking
Whether you’re a beginner or looking to hike to lose weight and increase your stamina, wondering is hiking aerobic or anaerobic activity, or can you do that directly, we are here to answer. If you are an idle person who does a desk job, say a potato couch, you must train your muscles and joints before going on to a hiking venture.
Most articles and fitness gurus say that you must start doing cardio and train muscles slowly. We would say that before even incorporating cardio exercises, you must begin with very basic:
- Start walking a mile or two in the park at a fixed pace. It will make your heart rate elevated, and you’ll feel refreshed.
- If you can, try increasing the speed, whether a walk or a jog, so you can feel the change in the body.
- Don’t make the mistake of walking or jogging at high speed initially. Remember, you must complete the pace slowly. Consider changing it after a week or so.
- The core is vital for providing strength to the body. That is why you must start training the core muscles. Incorporate crunches. Leg raises, squats, jumps, burpees, and planks to strengthen the core.
- To make the upper body strength, do pushups and other back exercises. It will create chiseled muscles and train the muscles to carry the backpack easily on the hiking trails.
Moreover, the strong upper body muscles will make your climbing easy as you’ll have a firmer grip. - Try jogging or running at a slow mild pace on the treadmill. Increase the speed after a week when you feel like your body has got used to the previous one.
- If you have already built up the strength, try adding weights to your regime.
- Moreover, use resistance bands while doing lower body exercises such as squats and lunges to create more endurance.
- If you are at home and can’t find time to move out, try climbing the stairs at your home. It is an excellent exercise for calving and ankle muscles.
- You can also do elliptical and cross-training exercises to train the lower muscles more rigorously.
- Inhaling and exhaling while doing exercises is a must because oxygen levels are needed by the body when you perform such activities.
- You can also use the watch to see your overall heart rate and exercise activity.
Final Thoughts
If you want to shred some pounds or get lean muscles, thinking is hiking or aerobic or anaerobic exercise. Then we have curated a guide to answering your question. Hiking is both aerobic and anaerobic activity that elevates oxygen levels, makes the heart pound faster, and strengthens muscles.
You can reach your peak physical activity level and may feel exhausted after hiking for a mile in the beginning. It is because the whole body is involved in making hiking movements. If you want to be a regular hiker, you must start by doing cardio and then start hitting the trails. You should train your muscles, and your body must have the endurance to hike any terrain.