For hikers, every day is leg day—which makes mastering the best stretches for hiking an essential step.
Hiking uses your gluteal muscles, quadriceps, hamstrings and calves, and requires sturdiness of all the joints—ankles, feet, hips, and knees. Carrying a pack can create tension in your neck and using hiking poles can cause your arms to become sore.
Fortunnaely, targeted stretching before and after each hike can prevent injury and aid in recovery. A 2021 survey of studies published in Wilderness Environmental Medicine Journal showed that yoga and stretching were associated with less injury for hikers.
While trekking in Patagonia, I sometimes wondered if my legs would ever not feel sore again. After each day of 15-mile hikes, I returned to EcoCamp to practiced yoga in the designated yoga dome. This daily practice gave my body the opportunity to recover with more ease and grace, rehydrating my muscles and freeing the lactic acid build-up. The following day’s hikes were met with less resistance in my joints and more intention in each step.
Try this series of stretches for hikes after (or before, or…
