Rachel is an outdoor industry professional with over 15 years of experience — she started as a ski instructor in 2009 and hasn't really stopped moving since. She's completed a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, spent a year living and traveling full-time out of a van, and has logged years of sport climbing, bouldering, skiing, and backpacking across the U.S..

She writes about all of it here: gear that actually works, lessons that took miles to learn, and the kind of practical trail knowledge that doesn't talk down to you. This blog is built on the belief that getting outside is for everyone — not just the people who go hardest, fastest, or have the most expensive kit. You'll find AT journals, gear reviews, trip logs, and honest advice across all of it. No gatekeeping.

AT Thru-Hike Workout Plan: How to Train Your Body for 2,000+ Miles

This post started as a pre-trail training log from winter 2017, about 10 weeks before I started my 2018 AT thru-hike. I've updated it significantly with what I've learned since — about my own body, about what actually matters for trail fitness, and about the injuries I got on trail that better preparation could have prevented.

When I was training for my AT thru-hike, I was doing what most people do: a mix of cardio, some lifting, trying to get outside when the New England winter cooperated. I had a rough schedule, a gym membership, a vague plan. I was working out, which is more than a lot of people do before trail.

What I didn't have was any real understanding of my own body — that I'm hypermobile, that one of my legs is slightly shorter than the other, that my hips rotate as a result, or that zero-drop shoes were going to wreck my Achilles under a loaded pack even though I wear them fine every day. I found all of that out the hard way, on trail, when I was dealing with a partial IT band tear and Achilles tendinitis in the middle of a thru-hike I had no good way to pause.

The single best thing I can tell you is this: get your body assessed before you start training. Not after. Not when something starts hurting. Before.

Before You Build a Workout Plan: Get Assessed

See a physical therapist. Seriously. Most insurance covers it, and you usually don't need a referral — you can call a PT directly and let them know what you're preparing for, and they can typically get insurance to approve three to five visits to evaluate your movement patterns and set you up with a personalized exercise program you can then do at home.

Alternatively, one or two sessions with a personal trainer who has experience with hikers or endurance athletes, or working with an online coach, can do the same thing. The more personalized you can make your training, the better. Every body is different, and what worked for me is not going to work for everybody.

This matters more than any generic workout plan — including this one. Use this as a starting framework, not a prescription.

What Actually Matters for Thru-Hike Fitness

Here's the honest hierarchy of what I think matters, having done the hike:

Injury prevention is more important than fitness. You will build cardio fitness on trail naturally — the first few hundred miles take care of that. What won't fix itself on trail is a sprained ankle, plantar fasciitis, shin splints, or tendinitis that you developed because you weren't prepared. According to a 2024 Trek survey, sprains topped the list of common AT injuries, followed by plantar fasciitis and shin splints, and tendonitis was the most consistently disruptive injury — causing almost all afflicted hikers to slow down or take breaks. These are largely preventable with the right preparation.

Strength is more important than cardio, especially for your hips, knees, and ankles. If you sit a lot in your normal life and you're going couch to trail, start strength training now. A strong base protects your joints, reduces your injury risk, and makes the first few weeks significantly less brutal.

NOBO vs. SOBO matters for how hard you train. If you're going northbound — Georgia to Maine — the trail starts relatively gentle and builds. You have time to develop fitness. If you're going southbound, you're starting in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and hitting sections like Mahoosic Notch in Maine first. You need to be in real shape before you leave. Don't show up undertrained for a SOBO start.

Strength Training: What I Do Now

My current training is essentially physical therapy exercises scaled up — starting from a corrective base and building from there. Here's what leg day looks like for me:

Walking backward on the treadmill. This one sounds weird but it's genuinely good for your knees — it strengthens the quads and changes the load pattern on the knee joint in a way that forward walking doesn't. Start slow, hold the rails until you get the feel for it, and work up gradually. If your knees have ever been an issue or you're worried about them on trail, add this.

Leg press and leg curls. Standard, but important. Build the quads and hamstrings that are going to carry you up and down thousands of feet of elevation.

Calf raises — three directions, with weight. Most people do a basic calf raise. I do them forward, angled left, and angled right. Your calves and ankles are working in all planes on trail, especially on rocky terrain. Train them accordingly.

Split squats with a bench. One of the best single-leg stability exercises I've found. Trail is mostly uneven single-leg loading — train for that, not just bilateral movements.

Hip thrusts. Non-negotiable for me. If you're not doing hip thrusts, add them. Strong glutes and hips change everything, especially on climbs and descents.

Hip adductor and hip abductor work. My hips have always been a problem — tight hip flexors were genuinely painful on trail, and I have hypermobility and a leg length discrepancy that causes my hips to rotate. Strengthening the muscles around the hips is the single most important thing I do. If you sit at a desk all day, your hip flexors are probably tight and weak. Fix this before trail.

For upper body: standard back and biceps, chest and triceps. Nothing special there. The upper body work matters more for pack carrying comfort and posture than for trail performance specifically, but don't neglect it.

Mobility work alongside strength. Strengthening is more important than stretching — but you need both. Build a mobility routine specifically around your ankles, knees, and hips. The more strong and flexible those three joints are, the less likely you are to sprain something. This is where a PT or trainer earns their fee — they can identify where you're restricted and give you targeted work.

Cardio: The Stairmaster Is Your Best Friend

Cardio prep matters less than strength for most people, but if you want to do it well, the Stairmaster is the most trail-specific cardio machine you can use. Nothing else simulates the sustained uphill effort of loaded hiking like it does.

Here's how I use it: start at level 5 for a warm-up, then cycle up and back down through difficulty levels.

Something like:

• 5 minutes at level 5
• 3 minutes at level 6
• back to level 5 for 5 minutes
• then level 7 for 3 minutes
• and back down to 5 for 5 minutes

…continuing up one level each cycle.

Your goal isn't necessarily to hit level 11 or 12 — it's to build sustained effort over time.

Start with 15 minutes and a few cycles. Work up toward 45 minutes to an hour at varied resistance. Getting comfortable at that duration will prepare your cardiovascular system for what the AT actually demands.

Weighted walking is the other big one. Weighted vests are popular right now, and for good reason — walking under load mimics trail conditions directly. A few things to know: weighted vests can cause shoulder injuries if they're not fitted properly.

Women's shoulders and nerve placement are different from men's, so if you're a woman, get a women's-specific weighted vest — this isn't a shrink-it-and-pink-it situation, it's an actual anatomical consideration.

Alternatively, use the pack you're actually planning to hike with and put weight plates or inserts in it. Keep the weight as close to your back as possible so it doesn't pull the pack away from your body.

Long walks and runs matter, but honestly, a lot of the cardio conditioning happens on trail. Don't neglect it entirely, but don't let cardio training crowd out your strength and mobility work. Those are way more important. So if you only have time for one or the other – always pick strength and mobility.

The Injuries I Got on Trail (So You Can Avoid Them)

IT band — partial tear. The IT band runs along the outside of your leg from hip to knee. Weakness or training errors are the primary cause, not friction. I had hip issues that contributed to mine. Strengthening your hips and glutes is the main prevention strategy.

Achilles tendinitis. I was wearing zero-drop shoes, which work fine for me in daily life. Under a loaded pack, for hundreds of miles, they destroyed my Achilles. Zero-drop shoes change your ankle mechanics significantly, and under load over distance that difference compounds. If you wear zero-drop casually and love them, test them extensively on weighted long hikes before committing to them for trail. I no longer backpack in zero-drop.

Both of these injuries are common on the AT. Tendonitis was the most consistently disruptive injury in a 2024 survey of AT thru-hikers, causing almost all afflicted hikers to slow down or take significant breaks. It doesn't take you off trail immediately — it slowly grinds you down. Prevention is much easier than treatment mid-hike.

The big three to prevent: plantar fasciitis, shin splints, and sprains. All three are largely about preparation — foot and ankle strength, appropriate footwear, gradual mileage increases, and not doing too much too soon. If you're building a training plan, start lower than you think you need to and increase gradually.

Footwear Testing Before You Leave

Whatever shoes you're planning to hike in, test them on multi-day trips with a loaded pack before you commit. Not a day hike. A multi-day trip. The way a shoe feels for six miles is not the way it feels for sixty, and the way it feels unloaded is not how it performs under a weighted pack. This is how I learned the zero-drop lesson — the hard way, in North Carolina.

If you pronate, overpronate, have high arches, flat feet, or any existing foot issues, see a podiatrist or PT before choosing your footwear. Custom insoles can make a significant difference and are worth the investment if you need them.

I ended up having to get new shoes 5 times on trail before I found ones that worked for me. Shoes under a loaded pack (~30lbs on your back) act way differently than shoes on a regular old hike.

I landed on the La Sportiva Ultra Raptor after trying Altra Timps and Lone Peaks, and Brooks Cascadia, Oboz (no longer in production) low hikers. I finally found La Sportivas at Outdoor 76 in Franklin, NC while recovering from my IT band injury.

It takes some experimenting sometimes! I was super disappointed when the shoes everyone else was wearing didn’t work for me. But I’m so glad I found ones that did work eventually. Every body is different! Hike your own hike!

A Sample Weekly Training Framework

This is based on what my schedule looked like pre-trail and what I'd recommend now. Adjust for your own work schedule, life, and fitness level.

Day 1 — Legs + hips (long session, 1.5–2 hours) Hip thrusts, hip adductors and abductors, leg press, leg curls, calf raises in three directions, split squats, mobility work for hips and ankles.

Day 2 — Rest or active recovery Walk, easy snowshoeing, light yoga. If you're doing doubles at work, this is your rest day.

Day 3 — Legs + arms (long session) Repeat leg work or alternate leg focus; add back and biceps. If outdoor conditions allow, swap for a loaded hike or snowshoe.

Day 4 — Core, chest, back (shorter session) Core stability work, chest press, rows. These sessions can be done before or after work. 30–45 minutes.

Day 5 — Outdoor or Stairmaster cardio If weather allows: snowshoeing, skiing, long walk with a weighted pack. Indoors: Stairmaster for 30–60 minutes at varied resistance.

Day 6 — Short workout or rest Arms, core, or a 3–5 mile run depending on energy. If you're exhausted, rest. Rest is training too.

Day 7 — Outdoor activity or full rest Prioritize getting outside if you can. Even a walk counts. The goal is consistency, not perfection.

The Most Important Thing

Train consistently enough to prevent injury, build a strong base in your hips and ankles, and get your body assessed by someone who can identify your specific weak points before you start.

The cardio will come. The fitness will come. What won't automatically fix itself on trail is a structural weakness or an overuse injury you could have caught ahead of time.

See the PT. Test the shoes. Strengthen the hips. Keep going.

Disclaimer: I'm not a certified personal trainer or physical therapist. Everything in this post is based on my own experience and what I've learned about my own body. Consult a healthcare provider or fitness professional before starting a new training program, especially if you have existing injuries or conditions.