Hiking is considered a lower body workout because the glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps get a great workout.

Silky Terrier Dog Breed Playing Aro... Silky Terrier Dog Breed Playing Around

How does the lower body workout occur?

When hiking, the body comes down with each leg. This causes the glute muscles to contract and the hamstrings to straighten out. The quadriceps are activated in order to keep your knees from buckling under you when you’re going up a hill. If it’s a very steep decline, then your calves will be put through their paces and you’ll feel a burn in your shins.

How long does the lower body workout last?

On average, you’ll get about an hour of lower body workout while hiking if you’re at a good pace. When it comes to everyday life, every step counts as far as working your muscles go. Any time you’re going up a flight of stairs, hills, inclines, etc. you’re giving your lower body a workout without even realizing it!

Hiking is great because unlike running or jogging you don’t have to be at top speed in order to get the muscles working and feeling the burn. With hiking, you can go as fast or as slow as you wish and still feel the downward pressure on your glutes which will give them an awesome workout.

How about benefits?

When hiking, not only are your legs being activated but so are your hip flexors and core muscles. This means that hiking gives you overall strength training for all different muscle groups in addition to strengthening bones and improving cardiovascular endurance. It’s also a great way to lose weight as you’re burning a lot of calories as well as toning your legs.

Hiking can be an intense workout or a leisurely one depending on how fast you go and the type of terrain you choose. When hiking it’s important to remember that taking too many breaks is counterproductive so try not to stop at every other rock you see.

Also, keep in mind that just because it’s a lower-body workout doesn’t mean that your upper body won’t have to work at all. Your arms will have to use the same muscles used for walking in order to hold yourself up while going uphill which means they’ll get worked pretty hard.