Warm up for Hiking and Biking

Warming up the body properly makes your favorite activities safer and easier by getting the muscles ready for what’s to come.  Warm up also increases blood flow and gets the muscles on board for the task ahead.  

Skipping the warm up for exercise is like missing your morning coffee or a hot shower.  No good!

What’s easy to do is easy not to do.

Just like cutting up fresh fruit, it seems like it’ll take a long time, but it’s actually a time saver.  Warming up properly helps your body perform more efficiently on the trail, saving you time in the end.  Some of the best things in life are simple and underestimated.  Warm up is one of those things.  Learn more about it here.

Do this and not that.

Having a warm up specific to the activity you’re about to perform is ideal, but not necessary.  Avoid doing jumping jacks or jogging as a warm up.  Yes, they get you warm – but it can be like getting into a cold shower first thing upon waking.  Ease into it a little more gradually than that.

These six warm up moves prepare your body for the trail and are in a good sequential order.  Perform each one for about 20 seconds or 10 repetitions.

1. Ankle rolls.  Make circles, point and flex or write your name.  Before you put all your body weight on your feet, get them moving.


2. Shoulder rolls.  Roll them forward, backward, up and down.  Move them in opposite directions of each other.  Reach forward and pull back to get your shoulder blades and spine moving too.


3. Arm circles.  Pretend you’re swimming.  Do the front crawl, back stroke, breast stroke, etc.  Roll your wrists around while you’re at it.


4. Torso rotations.  Twist your body as far to the right as you can and then go left.  Do this slowly and then gradually go faster.


5. Side lunges.  Step to the side with one leg and lunge over it slowly.  Align your knee over your ankle.  Hold for a few seconds.  Step back to the center and switch sides.


6. Jumping jacks.  Now you’re ready for advanced warm up moves!  Get that heart rate up, expand those lungs and your off to a fun time on the trails.

After the fact

The best part about these exercises is that they can also be used as stretches at the end of your adventure.  Aside from the jumping jacks…no one wants to do those after a long trail run or ride!  Do the same moves again, but slower.

Your muscles are contracting and tightening to help you get to the top of the mountain.  Moving them around slowly at the end of the journey helps them relax.  It’s a friendly way to let your body know that you’re finished and give the muscles a much deserved reward.

Try these moves before you hit the trail next time and see for yourself how good it feels!

What other warm up moves do you like for hiking and biking?  Share with us in the comments.

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