We are all in a hurry to get to that next trail! However, us hikers and backpackers are are guilty (at one time or another) for failing to engage in a proper dynamic warm-up.

Warming up your (epic strong) muscles and soft tissues (not the kind you cry into) prior to hiking and backpacking is extremely important for injury prevention. Muscle, tendon, and ligament strains, sprains, and tears are less likely to occur when the body is warmed up.

Let’s take a look and see 7 warm-up exercises for hiking!

Stretching before engaging in your epic adventure (ie: sports and exercise) can help mitigate the risk of injury and optimize athletic performance by preparing your muscles, joints, ligaments, and other soft tissues for upcoming activity and load.

In adventurer’s terms: how you prepare matters!