Get in Shape for Your Dream Trek and Join the Community

The weekly 1 hour and 45 minute sessions start out with a hiking specific warm-up that includes stick rolling, a 5-10 minute walk, simple glute strengthening exercises, and dynamic stretches. We then begin the "workout" where we intermix hiking with exercises that specifically train the muscles you will utilize on the trail and will help to improve your mobility, stability, and strength. Another part of our workout includes interval hill training to help increase your cardiovascular endurance for those long climbs on your treks.  This portion is done at your own pace as everyone walks at different speeds. The session ends with a cool down that includes a relaxed 5-10 minute walk back to where we started and static stretches to help improve flexibility and help prevent injuries. Rest assured that at any time during the session, if an exercise is taught that you do not feel comfortable doing or you know that you should not do, then Sheri will help you find an exercise that suits your comfort level or your needs, or you can opt to rest as well. 

Every other week we will head to a different park in the greater Seattle area.  The goal of these 2-hour hikes is to build our hiking endurance.  As we hike for 2 full hours we will  get to know each other and the trails of our beautiful local parks.  We will work to maintain a 3+mph pace on flatter areas.  As we climb up and down hills we will focus more on form versus speed. You will learn proper hiking form walking on flats, up hills and down hills and how to use your hiking poles in the most efficient way.

The weekly 45-minute combined foam rolling and core workouts will be split in half.  For the first half, we will be performing gentle foam rolling.  We will start out with basic rolling and gradually progress to more advanced techniques.  By performing foam rolling we can help to improve blood flow to the area rolled, resulting in increased tissue hydration, increased supply of nutrients to the area and increased removal of metabolic waste.  Foam rolling can also help decrease muscular tension and discomfort, and help to improve joint range of motion.  You will also be coached on how to breathe as you roll, and why being able to breathe as you roll is so very important!  Foam rolling is a slow-moving exercise and could be thought of as a type of active, mindful meditation.  We will not be racing through each muscle group.  The density of your foam roller is important, and instructions will be given before class starts on which is best for you.

After this warm-up for our bodies, we will begin performing exercises to strengthening our core. We will be doing mostly floor exercises that are difficult to perform at our outdoor trek training workouts.  The exercises taught will target your superficial as well as deep abdominal muscles, external obliques, low back, glutes and more!  These muscles, when strong, will help improve trail posture, hiking efficiency and help to prevent unnecessary falls as your stability and balance improve.  Exercises will progress as the class progresses.  When there are ways to modify the exercises, modifications will be shown.  As we work through the routines, you can perform as many or as few sets and repetitions as you are ready for.  It is important that you progress at your own pace.  The class will end with a few stretches of the areas we worked.