If you do not have adequate strength when walking uphill, you may experience pain, difficulty and/or feelings of instability. Building strength in specific muscles that help to support this activity can make it feel much easier and less taxing when you encounter hills. In this article, you’ll learn the three exercises to prioritize to make walking uphill easier .
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It’s important to master walking uphill as you may encounter hills when traveling, hiking and when walking in unfamiliar places. In order to avoid increased pain, especially if you have arthritis, or the need to take prolonged rest breaks- preparing your muscles to be able to tolerate the demands of walking uphill is essential.
There are certain muscles that are required to help propel your body uphill and those are the muscles to prioritize first. When you successfully build strength in the right areas, climbing up hills with ease is possible.
Take it from members of Adventurers for Life, my arthritis workout membership, in the wins below who are reaping the benefits of strengthening and tackling steep hills with confidence!
Muscles needed for walking uphill
Research has found that compared to younger adults, older adults tend to display different mechanics when walking uphill and those are essential to consider when looking at which exercises to focus on.
In one study, they looked at younger adults (average age 27) and older adults (average age 72) and analyzed both level walking and uphill walking mechanics. Understanding more about how the muscles are used allows the exercise selection to make much more sense. This finding below is one to highlight:
We found that old adults generated significantly less ankle power and significantly more hip power than young adults during the push-off phase of both level and uphill walking.
Essentially, this means focusing on improving the ankle power but also making sure the hips are prepared to work harder is key, especially in the presence of knee or hip arthritis as compensations may already be present.
Another distinction to make is with this lack of push-off power, older adults tend to “pull” themselves uphill instead of “pushing”. This involves more of the hamstring muscles, the muscles in the back of the thigh.
With that being said, when walking uphill, it is important to focus on:
- Increasing ankle power
- Increasing hip muscle power
- Hamstring strengthening
Here are the best exercises to help in each one of these areas. You can watch the video below or keeping reading.
I get many questions about the appropriate footwear when walking outdoors. The shoes I am wearing in this video offer a great amount of support and have been designed specifically with those who have arthritis in mind. Here is the link to the KURU Atoms.
Best Exercises for Walking Uphill
Now that we know what parts of the body need to be prioritized, there are of course tons of exercises that can help each one of those areas.
As a physical therapist who specializes in helping those with osteoarthritis and joint pain, there are three of my favorites for these muscles groups that are beginner friendly. Remember, beginner friendly doesn’t always mean easy. It’s vital to master the basics before increasing difficulty, particularly when you’re having difficulty with a specific task lik walking uphill.
1. Calf Raise
The foot and ankle help to propel you up the hill. Not only do you need mobility but you also need strength. Typically, you are propelling yourself up the hill with almost full weight on one leg.
Most of the propulsion power is going to come from the calf muscles, the muscles that are in the back of your lower leg. The first exercise to master is a simple calf raise, where you are lifting your heels off of the ground, pushing through your toes.
If you have ankle arthritis and/or ankle pain, here is a helpful article.
Once you are able to easily complete 20-25 calf raises, a progression to further help with walking uphill is a single leg calf raise.
Think about it, when you are propelling yourself up the hill, you have full bodyweight on one leg for a brief period of time so you need strength to support that.
The goal is to aim for 10-25 repetitions of single leg calf raises each side. Use support for this one and work to get full range of motion. Here is a video example below.
2. Forward Step Up
Another major muscle group that helps you when walking uphill is the glute muscles, the muscles that primarily move the hip. There are a variety of exercises that help to increase glute strength.
According to the research, the forward step up is the exercise with the highest activation of the gluteus maximus, a muscle that helps to extend the hip. This is one we will prioritize to help with this specific activity.
The height of the step you are using will determine the difficulty of this exercise. The higher the step, the harder it will be. If you are dealing with knee pain and have usually have difficulty with stairs, I recommend starting with a lower step stool, this one from Amazon is my favorite to use.
You’ll see in the video below, how to carry out a forward step up. You’ll notice the woman in the video is using support with her upper body is well. This is another modification that can help you be successful with this exercise.
The goal is to complete 10-15 repetitions each side but can be modified accordingly.
3. Hamstring Bridge Variation
It’s been proposed that older adults rely more on their hamstrings (the muscles in the back of the thigh) to pull themselves up the hill.
In order to be successful with this, you need your hamstrings to be strong enough to get you uphill. Without appropriate strength, your body will compensate which may lead to more knee pain or irritated muscles.
As a physical therapist, I often find many people have difficulty activating their hamstrings and instead, other muscles like the glutes and quadriceps (thigh muscles) end up taking over.
The exercise chosen to address the hamstring muscles was carefully chosen to help ensure the hamstrings are being contracted.
Start at 4:32 in the walking uphill video at the top to see a full explanation of this exercise as well as a modification.
How to Master Walking Uphill
Making sure to prioritize all three of these muscle groups can be a great start when looking to walk up hills with ease. It’s important to note that strength does take a while to increase. Expect results to take 4-8 weeks depending on your consistency.
The great news is that focusing on building strength for walking uphill also helps you go up the stairs, walk on flat ground and get up from chairs easier!
If you are an avid walker but osteoarthritis has made it difficult to walk on flat ground, uneven ground and hilly terrain, I have put together a 3 Day FREE Walk with Ease Challenge that can help you get started on your journey to walking better.
You’ll gain access to 3 follow along workout videos with me, Dr. Alyssa Kuhn, physical therapist and osteoarthritis specialist, packed with the best exercises that have helped thousands already!
It’s time to take action! Learn more and join by clicking the button below:
Alyssa Kuhn
Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only. It should not be used to self-diagnose and it is not a substitute for a medical exam, cure, treatment, diagnosis, and prescription or recommendation. It does not create a doctor-patient relationship between Dr. Kuhn and you. You should not make any change in your health regimen or diet before first consulting a physician and obtaining a medical exam, diagnosis, and recommendation. Move Well Age Well, LLC and Dr. Alyssa Kuhn, PT, DPT are not liable or responsible for any advice, course of treatment, diagnosis or any conclusions drawn, services or product you obtain through this post, video or site. Complete all exercises at your own risk.
