Recently, while hiking with fellow outdoor enthusiasts, I noticed many of them were not good at conserving energy. When extremely fatigued, they were not only unable to continue climbing but also unnecessarily wasting their strength.
1. Talk less.
Speaking consumes a significant amount of energy. It requires the engagement of multiple muscle groups such as those in the mouth, throat, and lungs...
Additionally, talking less, observing more, and reflecting more are signs of a mature hiker. They reflect the good qualities of an experienced and tasteful adventurer. Some hikers who talk nonstop and spout endless nonsense along the way can be quite annoying. At the same time, listening to someone chatter incessantly in your ear is also very draining and can ruin your mood. Therefore, unless necessary, try not to talk too much — it benefits both you and others.
2. Reduce the Frequency of Sitting Down to Rest
Many hikers, when feeling tired during an uphill climb, hastily sit down. When they want to continue, their already exhausted legs must expend a lot of energy just to lift their entire body and backpack. In fact, there are various ways to rest without having to sit down completely:
First, lean against a tree trunk to relieve the load on your legs and ease the pressure.
Second, choose a higher spot to sit, preferably on a slope or rock with little height difference from your hips, so you don’t need to expend much energy to get up when you resume walking.
Third, use your hands to support your knees, bend your upper body into a balanced bridge with your back horizontal, allowing your backpack to rest stably on your back. Slightly bend your legs, face uphill, and relax your torso. This reduces the weight on your shoulders, alleviates pressure on your spine, quickly relieves fatigue, and restores energy. When starting to move again, do not quickly lift your upper body. Instead, gradually return your torso to its normal position as you continue uphill.
Fourth, breathe deeply and slow your pace until it feels effortless, distributing your rest across every step to reduce the number of breaks.
Fifth, if you need to sit and rest, try to do so before reaching a flat section ahead, rather than sitting right before you have to start climbing again. Otherwise, once you restart, your heart, lungs, and muscles will still be in a resting state, and suddenly requiring significant energy can be dangerous and even more exhausting.
Sixth, take small steps and slightly drag your feet. Small steps save some energy, and when going uphill, avoid lifting your feet too high — a slight drag is fine as long as it doesn't affect your walking or safety. Paying attention to these small details and making them habitual can help conserve a lot of energy.
Seventh, when stepping onto a high platform, use your hands to help lift your legs up, then push up with your hands on your knees to raise your body. On mountain trails, you’ll often suddenly need to climb onto a high rock. If you're very tired at that moment, don’t rely entirely on your leg strength to lift yourself up, because your legs have been in constant use during the ascent and may cramp or stiffen from extreme fatigue. Combining the use of both your upper and lower limbs is the best approach — it saves a lot of energy and ensures safety.
3. Techniques for Deep Breathing
Many hikers breathe shallowly, rapidly, and irregularly while climbing uphill, which leads to increasing fatigue. When going uphill, maintain a proper rhythm between your steps and your breathing, consciously working toward a consistent pattern. On steep, loaded climbs, aim for one breath per step. When fatigued, deepen your breaths and intentionally slow your pace slightly to distribute your energy evenly with your breaths. Rapid breathing wastes the movement of your lung muscles. The same amount of exercise fails to take in enough oxygen, which is something hikers should pay attention to.
A good rhythm of steps and breathing allows you to hike for hours without needing to stop and rest, and without feeling tired.
4. Keep Your Center of Gravity Low While Going Uphill
This is easy to understand from a physics perspective: a lower center of gravity not only makes your steps more stable but also conserves energy. For example, shorter people tend to conserve more energy when hiking than taller individuals. Lean your upper body forward at a suitable angle and let gravity assist you in climbing. On steep slopes, it’s best to use both your hands and feet — this feels much easier, as the incline compensates for the length of your arms, allowing you to move in a quadrupedal manner like an animal, which is one of the most energy-efficient techniques. Those with gear can use trekking poles to achieve the same effect.