HikeStrong Podcast
The HikeStrong Podcast is where I share practical guidance on hiking, backpacking, and trekking preparation. Each episode blends fitness insight with real-world training strategies to help you build strength, endurance, and confidence for any trail.
I sit down with guests to break down how to train for demanding hiking, backpacking, and trekking goals using smart strength training, endurance training, and conditioning approaches. You’ll hear clear advice on altitude training, uphill training, and injury prevention, all woven into training conversations that support preparation for major destinations such as Kilimanjaro, Everest Base Camp, Rim to Rim, Tour du Mont Blanc, the Camino de Santiago, Patagonia, Machu Picchu, the Alps, and the Dolomites.
Because training is never one‑size‑fits‑all, I also bring listeners inside real programs. In select episodes, I interview clients in a deep‑dive format that reveals week‑by‑week training details — real data, real challenges, and real solutions — offering a clearer picture of how people actually prepare for hiking, backpacking, and trekking goals.
A cornerstone of my approach is elevation‑gain training. I believe that consistently building weekly elevation gain is one of the strongest predictors of success on any major adventure. In each episode, I share clear, actionable ways to develop that strength — even if you don’t have access to hiking terrain — so you can stay on track whether you train on hills, treadmills, stair machines, or step‑ups.
If you're preparing for a major trip, gearing up for a multi-day backpacking route, or building a long-term plan for tougher hiking or trekking challenges, you’ll find episodes that support every step of your training.
Beyond training, some episodes feature voices from across the hiking, backpacking, and trekking worlds — guides, operators, storytellers, and industry experts whose insights can shape how you think about adventure. These conversations broaden your perspective and influence your outdoor experiences, even when the focus isn’t directly on training.
Listen, train with purpose, share with your adventure partners — then take on at least one unforgettable hiking, backpacking, or trekking experience each year. Train | Hike | Repeat
I’m Marcus Shapiro, a hiking strength and conditioning coach and an early pioneer in online training for hiking, backpacking, and trekking, helping adventurers get physically ready for everything from local elevation goals to high-altitude expeditions.
Episodes
37 episodes
Travel Better, Not More: Insights You’ve Never Heard | HikeStrong | Ep. 37
Most hikers focus on the trail—almost no one understands what shapes the experience before they arrive.What does it really take to create a great hiking experience—and who’s working behind the scenes to make it possible?In ...
Training for the Camino After a Heart Attack: One Man’s Return to Hiking | HikeStrong | Ep. 36
In this episode of the Hike Strong Podcast, Marcus Shapiro sits down with Joel — a 63-year-old retired physician who went from a heart attack, beta-blockers, and years of declining fitness… to completing the Camino de Santiago and rediscovering...
Training for Mount Kilimanjaro at 68: Sibling Summit Story | HikeStrong | Ep. 35
How do you train for Mount Kilimanjaro at 60+ without living near mountains? Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro isn’t just about summit night — it’s about the months of preparation beforehand.In this episode, siblings Bob and Susan (b...
Who’s Really Behind the Hiking Gear Videos You Watch? | HikeStrong | Ep. 34
Most hikers research hiking gear and watch gear reviews before a trip.You’ve probably watched hiking gear videos before your last hike—but have you ever thought about who’s creating them?In this episode, we step inside the ...
Inside the Outdoor Industry: Lessons from REI, Osprey, and Years Filming in the Field | HikeStrong | Ep. 33
What do years inside the outdoor industry actually teach you about gear, preparation, and creating in nature?In this episode of the HikeStrong Podcast, Marcus Shapiro sits down with outdoor photographer and filmmaker Dan Holz<...
Swiss Alps Hiking at 63 – Part 3: Planning a Swiss Hut-to-Hut Adventure | HikeStrong | Ep. 32
Thinking about a Swiss Alps hut-to-hut hike but don’t know where to start? How do you actually plan it—and what do most first-timers get wrong?In the final episode of this series, Marcus and Alex, founder of The WanderWeGo Co., di...
Swiss Alps Hiking at 63 – Part 2: From Training to the Trail | HikeStrong | Ep. 31
After months of training, what is it actually like to hike hut-to-hut in the Swiss Alps for the first time? This is the reality of a first Swiss hut-to-hut experience.In Part 2, Dave is joined by Alex, founder of The WanderWeGo...
Swiss Alps Hiking at 63 – Part 1: Training, Mindset, and Starting from Scratch | HikeStrong | Ep. 30
What does it really take to train for a Swiss Alps hut-to-hut hike at 63—especially if you’re new to multi-day hiking? For Dave, it became a path back to strength, confidence, and independence.In Part 1 of this three-part series, ...
Training for Mount Rainier: Blake’s Two-Attempt Journey to the Summit — Part 2 | HikeStrong | Ep. 29
In Part 2 of this conversation, Blake Hansen returns to Mount Rainier with lessons learned from his first attempt. This episode focuses on what changed the second time — particularly around gear, systems, and on-mountain decision maki...
Training for Mount Rainier: Blake’s Two-Attempt Journey to the Summit — Part 1 | HikeStrong | Ep. 28
In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, I sit down with Blake to walk through the beginning of his Mount Rainier journey — why the mountain became a goal, how his first training cycle unfolded, and what happened during his initial summi...
I Don’t Hate Backpacking Anymore: Michele's Midlife Confidence Comeback | HikeStrong | Ep. 27
In this episode, Michele shares how one miserable backpacking experience in Yosemite — a trip that began with a rolled ankle and a 5,000-foot descent — nearly pushed her away from backpacking altogether. But instead of giving up, she dec...
How Training for Adventure Strengthens Family Bonds | Part 2 – Hilary and Alexis’ Kilimanjaro Journey | HikeStrong | Ep. 26
In Part 2, Hilary and Alexis take us through the final weeks of training, their milestone breakthroughs, and the moments on Mount Kilimanjaro that revealed not just their physical readiness — but their resilience, mindset, and bond as a ...
How Training for Adventure Strengthens Family Bonds | Part 1 – Hilary and Alexis’ Kilimanjaro Journey | HikeStrong | Ep. 25
When Hilary and her daughter Alexis signed up to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, they each trained on their own schedule but stayed connected through shared goals, encouragement, and a deep commitment to see the journey through together....
20 Weeks, 20 Lessons & The MT Sobek Story | Part 2 – Lisa’s TMB Journey | HikeStrong | Ep. 24
In Part 2 of this conversation, Marcus and Lisa pick up where they left off—digging into the peak phase of her 20-week training plan leading up to the Tour du Mont Blanc. They talk about how Lisa mana...
20 Weeks, 20 Lessons to Stay Trail Fit | Part 1 – Lisa’s TMB Journey | HikeStrong | Ep. 23
I had a pretty ambitious goal going into this conversation with my client, Lisa. The idea was to cover all 20 weeks of her Tour du Mont Blanc training plan, and my hope was that each week you’d learn something you could apply to your ...
23 Stairs, a Treadmill & 61,350 Feet: Alicia’s Journey to Kilimanjaro | HikeStrong Podcast Ep. 22
What does it take to climb Kilimanjaro when you don’t live near mountains? And what happens when you decide to do it all over again for the Inca Trail?In this episode, I sit down with Alicia—a self-described “non-athlete” who trai...
What Every Traveler Should Know About Guides | Chris Anderson (Part 2) | Hike Strong Podcast | Ep. 21
Most travelers walk away from a guided trip thinking, “That was amazing”—but they have no idea what it actually took to make it feel that way.In Part 2 of my conversation with former REI Guide of the Year Chris Anderson, we go beh...
Rise and Fall of REI Experiences | Conversation with Chris Anderson (Part 1) | Hike Strong Podcast | Ep. 20
When REI announced it was shutting down its Experiences Division, the internet exploded with outrage. For many, it felt like the company was abandoning one of the most meaningful things it offered - a way to actually get people outside, ...
52 Days on Everest: It Will Break You - Unless You’re Ready. Alex Harz Was. | Hike Strong Podcast | Ep. 19
In this exhilarating episode, I talk with Alex Harz, creator and star of the captivating documentary "The Quest Everest." Alex shares incredible behind-the-scenes stories of his meticulous year-long training regimen, intense mental prepa...
Pro Athlete Turned Hiker Tia Banks’s Mind Over Mountains Journey After a Grade 5 Knee Tear | Hike Strong Podcast | Ep. 18
Tia Banks never laced up hiking boots until her mid-30s—after a career as a pro basketball and flag-football athlete was cut short by a Grade 5 cartilage tear in her right knee. In this 41-minute episode, we explore:Reinventing y...
94K Feet Up, 88 Pounds Down: 30-Day Upper Dolpo Nepal Trek at 67—Stairs, Treadmills & Deadlifts | Hike Strong Podcast | Ep. 17
I’ll never forget the email that landed in my inbox last November. “Failure isn’t an option,” Trudy wrote. “How do I get in tip-top shape for a 30-day Upper Dolpo trek?”Fast-forward five months: Trudy—67 years young and ...
Kilimanjaro Confidence Blueprint: Altitude Adaptation, Route Savvy, Guide Magic | Hike Strong Podcast | Ep. 16
I’ve been a fitness partner with Thomson Safaris since 2009. So when I finally got the chance to interview someone from their team, I didn’t waste time on the usual fluff—no “best time to go,” no “how high is the mountain,” and no softball ques...
Free 12-Week Hiking Training Plans Helped Matthew Summit Kilimanjaro, Choose Any Hiking Challenge and Train | Hike Strong Podcast | Ep. 15
On today’s episode of the Hike Strong Podcast, I'm talking with Matthew, who shares his inspiring journey from feeling unhealthy and unmotivated to successfully completing a Kilimanjaro summit—his very first multi-day trek.Matthew used m...
A Hiker’s Story: From Doubt to Determination | Exercise to Hiking-Focused Training | Kili to Backpacking | Hike Strong Podcast | Ep. 14
In today’s episode, I had the pleasure of chatting with Renee—one of my amazing clients living in Montana at the time of her successful summit, now living in Alaska. Even if Kilimanjaro isn’t on your radar, you’ll find plenty of motivation a...
14ers, Everest Base Camp & Kilimanjaro | Your Path to Non-Technical High-Altitude Trekking | Hike Strong Podcast | Ep. 13
I sat down once again with Will Burkhart, founder of Badass Adventures, to dive into a new topic: non-technical high-altitude mountaineering. Will was my very first guest on this podcast, and his episode on Rim to Rim hi...