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.
HikeStrong Podcast
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, I sit down with Dave, a first-time hut-to-hut hiker, to talk about the training journey that prepared him for the Alps—and how that process became much more than physical preparation. Week after week, our training check-ins evolved into deeper conversations about aging, independence, freedom, and what it means to stay capable later in life.
Dave shares how walking and hiking—basic human movements—often need to be relearned in a modern, sedentary world, and how losing the ability to move long distances can quietly erode freedom and confidence. Training for the Swiss Alps helped him reclaim both.
This episode is for anyone wondering if they’re “too old,” “too late,” or “not experienced enough” to take on a big hiking goal—and for anyone who believes preparation can unlock more than just a successful trip.
Topics covered:
- Training for a Swiss Alps hike at 63
- Preparing for hut-to-hut hiking as a beginner
- Hiking philosophy, mindset, and independence
- Why preparation changes how you experience life, not just the trail
Get expert advice on hiking in the Swiss Alps from Alex, founder of The WanderWeGo Co.
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