It was day four of a village-to-village trek in the Atlas Mountains. We were aiming to summit Toubkal. I was leading a mixed group ranging in age from teenage lads to a couple of guys in their sixties. As we ascended towards a high coll I was asking them how they were finding the trek so far.
One of the older guys said that he was really enjoying the trip. He was surprised that compared to a lot of mountain walking he had done in the past, he didn’t feel particularly stiff or tired in the mornings. He was really enjoying it because of this.
I asked him what was different about this trip compared to his other experiences.
“It must be the stretching we do at the end of each day” he said. “It feels so good, I’ve never done it before!”

Stretching is an essential yet often overlooked part of any exercise routine. It’s main advantage is in increasing the body’s flexibility. Long hours of exercise tends to use muscular strength, and the joints slowly contract throughout the day. The effects of this are not related to how fit or not someone may be, its just the way the body works. So stretching out those sore muscles and contracted joints aids their recovery and stops them from cooling down in a retracted position, which would be the cause of stiffness the next day.

Here are a few pointers to adding stretching into your exercise routine, especially relevant to a trekking or mountaineering context:

Firstly, it doesn’t matter how flexible or inflexible you may be – everybody can benefit. Just start where you are at. Some people can easily touch their toes whilst others can barely reach past their knees. The key is not to look at the person next to you who seems to be made of rubber. Instead, listen to and feel your own body, and stretch it appropriately. It can take months or even years of regular practice to regain a significant degree of flexibility but that’s not the prime aim here. The aim here is to do good to your body.

Secondly – and this is the most important rule of stretching – make sure your body is warmed up. Warm muscles are flexible, cold muscles are stiff. If you jump out of bed and immediately start stretching you will most likely pull a muscle or worse. The pain this causes can take a week or longer to dissipate and can be crippling. Personally I do a stretching routine with my clients at the end of each day. We will usually stop about ten minutes before we arrive at our destination, and go through a short routine which targets the main muscles and joints used in walking. We can then walk into the hut ready to cool down, shower, sort out gear and relax. Some people prefer to stretch in the morning – that’s fine, but you need to warm up. So either play a running-around game for ten minutes first, or stop for a stretch twenty minutes or so into the day’s hiking. If you do this, remember to take rucksacks and outer jackets off or the body will be restricted in its movement.

Thirdly, – don’t overdo it. The aim of each stretch is to take the limb or muscles to the point of resistance, then just a tiny bit further until you feel it pulling. Never pull to the point where it hurts or you could do some serious damage. Again, don’t look at those around you, but listen to your own body. You are not trying to become a contortionist, just to increase your flexibility and recovery.

Fourthly – find a routine which works for you, and keep at it. It’s better to be consistent than keep changing technique. I personally use static stretches which mainly come from yoga and pilates positions, and hold each stretch for five breaths. This is a nice length of time to stretch without getting boring. Some people like dynamic (bouncing) stretches and there is some debate about this being good or harmful. Some clients get worried if I use the term yoga as they have other notions of what this might mean, so i just say stretching unless they ask. We don’t meditate or chant “om”, that’s not the point here! Other clients will have their own routine, or have a few moves to add. This is great.

Fifthly, – make it fun. Joke about how silly you look. This breaks the ice and helps people to relax into the stretching. Here in Morocco we get very funny looks from locals when they see us stretching – but laughing about it often inspires the village kids to imitate us strange foreigners!

Sixthly, – stretching isn’t just good during a multiday trek. It’s good as part of a training plan too. If you have booked an adventure in the mountains and want to get a bit fitter for it, then get into fifteen minutes of stretching each day as part of your training. This can be done as part of cross-training. Combine some running or walking with some swimming, and some stretching in a weekly routine. do this during the month leading up to your trek, and you will feel the difference that this makes.

Finally, for ideas of routines which may work, just start searching youtube. There is plenty there to learn from!