Pillar 02 · Conditioning

Build the body the boat demands.

These are the gym sessions I actually do. They're built around the stuff sailing hurts the most: hiking for ages, holding your core tight, pulling the mainsheet hard, and hands that don't give up on a long regatta day.

Featured workout · Hiking

Featured: the hiking iso-hold

This is the one I'd pick if I could only do a single exercise. You sit against a wall or bench like you're hiking and just hold it. It burns, but it's what lets you keep hiking flat-out for a whole 20-minute upwind leg.

Sailor hiking out hard from a dinghy
What it works

Thighs and core

How long

4 holds of 90s, 30s rest

How hard

Hard, your legs should be shaking near the end

Sample week · Hiking

Four gym sessions for hiking sailors

This fits around 2–3 days of sailing. Wednesday and the weekend are for being on the water, working on technique, and resting properly. Press the arrows above to switch between hiking, trapezing and crewing weeks.

Athlete training core stability in the gym
Mon

Posterior chain & hiking

  • ▸Romanian deadlift · 4×6
  • ▸Bulgarian split squat · 3×8/leg
  • ▸Iso hiking hold · 4×90s
  • ▸Hanging leg raise · 3×12
Tue

Legs & hiking endurance

  • ▸Wall sit (hiking position) · 4×90s
  • ▸Step-ups with weight · 4×8/leg
  • ▸Sled push or hill sprints · 6×20m
  • ▸Calf raises · 3×20
Thu

Quads & core

  • ▸Front squat · 4×6
  • ▸L-sit hold · 4×20s
  • ▸Single-leg press · 3×10/leg
  • ▸Plank · 3×90s
Fri

Aerobic + mobility

  • ▸Z2 row or bike · 45 min
  • ▸Hip flexor PAILs · 2 rounds
  • ▸T-spine openers · 10 reps
  • ▸Ankle dorsiflexion · 2×60s
Template

Build your own week

Print this and fill it in. Aim for 2–3 days sailing, 2–3 days gym, and some proper rest days. Don't try to do everything every day, I've tried, it doesn't work.

FocusMonTueWedThuFriSatSun
On-water       
Strength       
Mobility       
Recovery       
Notes