I have Sacro-Iliac Joint Dysfunction.

I am going to talk more about what that means in another post, but the main point is: I cannot walk without pain in my hips/upper thigh. And I likely will have this pain for the rest of my life.

But I don’t want to stop hiking. I also like to be able to do simple things like walk to the shops without it setting me back for a week.

The one thing that helps SI joint pain is muscle, especially core. So I train. All. The. Time.

This is my routine, based pretty much entirely around Chase Tucker’s excellent training programs. These are paid-for programs, so I will not share his unlisted links to some content as you should really invest in that yourself. A lot of his content is free and those links I will share.

Year round maintenance

If you stay ready you don’t have to get ready, as the Queens say.

Monday

  • 10 min warm up (cat cow, deep lunges, down-dog peddle, hip-flexor routine, ankle mobility, 1 min plank, 1 min deep squat, dead bug)
  • 10 push ups
  • 30 min lower body strength (from Chase’s Elements program) The reverse lunge move here used to aggravate my SI joint, but eventually I built up enough muscle that I could come back to it and now 99% it is doable for me. I use this as a benchmark for maintaining a minimum level of strength.
  • Balance practice
  • Heel lifts (idk what this is actually called, but I stand with the balls of my feet at the edge of a step and lower my heels as far as I can then raise up onto my toes. I repeat this 10 times with feet together, 10 times with toes together and heels out, 10 times with heels together and toes out, then 10 times on one foot at a time).

Tuesday

  • 10 min warm up (cat cow, deep lunges, down-dog peddle, hip-flexor routine, ankle mobility, 1 min plank, 1 min deep squat, dead bug, hip hinge)
  • 10 push ups
  • 5 mile hike as fast as I can with 10-11kg backpack. I live near a lovely forest in the South Downs, so I have a good mix of hills to add to the challenge. SI pain is worse when your body repeats an identical motion over a long time, so uneven terrain with hills, roots and rocks is miles better. The weight is to add resistance, and to keep my body used to the trail. My base-weight is 5kg, and I don’t ever carry more than 8-9kg, so I try to add 2kg above that when I train. I cannot run with SI pain (the ‘bouncing’ motion is not good), so the weight plus the speed gives me a good cardio workout.

Wednesday

Thursday

  • 10 min warm up (cat cow, deep lunges, down-dog peddle, hip-flexor routine, ankle mobility, 1 min plank, 1 min deep squat, dead bug, hip hinge)
  • 10 push ups
  • 5 mile hike as fast as I can with 10-11kg backpack

Friday

  • Chase’s Intermediate Daily Routine from Elements. The “hip thrusting” move here is one I cannot do with my SI problem. I come back to it now and then, to see if anything has changed, but it is usually aggravating so I skip it.
  • 1 min deep squat
  • Chase’s Upper Body Strength routine from Elements
  • Heel lifts

Saturday

This depends on what I have going on. If nothing, 10-15 mile hike with 5-10kg backpack. This one is not a race.

If I am busy, then I will do my usual plank, squat, pushup and stretch bit, or Chase’s 5 Minute Routine.

Sunday

5 Min Routine.

3 months before a big hike

Monday

Tuesday

  • 10 min warm up (cat cow, deep lunges, down-dog peddle, hip-flexor routine, ankle mobility, 1 min plank, 1 min deep squat, dead bug, hip hinge)
  • 15 push ups
  • 7 mile hike as fast as I can with 10-11kg backpack

Wednesday

Thursday

  • 10 min warm up (cat cow, deep lunges, down-dog peddle, hip-flexor routine, ankle mobility, 1 min plank, 1 min deep squat, dead bug, hip hinge)
  • 15 push ups
  • 7 mile hike as fast as I can with 10-11kg backpack

Friday

  • Chase’s Intermediate Daily Routine from Elements.
  • 1 min deep squat
  • 15 push ups
  • For my next trip, I think I am going to prep with either Uphill Endurance or Mountainproof Knees. So a session from one of those.
  • Heel lifts

Saturday

15-20 mile hike with 5-10kg backpack. This one is not a race.

If I am busy, then either a bodyweight workout or Chase’s Mountainproof Hips routine (I can’t always do this, but I try now and then to see what the pain is up to).

Sunday

5 Min Routine. Gotta have a rest sometime.

3 weeks before a big hike

Monday

  • Morning
  • Evening
    • 5 mile hike as fast as I can with 10-11kg backpack

Tuesday

  • Morning
  • Evening
    • 5 mile hike as fast as I can with 10-11kg backpack

Wednesday

  • Morning
  • Evening
    • 5 mile hike as fast as I can with 10-11kg backpack

Thursday

  • Morning
  • Evening
    • 5 mile hike as fast as I can with 10-11kg backpack

Friday

  • Morning
  • Evening
    • 5 mile hike as fast as I can with 10-11kg backpack

Saturday

20 mile hike with 5-10kg backpack. This one is not a race.

Sunday

5 Min Routine. Stretching and maintenance.

1 week before a big hike

Take it easy. Maintenance routines only. Some chill walks.

On the hike

I start and finish each day with the Daily Move.

With these practices I can keep my SI pain to a minimum and enjoy hiking 20+ miles a day, every day, over insane terrain and hundreds of miles.

Yes sometimes I do get bored and really want a day off, but if I let that happen too much then I really feel it, so I have to stay disciplined.

That said, my most recent trip was planned in about 2 weeks, and by smashing the “3 weeks” section above I was able to walk 110miles in Norway with basically no pain or stiffness. I could easily have turned around and done it all again.

The best time to start training is right now, but if you have suddenly decided on a trip and don’t want to start cold, Chase’s routines are very good to get you prepped.