Physical preparation for the Inca Trail

The Inca Trail routes are hard and require physical preparation to carry out this activity.

Preparation for the Inca Trail: fitness, exercise and heart rate

The preparation for the Inca Trail begins taking into consideration the physical condition, in which you are currently. It is necessary to organize yourself, specialists recommend starting to prepare 6 months before your walk.

The muscles become stronger, if they are trained regularly and above all properly, start with daily walks, so that your muscles build resistance, increasing the degree of difficulty little by little; which will gradually strengthen your physical condition and above all it will train the heart muscle, making it pump blood more efficiently and have more oxygen.

To be fit to walk, your heart, back muscles, hips, and feet must be strong so that you can climb more easily and use less oxygen; therefore, altitude sickness will not have any effect on your body.

Where and how to exercise?

This depends on your lifestyle and where you live. Ideally, start taking short walks, climbing stairs, all accompanied by joint rotation exercises. If you walk briskly.

The answer depends on your preferences, your lifestyle and where you live. If you live near terrain that is pleasant for walking and/or running, you must have considerable self-discipline and proper footwear may be all you need. Consider getting a heart rate monitor to make your training more systematic. Try hanging out with a friend who also wants to get fit: if your training needs and paces are compatible, you'll motivate each other.

If brisk walking or running doesn't work, try to find a combination of activities that you enjoy and can do frequently (three times a week); for example: dancing, cycling or swimming. Consider joining a gym, where your progress and fitness can be monitored. It is important to complement your training with walks that contain ups and downs, in rough terrain. Drink plenty of water before, during and after your sessions.

When and what exercises to do often

You don't have to become an exercise addict to do these hikes, but if you are in shape, you will enjoy this experience more. Start training well before your departure: if you are not very fit, it is better to start 3 to 6 months in advance. If you smoke, quit at least until after your trip.

The best frequency to do the training is every two days: the body needs a rest day to extract the maximum benefit from the training session. Three times a week is the goal of a training period. Before going out, do longer sessions and stop training one to two days before going out.