Getting ready for your Camino #2

Your upcoming Camino is on the horizon and it’s time to start preparing and getting ready for your Camino #2.

In the previous post we talked about improving your walking endurance. In this one we’d like to address strengthening other muscles, which can help reduce soreness and prevent injuries, especially around your ankles. Remember that you should always adapt the exercises described below to your own capacity and ability. If you are not comfortable doing an exercise, then drop it! Your aim is to improve your muscle tone, not to become an athlete.

Some Simple Fitness Exercises

  1. Get a resistance band to strengthen your gluteal muscles and help stabilise your knees and hips. One good exercise is to tie the resistance band around your legs, just above the knees and walk sideways while maintaining the bandā€™s tension between your shins.
  2. Do basic crunches, squats and/or lunges to improve your balance and strength. Find a simple routine that works for you. Remember that your aim is to make your hike more enjoyable and prevent injuries.
  3. Any cardio exercise helps build your lung capacity, which means happier hiking. Treadmills and stationary bikes are great if you have access to them. Again, frequency and duration should increase gradually, if at all.
  4. If you are lucky to live by a beach, walking in sand is a good work out.
  5. Find an exercise routine adapted to you, and not the other way around. Here are some simple ones we like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=https://www.cicerone.co.uk/how-to-get-hill-fit-and-train-for-long-distance-walking&t=165s

AUTHOR

Picture of Jeffery Barrera

Jeffery Barrera

Jeffery is a seasoned Camino tour leader who also works part-time in the Marketing and Media Content Department at Fresco Tours. Originally from the United States, Jeffery now lives in Madrid, Spain, where he earned a BA in Fine Arts. Though he considers himself a Spaniard at heart, he remains deeply proud of his American heritage. Over his 13-year tenure with Fresco Tours, he has led more than 80 tours to Santiago de Compostela. A passionate Camino enthusiast, Jeffery has walked the French, Portuguese, Primitive, English, Gran Canaria, Madrid, Salvador, and UclƩs routes. He is also the author of three Camino de Santiago guidebooks, available at BarreraBooks.com.

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