Taking on a trek for the first time can be tough. Avoid the pain of blisters and sore legs with our top 6 training tips designed to make you an experienced trekker!
TIP 1 - Start Early
Even if your planned trekking trip is 12 months away, it’s never too early to get started on your trek conditioning program. Look to build your strength and fitness gradually, giving your body time to adapt to the new demands that you are placing on it.
TIP 2 - Choose the Correct Footwear
Good quality and appropriate footwear for your trek and your walking training is essential. A supportive hiking shoe with ankle protection is important, but beware of ankle cuffs that are too high as they can irritate the achilles tendon at the base of your calf. Look for an ankle cuff that is scooped away at the back. Make sure that your trekking boots are thoroughly broken in and your feet have bedded in — the time for blisters is now, not during your trek.
TIP 3 - Don’t Forget your Walking Socks
With plenty of footwear focus, it’s easy to forget about the best type of socks to wear. The right boots with the wrong socks will ruin your trekking trip so when trying on boots, wear the same socks that you intend to use for your trek. Look for material such as Coolmax that has sweat-wicking properties, or consider the new Gore-tex range that wick sweat away but are also waterproof.
TIP 4 - Build your Walking Training
Walking training will be the foundation of your training program and it is important to build steadily towards the sorts of distances that you will be doing on your trek. Initially, intersperse training days with rest days, but as your fitness improves, look to include some ‘back-to-back’ training days, which will more closely replicate your actual trek.
TIP 5 - Practise Using your Backpack
You’ll only be carrying a day pack, but your choice of backpack is important! Look for models with adjustable chest and waist straps so that you can position it correctly on your back, and also with external compression straps so that the load doesn’t shift. More specialist types have removable bladders for liquid consumption on the go, but remember that water and washing facilities may be limited, so sterilisation may be difficult. Practise using your backpack (loaded) as part of your training so that you are used to the weight and position.
TIP 6 - Stay Hydrated
Whether you are in a hot climate or not, your fluid requirements will increase significantly when trekking. Losses through breathing and from sweating will serve to reduce your blood volume, resulting in your heart having to work much harder. By the time you feel thirsty you will already be dehydrated, so try to drink small, frequent quantities of water throughout the day.
