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Physical training for Camino Frances

D

DandT

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
spring 2025
Hello and Happy New Year!

Please advise about books/websites/podcasts with suggestions for training for the Camino Frances. We are interested in advice about walking/hiking as well as strength training/cross training.

Thank you so much!
 
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Hello I am from Switzerland, we don't use books or anything else to get training. All we do is put the car key away and start walking. Start with 5 miles extend to 10 miles 15 miles. Once your feeling well take your desired backpack and fill it with your things and try the same routine again. If you are lucky and have hills or even better mountains near you. Go there and repeat the above with a lot of up- and downhill.
Check GRONZE Website for the length of stages, so you get an idea about.
 
Walking is the best training for walking
For my Camino's i have used Gronze website(in Spanish but Google Chrome browser will translate to English) easy to use set your own stages, book accommodation of all types along the way. Has web addresses, phone numbers , reviews plus links to Booking.com.

Camino Francés | Gronze.com

El Camino Francés es el Camino de Santiago en el que confluyen la mayoría de las vías medievales de peregrinación europeas, siendo por tanto el camino de mayor relevancia histórica y el más seguido por los peregrinos. Su punto de inicio, hoy en día, tanto puede considerarse Roncesvalles como...
www.gronze.com



Use the Wise Pilgrim app and his Camino planner ( in the page header above); both very good (Michael is a forum member) loads of info and features as above and more, easy to use !
As for Guide books i took the Reverend Sandy Browns guide on my phone ;audio version weighs nothing and very helpful!
The first two are more than enough to see you along most Camino's without issue.

The route from SJPP to Santiago has very good signage plus loads of other like minded people to aid you on your way; even a blind man could find his way
Buen Camino
Woody
 
Let us pick up your suitcase once you arrive in Europe....
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
BTW stairs are also a good training method, but a bit on the boring side. Hills offer better views and options.

First day stage:
For almost 25 kms you will have to climb over 1,250m up (3,937 feet) between Saint Jean Pied de Port and the Puerto de Lepoeder known as the Napoleon route to the Spanish territoty entrance,
 
DandT said:
Hello and Happy New Year!

Please advise about books/websites/podcasts with suggestions for training for the Camino Frances. We are interested in advice about walking/hiking as well as strength training/cross training.

Thank you so much!
Click to expand...
Have you ever walked further from your car than your immediate destination? If so, great. Do more of that.

The Camino Frances is a village to village walk through one of the more civilized countries of Europe. If you can walk five miles in a morning you can probably walk another five after lunch. That’ll get you to Santiago. If you can’t, start practicing.

I’m sure there are hundreds of Ubend videos and other similar resources that will advise various forms of un-pleasant bending and other rigours. I wouldn’t recommend any of them, not even to someone who had really got my goat. (Never mind what they did to my goat once they’d got it).

If you want to train for a Camino go for a walk. Then go for another one. Then go for a longer one. Then go for a short one carrying your Camino backpack. Then go for another one. Then go for a longer one. I’ll guess you’re getting where I’m coming from…

Walk to work, walk to school, walk to the coffee shop. Walk.

And Buen Camino
 
Always the option of taking the Valcarlos route; and on either route there are opportunities to break the first day up . .
 
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Advice from my ill-fated one day camino where I did NOT do it the right way? Hills. You want to find hills. When given the choice of a beautiful scenic pathway next to the river or a mountain bike path where hikers are welcome but defer to the bikes? Take the bike path and just keep going around it. No hills where you live or not safe in the winter? Someone here once suggested a parking garage. Up and down those ramps and stairs within it, all reasonably climate controlled from snow and ice. Pay attention to your knees, hips, and achilles tendons as you go up and down your mountain bike hills- how do they feel, when do they start to ache, how do you care for that at home where you can get back up out of bed and do it again the next day? Those are the things I didn't understand until I arrogantly thought I had it handled. I didn't.
 
DandT said:
Hello and Happy New Year!

Please advise about books/websites/podcasts with suggestions for training for the Camino Frances. We are interested in advice about walking/hiking as well as strength training/cross training.

Thank you so much!
Click to expand...
@dougfitz I hope you don't mind if I recommend the training programme you posted quite a while ago? I thought it was excellent.

Training Programs – AussieWalk

aussiewalk.com.au
 
All of the above, and ...

My friendly neighbourhood osteopath tells me walking backwards up a slope is very good for the knees. You need to pick your slope carefully - not too steep, and certainly not one where a car is suddenly going to appear. It takes some getting used to!
 
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Paul, you forgot to mention the 400 m descent to Roncesvalles that immediately follows.
 
Good advice above, especially training on hills and/or stairs. I think it’s very important to train with your backpack and the kind of clothes you think you’ll wear. Then you can make adjustments. It will be too late once you get there and find your backpack is very squeaky and nothing you do stops that very annoying noise for 12+ miles a day, every day.
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Scott Fraser said:
Paul, you forgot to mention the 400 m descent
Click to expand...
Oh sorry my fault. But I did mentioned GRONZE where you can find the details of the Stages

The reason why I mentioned the first stage is the ascent, which makes inexperienced pilgrims despair and ask the other pilgrims how far it is to the pass.
On other pilgrimage routes such as the VdlP, you have a few days of flat and long stages and are better prepared for the following climbs and descends.
 
I agree with the advice about walking as the best way to train. The biggest challenge with walking alone is finding time to do it. Walking 15 kms takes the average person about 4 hours. If you’re not retired or unemployed finding multiple 4 hr periods per week is going to be difficult.

I’ve walked six Caminos and have found that what works best for me is alternating strength building exercise routines with a few 2-3 hour walks in between. On Camino you need both strength and endurance. Walking on its own will build strength but, for me, it doesn’t build strength in major muscle groups as quickly as targeted exercise routines. I alternate time in a gym twice a week focusing on strength building routines with two or more long walks.

Lastly, if you can’t find the time to follow that type of routine, do what you can — and then let the Camino train you, which it will, if you just take it “slow and short” for the first 7-10 days. Do shorter stages in the first week (12-18 km vs 25-28 km). Take more frequent rest stops, starting with 10 minutes every hour in the first few days. Stretch during each rest stop.

The objective in letting the Camino train you is to avoid injury at all costs. The excitement we all free at the outset of a Camino is your enemy. You can’t let adrenaline set your pace or tell you when to stop for rest. You can’t let the desire to keep up with new companions push you to ignore the hot spot that is destined to become a big blister or the slight ache in a knee or the pain rising in your Achilles tendon.

Ultreia! But slowly until you’re fit.
 
Hi, I agree with Paul C-H and the others. My advice would be to start walking training at least 3 months before your Camino, gradually building up your distances to 18 miles (30km) per day. If you’re not regular distance walkers, start with a light load and gradually increase that to say, 10kg (22lbs) including 2 litres of water which weigh 2 kg. Definitely include hills, some steep ones, and some steep descents which are as testing for many (myself included) as the ascents, as they find any weaknesses you may have in knees, lower back etc. Try with and without walking poles to see how you get on unless you already have, and know. Most important, choose your footwear ideally with specialist guidance, before you start training and use your chosen pair for your training walks. If you like using a gym too, then cross training isn’t bad in parallel, but there’s no substitute for actual walking over sometimes uneven terrain, in various weather conditions, up and downhill.
Good luck and enjoy the Frances. It’s a very enjoyable experience, and if you like to mix in some days of openness, fewer people and contemplation, don’t miss the Meseta.
Jon
 
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I 100% agree with Scott Fraser comment. It is very useful to do some strength training as well. One little thing I want to add is that going up and down stairs is very helpful, but does not train ankles and feet enough because the foot is always flat. Ramps and hills up and down are very important because it can reinforce other parts that are missed by just walking flat or going up and down stairs.
 
My training was walking, as most here are recommending; the hill walking I am able to do here, living in coastal California, made the first few miles of the Frances much more manageable. If I didn't have access to them I'd find a treadmill nearby and use it with inclines.
 
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Jon53 said:
but there’s no substitute for actual walking over sometimes uneven terrain, in various weather conditions, up and downhill.
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I completely agree with that!

There are plenty of hills in the area where I live, so I've trained sufficiently. But: there are few tracks, gravel paths and similarly uneven routes here. This time I'm going to deliberately look for them.

Because: It was a rude awakening for me when I reached the top of the Alto Perdon and then ‘only’ had another 5 kilometre walk to Uterga ahead of me.

But it felt like it took me ages to complete the descent via a gravel track. I felt the small muscles in my feet in particular, which I don't normally use that often ... and I was incredibly slow. And luckily it was good weather, no rain. Because if it gets slippery there ...

That's why I've already picked out hiking routes for my upcoming training that fulfil these criteria so that I won't be surprised again on the Camino Primitivo in September / October 2025.
 
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Adding to the excelent advice above:

If you plan on using trekking poles, find a video on how to correctly use them and practice that. About half the people i seen on the Caminos apparently did not do that and used them the wrong way.
 
DandT said:
Hello and Happy New Year!

Please advise about books/websites/podcasts with suggestions for training for the Camino Frances. We are interested in advice about walking/hiking as well as strength training/cross training.

Thank you so much!
Click to expand...
I have previously posted the content below, so perhaps it can provide a direction to look at as you pursue your developing fitness plan. Personally this is how I have approached conditioning for mountaineering and in preparation of backpacking season for multi-day, week and even month's-long trips into high mountain areas. It also works for me with Camino Pilgrimage distance walking.
-----------------------------
For training, there are really two different parts to focus on:

1. Cardiovascular fitness.
2. Muscle strengthening.

Cardiovascular fitness is the ability for your heart and lungs to supply oxygenated blood to your muscles during exercise under load, and your muscles ability to use that oxygen efficiently so they can produce energy.

Exercises should be used which will allow you to hit a target heart rate zone, over a period of time during exercising, which provides the needed aerobic effort for conditioning. This is a website which will help you calculate what your target heart rate zones will be.

https://www.lifespanfitness.com/fitness/resources/target-heart-rate-calculator

Some examples of effective aerobic exercises for achieving target heart rates.
  • Treadmills set to 7% incline at the start of training, then set to a 12 to 18% incline as your fitness progresses (raise the front of the treadmill several inches to increase its normal range of incline),
  • Running
  • Walking at a faster than normal pace
  • Walking up hills
  • Rowing machines
  • HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts
  • Riding a bicycle at a faster than normal pace
  • Swimming
  • Etc.
Keep in mind that as your fitness level improves, it will take a more sustained effort to hit the same heart rate zones. That is why using target zones is so effective. They don't change relative to fitness level. Someone extremely out of shape does not exercise as hard as someone who is extremely fit to reach their target.

Muscle strength is a function of how much maximum force your muscles can exert against resistance. Exercises for strength will also provide a temporary aerobic effect, but the main goal is to increase your capability to function while under resistance.

Think about having to lift the weight of your body, with a pack, with each step going up the Pyrenees. Or being able to lift and carry a load. Or the constant resistance of your body weight and pack to your shoulders and to the 'core' muscles in your back and abdomen.

Some basic strengthening exercises for home include push-ups, lunges, squats and planks. A google search will show you the way to do these exercises.

Other conditioning issues involve things like ankles, feet, and flexibility. Do a search on this forum for posts about exercises to help prevent shin splints and to help prevent plantar fasciitis.

When you are within 14 days of departing for Camino, replace your routine exercise plan with the near replication of actual walking on Camino. Using the same clothing and footwear you will be using on Camino, load up your pack with all that you plan to carry, and spend the next 7 to 10 days in a row walking the number of miles/Km you plan to walk on daily stages of the Camino.

Assess how you feel and at what pace you are able to best sustain yourself. Getting a real feel for a good pace, taking real breaks, eating real snacks during these walks will be great preparation. You will have a more realistic estimate of how you will feel when starting your walk on Camino. It will help your confidence levels, and give you time to adjust to your equipment and allow your body to adjust to the niggling bits of your muscles, feet, and joints becoming much better acclimated in anticipation of their real usage beginning on Camino Day One.

The last 3 to 5 days prior to departure, stop the fitness schedule. Walk just enough to keep muscles loose and engaged. Rest. Eat well and nutritiously. Hydrate reasonably. Contemplate and meditate deliberately.
 
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Amidst this encyclopedia of opinion - by far the BEST advice on this blog at top !; “Hello I am from Switzerland, we don't use books or anything else to get training. All we do is put the car key AWAY and START walking. Start with 5 miles extend to 10 miles 15 miles. Once your feeling well take your desired backpack and fill it with your things and try the same routine again. If you are lucky and have hills or even better mountains near you. Go there and repeat the above with a lot of up- and downhill.“. Just DO it! (At least 45 days of consistent effort in good footwear your walk Camino in)
And you’ll be fine. & livealagom dot life
 
The best way to train for a long walk is to simply walk. Walk a lot and walk some more. I'm talking about at least 5-7 kilometers on every training walk. If you are overweight combine that with better dietary habits as the Camino won't beat you into shape to walk it if you cannot walk it in the first place. Also, the long walks in training will help you know if your choice of footwear will work for you and don't forget to stretch before and after your walks and hydrate.
Upper body strength training is great, but the ability to actually walk an average of 20 kilometers is far more important. Make that your priority.
 
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I’m led to think I live an odd life. I walk at least 5 miles a day: dog walks; shopping, a trip to the pub. Often I’ll walk 10 miles if the weather is half decent and I can string together a couple of destinations. A 15 mile walk usually takes some planning. I need to pick a worthwhile destination such as the Ginger Fox and it’s excellent wine list or Brighton and back for the hell of it ( and a few oysters in English’s).

But walk is what I do. My gran told me “walk, that’s what we do” and I’d never argue with gran. I’m struck by how many come to Camino for whom walking, any distance, let alone for day after day for a month or so is an almost incomprehensible challenge. Yet we got from the Rift Valley in Africa to Siberia and meso-America and even England by the simple act of walking. OK, it might have taken a few millennia, which is more time than most of us can spare from keeping up the payments on the car, but we walked it. And we didn’t have to pay anything extra to Ryanair (knapped flint? That’ll have to go in the hold).

Before anyone reminds me, kindly, that I live a privileged life in a lucky country, thanks. I know that. But last time I was in London, the wonderful Van Gogh exhibition at the National, I managed to clock up 10 miles between railway station, gallery and a couple of favourite haunts. Obviously I hadn’t gone for a walk that day
 
DandT said:
Hello and Happy New Year!

Please advise about books/websites/podcasts with suggestions for training for the Camino Frances. We are interested in advice about walking/hiking as well as strength training/cross training.

Thank you so much!
Click to expand...
Walk , Walk and Walk , a a very leisurely pace
Then when you body tells you to step up the distance you can .

The pace is not important , you can finish in as many days as you wish.

Just think of all those UK horses in training.
Slow canter , build up your strength , have a rest day for the ligaments and use common sense.

This is what no training book will tell you about the camino ;

You are odds on to get a blister
You are going to get wet .
You are walking on creek beds which become rivers during winter , thats what happens when you are up high and the way down is on these rocky paths , you can't experience this as people are all around you on the descents .
You will average 3.5-4.0 km an hour , less if you like a coffee or tinto.

We commenced @ 60 yrs , hurried [35] and missed so much.
We returned and took 44 days and loved it so much we commenced @ Le Puy the following year.
Le Puy is 800 km before St JPP and we finished in Muxia .

Don't read too much guys , just get the 12-15km daily walk happening , no cars .
 
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LOL, I love the advice of "Don't read too much guys"...that is me. I am FULLY capable of 'paralysis by analysis'. Any advice must be tempered with the fact that no one knows your age, health etc. etc.

Definitely daily long walks are a good idea, though (personally) I do not do daily long walks.

I try to think of Camino training as just healthy lifestyle. There are 6 days in the week (resting the seventh) so preparing for my next Camino, in the months leading up I do 2 days strength training (that can be any type of weights or calisthenics...don't spend a lot of money on this, Youtube videos are fine), along with an outdoor walk, 2 days of some kind of yoga/pilates class with a spin class, don't worry about the details, just pick one, Youtube is good. And 2 days of a much longer walk with my backpack to get used to carrying the weight. Those 2 ruck days also allow me to indulge my OCD about the pack, its weight and what I should or shouldn't bring...

So...for me, I now try to remember to do 2/2 and 2 in a week. About a month before, I will switch to daily walks, as others do. In short, take exercise of your choice, walk, and enjoy yourself, you'll be fine.
 
All of the above - except maybe the 30 km suggestion unless you are young and already a bit fit - maybe.
At my age I average about 17 km per day on Camino. I can do more, even 30 km if required, maybe once, and take a lot longer to recover than I used to - so a few short days after a long day.
For my first Camino I just walked as preparation. These days, some 17 years later, I have added strength training - for ankles, knees and hips. Some of these areas won't get the extra work they might need with just walking because we might already have got into the habit of not using our muscles properly. It's also helpful to have a strong enough core.
For example, I didn't realise I had to use my glutes while walking - what?! I relied mostly on my quads which made stairs and uphill particularly tiresome. In the last few years I have learnt to push off using glutes - my walking has become more efficient and feels a lot easier.
Finally .... just do what you can and turn up. Listen to your body. Start slower than you think you need to for the first few days. Be gentle on your body and care for it. The Camino will sort you out.
Have fun and Buen Camino
 
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trecile said:
With proper training and listening to your feet hopefully you will only get blisters while you are training and adjusting to daily walking. It's quite possible to complete a Camino blister free.
Click to expand...
A book I highly recommend is Fixing Your Feet - John Vonhof. Excellent advice on injury prevention, from blisters on up. Available for Kindle and on paper.
 
Analysis by paralysis , regardless of the order it is correct.
I think the OP’s should not pick our brains , just go for a walk and enjoy , remembering every person is different , every year could be different .

Did we ask what do we do at the first dance we attended?

The Op asked in Oct a certain question …… got plenty of answers ….no acknowledgement or thank you .
Same here it seems.

When we commenced in Mont St Michel ( Somme) we realised that these kids who died there with our grandparents left home 43 years earlier than our 60 plus age .
I don’t think at 17 yrs coming off the farm they worried too much about a bit of snow , sun or water .
They never knew the poor buggers.
We have one thousand articles on the Camino and 300,000 plus walk it each year .
It won’t bite

I promise I’ll be good for 2025
 
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