Does anyone have a training plan?

[Kbierstube]

I apologize if this resource exists somewhere on the site but I looked and I cannot find it. Does anyone have a training plan for the Camino Frances?

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Set foot in SJPP and start walking?

 

[Kbierstube]

Set foot in SJPP and start walking?

To clarify, what type of walking and exercise should we be doing prior to our Camino departure to ensure that we are up to the physical demands?

 

[Kitsambler]

You'll be walking 15-20 km a day, carrying something like 20 lbs all told. If this type of exertion is not part of your standard day already, you will need to work up to it. Do cardio exercise (you can do this every day). Do strength exercises for your legs (see YouTube for quads, hamstring, and glute moves); these you can do on alternate days. Also do exercises for your core strength (abs and back); these you can do every day. Start with what you can do comfortably today, and increase the length of cardio, or the number of repetitions for strength, each week by about 20%. Walk when you can for errands and at the office; walk longer on the weekends.

Do what your available time allows; the Camino will finish the job.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

To clarify, what type of walking and exercise should we be doing prior to our Camino departure to ensure that we are up to the physical demands?

None. Just get there and walk.

 

[Deleted member 67185]

To clarify, what type of walking and exercise should we be doing prior to our Camino departure to ensure that we are up to the physical demands?

This is a training plan that seems fairly sensible.

https://www.followthecamino.com/blog/your-camino-training-plan

Your training goal should be to progress, over time, to a point where you can practice walk the same distance that you think you might walk on your Camino, and to do so for several days in a row wearing the clothing, shoes, and loaded pack which you will be carrying.

 

[jo webber]

It depends on what shape you are starting at. Having never backpacked before it was a long learning curve for me. Started with about 7 lbs and 1 mile. Worked up to 12 lbs and 10 miles for 2 days in a row. Up hill will be the hardest part for me as we are flatlanders.

Train with the pack and shoes you will use.

 

[Rick M]

Much depends on your age, where you live, and your current fitness level. I walked for a stretch with a 40 year old from france who ran marathons and had a 6 kilo pack. He had no problems whatsoever, as he regularly ran hills as part of his daily training.

Age: 20 somethings are resilient, and most will not need to do anything more than break in their shoes properly. Everyone needs to walk several times per week at least for at least several months in their shoes since blisters are the difference between a great camino, and going home early. The older you are, the more careful you need to be.

Location: If you live in a flat place, you must find a way to train on hills. The Camino is not flat, with extended portions that are either up hill or down. Where I live looks like Galicia, so hills are part of my daily life. For those from Florida, find some long stair cases and get used to climbing and descending.

Current fitness: Older people need to judge their personal fitness and act accordingly. If you are over 50 and sedentary, see your doctor for advice, and plan for a lot of gradual training - like 4-6 months or so. Even if you are in pretty good shape, work up to the point where you can walk two days back to back for 20 km without distress.

Some advise no training at all, and indeed, this is an option. Between time and inclination, I would guess half of pilgrims do no training at all. I do not recommend this, but if that's you, so be it. Start your camino very slowly. Expect to do 10-15 km per day at most for the first week. This is your training plan.

On a final note, get used to your backpack. Big men usually get used to carrying 10 Kg pretty quickly. For small women, it can be a misery to carry a pack. Like shoes, find a pack that fits, and walk with it until you no longer notice it.

Buen Camino!

 

[Deleted member 67185]

.....<snip> Some advise no training at all, and indeed, this is an option. Between time and inclination, I would guess half of pilgrims do no training at all. I do not recommend this, but if that's you, so be it. Start your camino very slowly. Expect to do 10-15 km per day at most for the first week. This is your training plan.

To me, your observation is spot on, Rick.

DANGER: Huge Generalization Ahead!!!

May I also add that if one pre-conditions prior to Camino, there is a high liklehood that one has the energy and physical reserves to focus more on the Camino experience, scenery, atmosphere, and comradery at and from the very beginning. Those using the beginning of the Camino to work their way into condition, will spent far more focus and energy on just making it through the day. Within a week or so, that will immensly improve and change.

I saw this phenomenon a lot on the Pacific Crest Trail and the Colorado Trail. I think it boils down to this: Is one willing to forgo easy enjoyment at the beginning week or two of the Camino in exchange for conditioning? Or --- will you make the necessary investment of time to condition yourself, prior to Camino, in order to have the best, possible enjoyment on Camino from day one?

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Is one willing to forgo easy enjoyment at the beginning week or two of the Camino in exchange for conditioning? Or --- will you make the necessary investment of time to condition yourself, prior to Camino, in order to have the best, possible enjoyment on Camino from day one?

I read Rick's post and could only imagine those who have yet to embark on a camino and how terrified they would be.

Walking for months in one's Camino shoes? By the time you are done "training" you will need a new pair! Don't think I ever wore any of my Camino footware for more than 5 hours or so pre-Camino and the only pre-blister I got was from my Crocs (cute ballerinas with holes by the small toe) while walking through Barcelona upon arrival in Spain.

Also, I can assure you that I have never forgone a day of enjoyment on the Camino because I did not walk in circles at home pre-departure, even that day up the Napoleon route (before it apparently becoame trendy to stop at Orisson) was enjoyable, if strenuous. And I also never aimed at walking 30+km a day.

Honnestly, I am more of the opinion that one will over utilise body parts at home so they can break upon stepping foot on the Camino.

 

[Deleted member 67185]

I read Rick's post and could only imagine those who have yet to embark on a camino and how terrified they would be.

Walking for months in one's Camino shoes? By the time you are done "training" you will need a new pair! Don't think I ever wore any of my Camino footware for more than 5 hours or so pre-Camino and the only pre-blister I got was from my Crocs (cute ballerinas with holes by the small toe) while walking through Barcelona upon arrival in Spain.

Also, I can assure you that I have never forgone a day of enjoyment on the Camino because I did not walk in circles at home pre-departure, even that day up the Napoleon route (before it apparently becoame trendy to stop at Orisson) was enjoyable, if strenuous. And I also never aimed at walking 30+km a day.

Honnestly, I am more of the opinion that one will over utilise body parts at home so they can break upon stepping foot on the Camino.

I can fully understand that sentiment. And to be fair, I DID leave a pre-warning of dangerous generalizations ahead.

 

[jo webber]

Ahhh. At 63, never walked more than a quarter mile to the store on flat ground in the past several years. Never wore a pack before and at 105 lbs, 5 ft tall. Add in a few compressed discs. I needed to train.

 

[Rick M]

I read Rick's post and could only imagine those who have yet to embark on a camino and how terrified they would be.

Walking for months in one's Camino shoes? By the time you are done "training" you will need a new pair! Don't think I ever wore any of my Camino footware for more than 5 hours or so pre-Camino and the only pre-blister I got was from my Crocs (cute ballerinas with holes by the small toe) while walking through Barcelona upon arrival in Spain.

Also, I can assure you that I have never forgone a day of enjoyment on the Camino because I did not walk in circles at home pre-departure, even that day up the Napoleon route (before it apparently becoame trendy to stop at Orisson) was enjoyable, if strenuous. And I also never aimed at walking 30+km a day.

Honnestly, I am more of the opinion that one will over utilise body parts at home so they can break upon stepping foot on the Camino.

I have no doubt that what you say is true. For full disclosure......I DID wear out one of my two pairs of shoes training. The thing of it though, is blisters. I never got any. Even during training, not a sniff. But I sure saw people who did, and so did you. Some of us are lucky that way, and some are not. They ruined Marika from Oz's Camino. Same with tendinitis. The guy from Seattle who's name I can't remember sent him self home. Then there was the couple who really couldn't do the hills, and regretted using taxis.

Doing the trail without training is a game of "will I or won't I" have an injury. Training stacks the odds in your favor. All kinds of people are natural iron-man types, and can get away with this consistently. Others are not so fortunate. Not everyone knows what side of this fence they are on, and training is a great way to find out. There are also a lot of people who are overweight or suffer some type of fitness related health condition, and are using the Camino as a fitness goal. For them, the training IS the Beef.

Buen Camino

 

[Anemone del Camino]

. There are also a lot of people who are overweight or suffer some type of fitness related health condition, and are using the Camino as a fitness goal. For them, the training IS the Beef.

Well, I can tell you that in 7 Caminos I only encountered one man and one woman more overweight than me. It's not a race, it's one foot step at a time. Uphill? Walk 10 steps and rest. Or walk to the next bit of shade. Even made up the beast coming out of the Berrocal park on VDLP, one step at a time.

 

[AZgirl]

I didn't train much for my first Camino a few long walk, and then for my second I did quite a bit more. Usually I would try to walk every weekday, not too long/far and then long walks back to back on weekends If you can, I highly recommend doing training. It made my Camino so much more enjoyable from the start, I still had energy to explore towns at the end of the day, and since I was on a time limit I needed to be able to walk a fair number of km at the beginning. And its a good habit for "regular" life as well, and a way to see parts near me that I may not have seen otherwise.

You don't have to train to do the Camino, but if you can fit it in your schedule why not?

 

[Mike Trebert]

I apologize if this resource exists somewhere on the site but I looked and I cannot find it. Does anyone have a training plan for the Camino Frances?

Hi K'stube,
I was 72 last year on my first Camino Frances. 800kms. First, I trained for a year. The last couple of months I walked 10kms per day carrying my pack and using walking poles. I also wore my hiking boots which are still going strong with about 1800kms on them! I walked rain or shine to check out my rain gear.

I developed a bad case of plantar fasciitis while training. Had time to let that clear up, but started wearing orthotics. Switched from Merrell Moabs to traditional, stiff, "heavy" hiking boots, love'em. I have kept experimenting with gear and refining my choices.

IMHO, one must learn as much as possible about one's body and its many idiosyncrasies, and about one's level of fitness. Distance walking is a very strange and stressful thing to do, I think. You won't find it in the instruction manual.

OR...

You can make a great big wheel with words around the edge like: "maybe, superhero, just go, delusional, superstitious, stupid, dreamer, lucky, give up, go home you idiot, blisterfest, please call me an ambulance, oops,"etc., etc. Strap yourself spreadeagled to the wheel, get a friend to spin it, then brace yourself as the little snapper-flapper thing whacks you on the side of the head as you go round and round. Wheel stops - pointer says...? Et Voila!! Decision made!

Have a wonderful Camino, - Mike

 

[dougfitz]

I apologize if this resource exists somewhere on the site but I looked and I cannot find it. Does anyone have a training plan for the Camino Frances?

The training program that I used before my first camino was based on a program published here by the Canberra Two Day Walk association to help participants prepare for the Canberra Two Day Walk here in Australia. The programs were designed by a woman who has been recognized for her work in developing and delivering fitness programs for older adults, an advantage I think for the Camino community.

I found the structure of the program one that was suitable for someone who is working, or who otherwise has limited time available such as on weekdays, but who can put in extra time on at least two days. It also has the advantage of being relatively short, only two months, so that if you do not have a lot of time left for physical preparation, it gives some practical advice on both what and how to approach your preparation. If you have longer, you might want to start earlier and ramp up the times and distances more slowly, but that is an adaptation you can make for yourself.

Note that this program needs you to have some idea in advance whether you are going to walk shorter or longer distances. I suggest you consider a variant of the 20/30 km program unless you know you want to be ready for the longer (30+ km) distances, when you might want to find the link to the marathon training program that is on the page I have referred to above. There are many marathon training programs available, but this one is specifically for walkers preparing for a non-competitive walk, rather than being focused on competitive marathon running.

All the best for your preparations.

 

[Deleted member 43985]

I'm certainly in the camp of preparing your body before you arrive. I walked quite a bit prior to my first time but was unable to wear my pack as I was away from home working. Regardless of how many miles I walked prior I really felt it in my hips those first few days with my full pack of gear. If you are starting in SJPDP I'd really consider walking hills at home with you pack on. The muscles you will use to accomplish day 1 can't really be strengthened easily any other way.

The second part is stretching. Learn to stretch effectively and you'll be able to walk further with less issues. It will also give you a reason to stop during your day so you can stretch and smell the roses!

Wishing you a great experience!

 

[tomnorth]

I apologize if this resource exists somewhere on the site but I looked and I cannot find it. Does anyone have a training plan for the Camino Frances?

I'll tell you what I did then I'll explain why I don't recommend not training.

I have been doing strength and cardio training since 2006. In the year leading up to my Camino I stepped it up to four times a week (two cardio, two strength). My strength workout focuses on core, abs, quads, glutes and back. For cardio I started hiking 5-7 miles. Once a week I would walk 10-12 miles. When hiking I wore my pack loaded to about what I expected it to weigh (22 lbs). In the month and a half leading up to the Camino, I shifted my exercise to all cardio, either hiking or biking.

Training allows you to test out your gear. It also strengthens your body, helping you avoid injury. When I walked, I noted that injuries affected young and old alike. Training gives you a better chance of avoiding injuries such as tendinitis or shin splints. Your age doesn't matter. Hiking in the shoes you plan to bring will help break them in and lessen your chance of blisters, the number one injury on the Camino. Yes, you certainly can walk without training, I just don't recommend it.

 

[Patch]

My plan for walking is the same as I do for a marathon (passed on by my 80 year old running companion) - start slow and get slower

 

[Seabird]

I join those who favor prep work before a Camino. Note, though, I have only done one Camino, and every person is different.

I spent two months building up distance and hill work, the last month with my pack on. I've attached the three references I used to put together a loose plan to follow. I didn't stick to any one of these, but they helped me set a goal each week. I walked in all kinds of weather, which gave me a chance to try everything out. I started out my Camino in St. Palais feeling as confident as I could, with less stress, than if I had just started walking. I certainly did not wear anything out by doing this; instead, I felt all my gear was ready to go.

I had planned to spend three months preparing, but my dogs tripped me, causing me to land hard on both knees. So I spent a month recuperating before starting. So the lesson there is to do what you can, what you want, and don't fret about it. You'll be ready.

Buen Camino.

 

[jo webber]

The 14 week program looks very sensible and doable. Doing less right before the event helps a lot. You will be ready and rested.

 

[Jan_89]

Before my last Camino I trained 5 months and my programme was (1 hour / day):

Monday, Wednesday - swimming
Tuesday, Thursday - bike and stretching (gym)
Friday, Saturday - orbitrek
Sunday - free time

I was very good on the Camino, no problems and comfotable walking.. On my first Camino I didn't train at all and it was harder, a lot of pains.

Depends on many things, you can train, but still you can have some issues..

 

[DavidJ1215]

Preparation including training are so important to help you on the way. I am 74 and have recently returned from my first camino an absolutely wonderful journey from St Jean to Santiago and then on to Finisterre - with a number of detours I walked close to 600 miles with 10kg on my back.

If you have no experience of long distance walking then you need to train and find out what your body is capable of and what limits you have. I trained for around 3 months before I started - starting with a mix of 7 and 10 mile walks in the boots I would be wearing ( still walking in the boots on my return home). The last month before I left I walked with a 10kg back pack. During those three months I learnt a tremendous amount about my body - about blisters and how to stop them - about thigh strains, about shin splints - and why I had experienced these during training.

Apart from a few tired muscles at the end of the day my journey was trouble free. Even with training your fitness levels will continue to improve as your journey progresses. Hills that I struggled with at home during training are so much easier now.
Buen Camino
David

Just to add I stopped training 10 days before I left home

 

[domigee]

The training program that I used before my first camino was based on a program published here by the Canberra Two Day Walk association to help participants prepare for the Canberra Two Day Walk here in Australia. The programs were designed by a woman who has been recognized for her work in developing and delivering fitness programs for older adults, an advantage I think for the Camino community.

I found the structure of the program one that was suitable for someone who is working, or who otherwise has limited time available such as on weekdays, but who can put in extra time on at least two days. It also has the advantage of being relatively short, only two months, so that if you do not have a lot of time left for physical preparation, it gives some practical advice on both what and how to approach your preparation. If you have longer, you might want to start earlier and ramp up the times and distances more slowly, but that is an adaptation you can make for yourself.

Note that this program needs you to have some idea in advance whether you are going to walk shorter or longer distances. I suggest you consider a variant of the 20/30 km program unless you know you want to be ready for the longer (30+ km) distances, when you might want to find the link to the marathon training program that is on the page I have referred to above. There are many marathon training programs available, but this one is specifically for walkers preparing for a non-competitive walk, rather than being focused on competitive marathon running.

All the best for your preparations.

Thanks for posting the link again @dougfitz , it's the one I wanted to recommend to the OP but couldn't find it....
It is very good

You can indeed walk the Camino francés without training, taking it easy at the start but it is so much easier if you have.
For the Caminos with longer distances between albergues, it is a must (in my opinion) unless you are quite used to walking 30k +.

 

[peregrina2000]

Just to add a heads up about something you can't avoid with training--tendinitis. As all of the Caminos are becoming more and more leveled out by bulldozers and filled with crushed rock, repetitive stress injuries are more likely. I saw a lot of tendinitis this year.

I always have a small plastic bag at the ready, and when I go for that post-walking refreshment, I ask the bar owner to put some ice cubes in it. I find that icing my shins for about 10 minutes seems to make them happy and I have been tendinitis-free all these years. Knock on wood!

 

[JillGat]

I was fairly fit when I started the Camino last year. I did notice that, as I got to around 20K, the balls of my feet would start to ache. As the weeks went on, the point at which my feet would start to ache would start earlier and earlier in the walk. I stopped wearing shoes and only walked in my Chaco sandals, which were better for some reason. But still, by the last week of my walk, the balls of my feet were starting to hurt at around 4-5K. If I was getting fitter, why was this happening?

When I got home, I went to a podiatrist and described the problem. He had me face away from him and stand up on my toes. When he saw the muscles in my calves, he knew what was going on. The stronger my legs got, the tighter my achilles tendons got. Instead of the weight landing on my heels with each step, as my feet got tighter, the weight was landing on the balls of my feet. He told me to do the stretch (I used to do all the time when I was a runner, but hadn't done it in a long time) where you stand against a wall and put one leg back, to stretch out the tendons between the heel and the calf.

Along with orthotics I had the podiatrist make for me, I think this stretch is going to make a big difference next time.

 

[Seabird]

Just to add a heads up about something you can't avoid with training--tendinitis.

I think this stretch is going to make a big difference next time.

These posts are spot-on. I managed to avoid blisters but suffered terribly from repetitive stress issues (shin splints and tendinitis). I should have been doing more stretching and self-massage throughout my camino instead of when I started having problems. And ditto the benefit of ice!

 

[piggyhinton]

To clarify, what type of walking and exercise should we be doing prior to our Camino departure to ensure that we are up to the physical demands?

I found it is a mental challenge rather than a physical one, if you are in reasonable physical condition you will be fine, it's whether you have the mental fortitude to get up, put your boots on and walk in all weathers for about 5 weeks.

 

[dougfitz]

I found it is a mental challenge rather than a physical one, if you are in reasonable physical condition you will be fine, it's whether you have the mental fortitude to get up, put your boots on and walk in all weathers for about 5 weeks.

I think this is correct, but much depends upon what 'reasonable physical condition' might mean. When I was walking St Olav's Way, I was discussing this with one woman who stated that she did no training for her walk. To me, that seemed incredible. My preparation included a regular morning walk as well a combination of longer and faster walking on weekends, and it had been hard keeping motivated to do it.

When asked, she did admit that she did walk a little during the week, but no more than what she normally did. She did not own a car or really need one where she lived, and her working day started with her walking the five or six kilometres from her home to work in the morning, and concluded with her walking back again in the afternoon. Her ordinary weekday had over 10 km of walking in it, leave aside what she might have done during the day while at work.

I also find that the discipline of regularly getting up early each morning to do a morning walk goes towards preparing mentally as well. It might not be all the mental preparation one needs, but it is part of the overall pattern one needs to be prepared physically, mentally and spiritually for one's pilgrimage.

 

[Bob from L.A. !]

I apologize if this resource exists somewhere on the site but I looked and I cannot find it. Does anyone have a training plan for the Camino Frances?

The following is the training schedule I used for the Summer of 2016:
Walk /hike 15-20 miles per week then add the following to your scheduled training days;
April 2 or 3 = 10 mile hike
April 9 or 10 = 10 mile hike
April 16 or 17 = 12 mile hike
April 23 or 24 = 12 mile hike
April 30 or May 1 = 12 mile hike
May 7 or 8 = 12 mile hike
May 14 or 15 = 14 mile hike
May 21 or 22 = 14 mile hike
May 28 or 29 = 14 mile hike
June 4 or 5 = 14 mile hike
June 11 or 12 = 16 mile hike
June 18 or 19 = 16 mile hike
June 25 or 26 = 16 mile hike
July 2 = 18 mile hike
July 4, 2016 - Flew from Los Angeles to Pamplona

This same schedule has worked for me three times

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

I apologize if this resource exists somewhere on the site but I looked and I cannot find it. Does anyone have a training plan for the Camino Frances?

Hi Frances , no special training for me .
Walk all year when ever I have the time, mostly in the weekends .
You will do a lot off training along your journey to Santiago.

Wish you well,Peter.

 

[Robyn Scott]

You'll be walking 15-20 km a day, carrying something like 20 lbs all told. If this type of exertion is not part of your standard day already, you will need to work up to it. Do cardio exercise (you can do this every day). Do strength exercises for your legs (see YouTube for quads, hamstring, and glute moves); these you can do on alternate days. Also do exercises for your core strength (abs and back); these you can do every day. Start with what you can do comfortably today, and increase the length of cardio, or the number of repetitions for strength, each week by about 20%. Walk when you can for errands and at the office; walk longer on the weekends.

Do what your available time allows; the Camino will finish the job.

Also walk as many hills as possible. Hill climbing is the one constant on the camino.

 

[Boot of the Beast]

I apologize if this resource exists somewhere on the site but I looked and I cannot find it. Does anyone have a training plan for the Camino Frances?

I walked from St Jean to Burgos in May this year. I did a lot of training before my Camino and I'm glad that I did.

I've always done a reasonable amount of walking but I've had issues with back pain due mostly I think to my office bound job, and I have also had issues with plantar fasciitis.

The value of training I think is to strengthen your back and legs, especially the areas where you know, or think, you will have problems. My plantar fasciitis made a return about 8 weeks out from my camino. This was pretty stressful but I had time to train through it and by the time I began at St Jean I had my maintenance routine worked out and it did not cause me any issues.

I trained for over a year! But I think probably about three months would have been sufficient. I did find that having rest days in my training routine was important. On the strength side I basically did Pilates stuff focused on upper back, core and legs. I found plenty of YouTube videos of this kind of strength building exercise. Core strength was really what I needed to be able to carry my pack.

Up until the last four months I did 5 to 8km walks 2-3 times a week. At this time I did lots of hill walking. Then I pushed it up to 10km and also started walking with my pack on some days. For the last 6 weeks I walked alternately with pack and without pack with a rest day in between adding a Km each time. I started at 10km without pack and 5km with pack (eg Mon: 5km with pack; Tu:Rest; Wed:10km without; Th: Rest; Fri: 6km with; Sat: rest; Sun: 11 without; and so on). Once I got to 20km without pack, I did all my walking with pack. Once I got to 15km with pack I stopped adding Kms, and just stayed with 15km. I cut out most of the hills during this period mainly because I thought it might be adding to the plantar fasciitis.

It was hard to find the time to do that much walking! I would do things like walk 5km from work take a bus to near home and do another 5 km etc.

One think about the camino that I found was that you take a lot more breaks. Typically you will walk 2-5km, stop for breakfast, walk another 10km, have another break, etc. To work breaks into your training takes even more time. But knocking out 15km without a break is much harder, I think, than doing 20 kms with a 30 minute break every 5km.

Finally I had a pretty gentle start to the Camino. Stayed at Orission. Only walked as far as Biscaretta after Roncesvalles, took a rest day in Pamplona. When I walked out of Pamplona I felt like I was fit and Camino hardened!

 

[signguy942]

I apologize if this resource exists somewhere on the site but I looked and I cannot find it. Does anyone have a training plan for the Camino Frances?

Walk 20 km a day and drink half a bottle of red wine with every meal.