Many of you are eager to set out on the Camino de Santiago. While this great hike demands time, solid logistical and mental preparation, it also requires good physical preparation — even for seasoned walkers — to avoid injury and chronic fatigue. Here we will outline, in broad terms, what that physical preparation for the Camino de Santiago should involve, so you can embark on your journey with confidence.
The Camino de Santiago presents no insurmountable difficulties in itself. Each stage is accessible and achievable. The hardest part is the long-term accumulation of repeated efforts. These frequently lead to classic minor injuries (tendinitis, mild sprains, muscle cramps…) as well as more serious ones such as tibial periostitis. These often painful and uncomfortable injuries can quickly worsen and become a real obstacle to completing your hike, and many walkers are forced to abandon their journey because of one. It is striking to see the number of walkers strapped up and wearing knee braces, struggling painfully — sometimes through very real suffering — in the final stretch of the route, approaching the cathedral of Santiago.
A physical training programme for the Camino de Santiago
Your physical preparation plan will need to be adjusted in terms of intensity and duration, depending on your fitness level and your experience with walking. However, a 12 to 15-week preparation plan should be the minimum required if you already walk regularly or practise any other physical activity. If you have no habit of walking or any endurance activity, approach this carefully: a minimum of 6 months' preparation will be needed to be ready, and you may want to consider not doing the full route.
The base preparation phase of roughly 3 months before departure is, in a sense, a gradual build-up of your physical fitness.
Train as often as possible, on flat terrain and, where possible, on hilly terrain too. At the start of your preparation, aim for a minimum of 3 outings of 10 km per week. Gradually increase the distance week by week until you can comfortably cover 25 km stages by the end of your preparation. After 4 weeks of training, plan weekends where you do back-to-back outings of 15 km, then, 4 weeks later, outings of 20 km. You should feel normally tired on Monday morning, without experiencing severe pain or debilitating fatigue.
If you can find stairs in town to build elevation gain and strengthen the muscles of your lower limbs, all the better: choose a staircase of around fifteen steps and, one evening per week, complete 3 sets of 10 return trips with a 5-minute rest and stretching between each set.
In your physical preparation for the Camino de Santiago, you should include 2 or 3 longer walks of around 28–30 km or even 35 km. This will build extra stamina and endurance and give you a margin of comfort. It will also give you the confidence to extend your daily stages when necessary — as is sometimes the case in the Spanish section due to accommodation constraints. Finally, in the last month, you should walk with your rucksack loaded with approximately what you will be carrying on your back throughout the journey. This is important not only for your training but also to identify any harness issues or potential discomfort, and to adjust your posture if needed.
Physical preparation for the Camino de Santiago: managing your sleep
When you are on the Camino de Compostela, you will in all likelihood rise early in the refuges and turn in early too. It is essential to prepare your body for this rhythm. In the 3 weeks before you set off, train yourself to go to bed no later than 10 pm. The hardest part can sometimes be falling asleep if you are a night owl. Try to create a bedtime ritual — for example, by reading for a while before sleep.
Also practise self-massaging your legs, or get a partner to do it if you are travelling with others. A good 20-minute massage each evening after the day's stage is the key to fewer muscle aches and better recovery.
Training and preparing over several weeks is certainly no easy feat, but your efforts will be rewarded — you will reap the full benefit once you are on the road to Santiago. You will avoid minor injuries and feel mentally reassured about your physical ability to complete the route. Physical preparation for the Camino de Santiago is a key step in making your journey a success and reaping all the benefits for your body and mind.
