2 things to practise

Months of preparation for something the gym cannot simulate.

Time on feet, loaded packs, descents, and the kit you have not tested.

People train cardio for a trek and get destroyed by the way down.

Altitude illness is a medical matter. Discuss high-altitude treks with a travel health clinic, and any persistent joint pain with a physiotherapist.

What this actually involves

Preparing for Kilimanjaro, the Inca Trail, or a multi-day trek is unlike normal fitness training, and the gym prepares you for surprisingly little of it. The demand is hours on your feet under a pack on uneven ground, often at altitude, with the descents doing most of the damage. Add kit that has never been tested and back-to-back days that nobody trains, and you have the standard picture of an underprepared trekker who is otherwise quite fit.

The sequence

Roughly in order, though nothing here blocks anything else — start with whichever is next for you.

First
Check the operator's fitness guidance and see a travel clinicTrek operators usually publish specific requirements. Altitude, vaccinations, and medication are medical questions for a travel health clinic, not a training plan.You do this one. Vera isn’t involved.
Months 1–4
Training for a Big HikeWeekly check-ins on hours on feet, loaded walking, and whether you are training descents — which is the part almost everyone skips.Practise this ↗
If relevant
Strength Training After 50Leg strength is what protects your knees on the way down. This applies at any age; the page just goes deeper on recovery.Practise this ↗
6+ weeks out
Test every piece of kit on a long dayBoots, pack, socks, layers. New boots on day one of a trek is the single most preventable way to ruin the trip.You do this one. Vera isn’t involved.
4–6 weeks out
Do back-to-back daysTwo long days in a row tells you far more than one very long day. Most treks are consecutive days, and nobody trains for the second one.You do this one. Vera isn’t involved.

Common questions

How long should I train?

Three to six months depending on the trek and your starting point. Check the operator's guidance — they usually have specific and realistic advice.

Can I train for altitude?

Not meaningfully at sea level. Acclimatisation is a medical topic and an itinerary question — talk to a travel clinic about your specific route.

Why do descents matter so much?

They load your quads and knees eccentrically for hours, and it is the part people are least prepared for. Uphill fitness does not transfer.

Other goals

Run Your First MarathonBase building, strength work, the long run, and a race plan that survives the start line.Build a Training Habit That SticksGetting past the eight-week cliff, whatever your starting point.Train for HyroxRunning, stations, compromised running, and the race simulation nobody does enough of.

Not practising doesn’t save you anything.

The ticket, the evening, the weeks of applying — all of it is spent before anyone says a word. The practice is the only cheap part, and the only part that changes how the rest goes.

Start with step one

15 minutes free · no card needed