Fitness for weeklong tramp

Unless you are in a rush to get where you are going, your bike fitness should get you through. For me, its all about the journey along the way :-) But preparation is also good. Pick a big hill and cruise on up! :-)

Bike fitness is good from a cardio-vascular point of view, which is probably the most important thing. However from experience I find that the muscles that you use when biking are quite different to those you use for walking and especially walking over rough ground. Some time spent in the pack straps walking uphill on a rocky track wouldn't go astray either.

If you are going into some steep/tough terrain with long days I advise you do some more overnight or some longer trips before hand since you can only really be prepared for tramping by doing it!

I do alot of running so consider myself fairly fit, however tramping is a completely different discipline and Ive found nothing prepares me better for long walks then to put a pack on and head up a hill... the taller the better!

A good fitness workout is to tramp to Mueller Hut with a weekend pack. This is a 1000 metre climb, with fabulous views in all directions. The downside is the $35.00 hut fees per night, and loads of others in the hut. the wlak itself takes 3-4 hours. The weather can be hot or awful, so take good storm clothing. There is water at the Sealy Tarns, but a bottle of water on a hot day is essential. Enjoy Blue Penguin

You make a good point with the 1000m climb, there are plenty of those around and most don't have a $35 hut fee or a crowd at the top. No matter how fit you are, my suggestion is to take the hill, right from the bottom slowly and with short steps. I make a real science of this now-a-days. I find that by slowing your pace the body automatically lengthens your stride, conversely when you shorten your stride you try to take steps quicker. You have to fight both these instincts and take both shorter and slower your steps. It also pays to breath deeply through your nose. Avoid mouth breathing. It seems ridiculously slow for a start but after a while you fit into a rhythm. The irony is that if you keep going steadily it is amazing how quickly and easily you climb. The advantage of being fit is that you will hit that sweet spot, where your heart and breathing can maintain your pace, more easily than if unfit.