Machu Pichu Salkantay trek-how to prepare?

Bluesprinkles12 · 2024-02-08T12:16:17+00:00

Hi all, As above I’m planing on climbing Machu Pichu later on in the day. I wonder whether any of you have done similar treks and have any advice on how to prepare? Able to share your workout routine please?

Musicaltheatremum · 08/02/2024 12:42

Hi, I did macchu pichu 10 years ago aged 50 and overweight.

My preparation was lots of walking and did a bit of strength training at the gym. . In retrospect I would have done lots and lots of excersise to strengthen my leg muscles eg squats lunges and if going to a gym I'd go lots of leg press and extension work with heavy weights to build muscle.

Bring walking poles. To be honest going up was easier than going down as going down is big pressure on knees. Shorten walking poles for going uphill and lengthen for going down hill(sorry if you know this already)

Altitude. You can't prepare for this. Some people took medication but on balance no one felt it helped. Go very slowly. If you can have a few days in Cusco to acclimatise first that will help. We only had one full day which wasn't enough.
I felt awful on day 2 of treck up to dead woman's pass(4200m) but day three with a similar altitude I was much better so takes a few days to acclimatise. By the time I got back to the UK I had so much energy as my red blood cells had adapted to needing less oxygen. Lasted about 3 weeks

Drink plenty of water. I had a camel pack and had 4-6 litres a day.

It's hard and challenging but worth it.

Musicaltheatremum · 12/02/2024 10:59

@Bluesprinkles12 I'd also recommend to practise squatting in order to go to the loo!!

izzy2076 · 13/02/2024 22:06

I'm training for the salkantay too! I already weight train but am trying to increase cardio. Also a good idea to get in a couple of multi-day hikes,

11NigelTufnel · 13/02/2024 22:18

Not directly relevant to exercise, but take a head torch. Long drop toilets in the dark mean it is useful to have hands free!

icedpuddles · 14/02/2024 21:48

I have done it. I had and still have great cardio fitness, strong legs and bum and found it unremarkable. My friend who was reasonably fit found it harder and said she didn't realise how fit I was. I don't think running would be the best training, at the time I only did skipping 45-60mins at least 3x a week but more like 4 or 5 times a week.

izzy2076 · 15/02/2024 18:38

icedpuddles · 14/02/2024 21:48

I have done it. I had and still have great cardio fitness, strong legs and bum and found it unremarkable. My friend who was reasonably fit found it harder and said she didn't realise how fit I was. I don't think running would be the best training, at the time I only did skipping 45-60mins at least 3x a week but more like 4 or 5 times a week.

Do you mean 'unremarkable' difficulty wise or just a bit of a crap trek?

icedpuddles · 15/02/2024 19:17

izzy2076 · 15/02/2024 18:38

Do you mean 'unremarkable' difficulty wise or just a bit of a crap trek?

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Difficulty wise but it was also misty so it was like walking in a cloud for a few days. We didn't really see any views of the hills and valleys because of the mist. It was still a great and memorable experience and as I am a bit afraid of heights it was probably better for me 🤣

izzy2076 · 15/02/2024 19:45

@icedpuddles oh no!! You may as well have been in Wales! What month did you go? I'm worried about arriving at machu piccu in a cloud! It's like when i went all the way Yosemite and couldnt even see my hand in front of me!

Theredjellybean · 15/02/2024 19:56

I'm doing it later this year , but I'm half marathon fit now and running two full marathons before the trip.
I'm starting to plan, incorporating hill sprints and leg strengthening exercises plus longer up hill walks .

icedpuddles · 15/02/2024 20:15

izzy2076 · 15/02/2024 19:45

@icedpuddles oh no!! You may as well have been in Wales! What month did you go? I'm worried about arriving at machu piccu in a cloud! It's like when i went all the way Yosemite and couldnt even see my hand in front of me!

It was August. It was clearer when were at Machu Pichu but we got up before dawn to see the sun rise through whatever gate it was and that was a complete waste of time due to cloud.

izzy2076 · 12/04/2024 13:53

I've just finished this trek. It was brutal but brilliant. I was super slow due to age/injury but really felt the squats and deadlifts helped me.

The altitude was a killer though!

DuesToTheDirt · 12/04/2024 14:13

We did the Salkantay Trek a few years ago. I already did weight-based workouts 4-6 times a week, and I swopped some of these for running, which helped with cardio (my weak point). I don't class myself as superfit, but on the trek I beat a lot of younger people up the hills <preen>.

As for altitude, a lot of it is luck. Apparently age has an effect, but older people fare better than younger people. What is your schedule like before the trek? Are you going anywhere else that will help you acclimatise?

Salkantay is very high and you can get altitude sickness, but Machu Picchu itself isn't particularly high.

izzy2076 · 12/04/2024 18:47

DuesToTheDirt · 12/04/2024 14:13

We did the Salkantay Trek a few years ago. I already did weight-based workouts 4-6 times a week, and I swopped some of these for running, which helped with cardio (my weak point). I don't class myself as superfit, but on the trek I beat a lot of younger people up the hills <preen>.

As for altitude, a lot of it is luck. Apparently age has an effect, but older people fare better than younger people. What is your schedule like before the trek? Are you going anywhere else that will help you acclimatise?

Salkantay is very high and you can get altitude sickness, but Machu Picchu itself isn't particularly high.

Yes definitely give yourself time to acclimatise. I was fine in Cusco and leaping up steps etc but the salkantay pass was something else...