Shake things up this year with a major fitness challenge. To get out of your comfort zone and prove to yourself
what you can do, there’s nothing like organising a big solo trek. With a few weeks of physical and mental
training and a lot of preparation, you’ll be ready to take off with an incredible feeling of freedom.

Motivate and challenge yourself by organising a large-scale fitness project

If you recognize yourself in one or more of these descriptions, embarking on a solo trek could be your big goal
this year:
● You maintain your physical condition but would like to challenge yourself with a concrete project.
● You need to escape, be alone and walk at your own pace without adapting to others, live fully in the
present moment and refocus, in order to better connect with your loved ones once you have returned.
Moreover, you plan to go alone, but want to take advantage of the preparation of the project to share
good moments with them.
● You want to take your training plan to the next level and for that, you need a clear deadline. It could
have been signing up for a marathon, but this year, you’re craving solitude.
● You’ve been dreaming of this great hike for years. You already know where to go, how to equip
yourself, what walking pace to adopt – in short, all you need to do is tick off the date of your departure
on the calendar: why not right now?

The checklist for preparing a long hike

Once you have the idea in mind, serious preparation is required, from several weeks to several months in
advance, depending on the difficulty of the journey, the steps to be taken and your experience. Here are the
steps to remember:
● Assess your fitness: of course, before embarking on a big solo hike, it’s best to start with fairly short,
gentle routes, or ideally, do a long group hike to get an idea of your capabilities. It’s not the distance or
difficulty of the route that will make your adventure worthwhile: the right hike is one that takes you
out of your comfort zone enough to feel proud, free and happy to have done it.
● Select a suitable destination and map out your route: rely on guidebooks that describe the main trails,
their difficulties and gradients. Read feedback from other hikers and don’t think too far ahead: leave
time for the unexpected and plan enough rest to give it your all until the end.

● Equip yourself and find out about the environment and weather conditions: if you haven’t already
done so, get reliable equipment specific to the environment in which you will be working. The choice of
backpack and footwear is particularly important. Don’t forget communication equipment, bearing in
mind that mobile networks are not available everywhere. But if you want to get away from it all, that’s
fine!
● Anticipate the main difficulties: mental preparation is just as important as physical training. First of all,
reassure yourself and remove your doubts. Remain confident that you can do it and trust yourself!

Train over several weeks for optimal physical condition

Start training as soon as possible, more intensively at least 8 weeks before the start, or even earlier if you can,
depending on the difficulty of your challenge. Combine longer and longer walks with additional cardio training
(running, swimming, cycling, rowing, etc.) and strengthen your legs, as well as your shoulders, trunk and back
in preparation for carrying your pack.
To help you prepare for your big solo trek, here are the options offered by iFIT:
● Plot your route on a map and test the main trails on a treadmill, thanks to NordicTrack’s connection to
Google Maps with impressive elevation reproduction.
● Follow trekking and hiking series, such as Niagara Hiking miniseries, the 20-workout Chile Hike and
Summit Series or Mount Fuji Hike Series Japan.
● Target your training with the dozens of endurance, strength and incline workouts in the iFIT library.
● Don’t miss out on the mental preparation series, such as Mind of the Athlete, Walking and Hiking
Series or Strengthen the Mind, which will help you find the strength and serenity you need to go all the
way.
One thing is certain: with such a project in mind, you are about to experience a memorable year with an
experience that will leave a lasting impression.