Yeah.. Well said.

Aim to go on an decent trip before embarking on a really long one.

Great training for mind, body and maybe some of your equipment..

Ride some short trips first?

The best Training advise I've heard so far !:thumbup1:

I get fit from walking............backwards & forwards while I get the gear loading right. Mental fitness comes from laying awake at night dreaming of the ride.
Pack, unpack multiple times until you place everything in that 'special' place, guaranteeing that you will never find it again doh
Repeat all this on the road for the first 4 days until you find what you need :rofl:

Most of all, stress less, ride & enjoy it :D

Yup... Works for me. Mostly.

keep fit or get fit too. 'In shape' is the best way to be to get the most out of a trip.

Ok so fitness is a big hobby of mine, so I'll chime in on the physical "training" part of your question.

The purpose of training is to force an adaptation in response to a stimuli. The only way to train yourself to be physically adapted to ride a motorcycle is to ride a motorcycle. Only then will your body adapt to the specific stimuli of motorcycle riding. Mostly your grip strength will greatly increase, that's probably it. That being said you could train with those grip gadget that you squeeze in your hand, you could do that while watching the TV, or you could also do like everyone else and train your grip by riding your bike.

That being said, working out in a gym is definitly a good idea in preparation to a motorycle adventure. Increasing your strength and your muscle mass will help you in many ways. First it will be easier to pick up your bike, keep it upright, carry your luggages and any other things requiring strength. Secondly, a stronger body means less stress on your articulations and makes it easier to maintain a proper riding position over time. Thirdly, and this is something people often overlook, is that bone density (weight training is the number one way to increase bone density), muscle mass and strength will protect you in case of a crash, it can be the difference between a good bruise on your thigh and a broken femur.

To build muscle mass and strength you can follow many protocols, many of which will have you waste your time on isolation exercices, like biceps curls, which are an innefficient use of your time if you are a novice to intermediate trainee. For no nonsense efficient weight training program aimed at novice to intermiediate trainee I suggest Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/098...MWA6JNXPBYZRWM

Interesting post from Guillaume.

So how many here have gone on a serious get-fit-or-die-trying campaign before a long bike trip? And if so what did you do- put on muscle mass in the gym, go on a diet or do something aerobic like squash or football?

Anyone take up martial arts - karate or similar, on the basis that you could get fit and improve your self defence capacity at the same time - do one, get one free (dogof rather than bogof :rolleyes2:)

And if you did more than think about these things what level did you take it to?

And do you think it made any difference to the trip? Do you need to be fit for a long trip or does it depend where you're going and on what - or is it just something adventure pensioners need to do to keep the grim reaper at bay?

My answers later

I try to stay in shape anyway...

But when I know I'm undertaking a big trip, I really try and improve my strength and fitness... Depends on the trip and how active it's going to be.

A two week trip around the wine and cheese regions on France isn't really going to push anything apart from your waste line.

I did a two month canoe trip in Canada. That required some fitness planning.

An trip across Siberia is a proper expedition and you'll struggle if you're a couch potato.

This can just be doing press-ups and sit ups every day, running and generally eating a lot more healthily. I try to do a lot of stretching too. It's not rocket science.

Spend a 3 hour event rolling around in the mud in the woods with a motorcycle,very occasionally staying on it for longer than a 100 yards at a time..

The best prep for a trip is to be young. Failing that getting your bike to fit you and be comfortable for all day long is the best enjoyment enhancer. I set up a 80 year old bikers sidecar rig this last sept and he is now in florida USA having ridden from montana USA putting on abut 10,000km so far. He trained by riding 1000km weekends repeatedly all summer. He can't wait for the snow to melt so he can continue on his circumnavigation of the USA.

I searched 'motorbike fitness' on youtube and came up with some good stuff. Even though some for road racing, good tips : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RlVWGRv6aw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKsT3yxWGTQ

I seem to have to do too much of the first half of 1 with too little of the second half, not enough 2, can't afford 3, 4 when ever I can (that's why I come here and daydream..)