How fit do you need to be for our Costa Rica Escape?

How fit do you need to be for our Costa Rica Escape?

Our Costa Rica Escape is an active six nights, with daily workouts and plenty of adventures beyond that, too. You definitely don’t need to be the fittest person in the room, but we always recommend a good base level of fitness, some consistency with your training and the energy to throw yourself into an active week.

Here’s what to expect from the week.

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What are the workouts like?

Expect a mix of strength, conditioning and cardio, programmed to challenge you and coached by the Salt team. Some sessions will play to your strengths. Others probably won’t. That’s half the fun.

And in Costa Rica, your gym looks a little different.

You’ll kick off the first full day with a sunrise sweat session on the beach, with the Pacific providing the soundtrack. Later that afternoon, you’re back for round two before cooling off in the ocean. There are more beach workouts throughout the week, including one final session before you fly home.

The training is challenging, we’re proud of that. But good coaching means knowing when to push you and when to scale something to your level.

What about the surfing?

One morning, we're swapping dumbbells for surfboards and heading to Playa Hermosa, where local instructors will take you out into the Pacific for a group surf lesson.

You don't need any surfing experience. That's what the instructors are there for.

It is physical, though. Paddling, popping up, getting knocked off, climbing back onto the board and doing the whole thing again adds up. So don't be surprised if you discover a few muscles you didn't know you had the next morning.

Fortunately, there’s a big breakfast waiting when you get back.

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How hard is the waterfall day?

After a morning beach workout and breakfast, we’ll head into the jungle to hike through the rainforest to hidden waterfalls, where you can cool off in natural pools before sitting down to a chef-prepared picnic beside the falls.

You don't need to be an experienced hiker, but being comfortable walking for a sustained period and tackling uneven terrain will help you enjoy it rather than simply get through it.

What should I do before I go?

You don't need a complicated Costa Rica training programme.

If you're already exercising consistently, keep going. A mix of strength and cardio will put you in a good place for the week.

If your training has been a little patchy lately, focus on building consistency rather than suddenly going all-in.

A good base might look like:

• 2 strength or conditioning sessions a week
• 1 to 2 runs or other cardio sessions
• Regular walking, with some longer walks where you can
• Mobility or yoga alongside your training

What if everyone else is fitter than me?

This comes up a lot.

Every Salt group is different, with a mix of training backgrounds and strengths.

You don't need to match anyone else's pace or weights.

Our coaches are there to make sure you're challenged at the right level, scaling where needed while keeping you part of the session and the group.

What matters is that you're comfortable exercising, you've got a reasonable fitness base and you're up for giving things a go.

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Is there enough recovery?

Definitely.

Recovery and mobility sessions are built into the week, and Thursday afternoon is given over to yoga, ice baths and optional beachfront massages under the palms.

Then there’s the unofficial recovery programme: infinity-pool dips, hammocks, ocean swims and afternoons where you have absolutely nowhere you need to be.

Challenging training and time to recover both have a place in the week.

So, am I fit enough for Costa Rica?

If you already exercise regularly and feel comfortable with challenging workouts and active days, you're starting from a good place.

If exercise hasn't featured much in your life recently, we'd recommend giving yourself some time to build a base before you come. Not because you need to hit a particular pace, lift a particular weight or keep up with the fastest person there, but because the fitter you arrive, the more you'll get out of the week.

You want to finish a sunrise workout and still be excited to get on a surfboard. Hike through the jungle and still fancy an ocean swim when you get home. Have enough energy left to enjoy the next day’s plans, too.

And between adventures, the infinity pool is about five seconds away at all times.

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