The players have got back into their work after a week off, with the side gearing up to take on the Brumbies at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday night.
Highlanders assistant coach Mark Hammett said the side had come back really well after the week away.
``The boys started with a fitness test on Monday and there were five PBs so we were really happy with the way the guys used their week off,'' he said.
``It was important for the guys to get away with family and friends. We have got a block of eight weeks ahead of us and a big chunk of that is on the road.
``I just think [the results] show the guys are looking after themselves, are working hard and that our conditioning is working really well.''
It was the second bye for the side in the first half of the competition and Hammett admitted that was not what the side would have preferred, but it just had to get on with the job.
That job starts this Saturday night against the Brumbies, a side that plays to strengths it has been working for many years.
``They are a really strong set-piece team, particularly in the last two or three weeks. They seem to have gone back to that. They are a strong mauling side, a strong scrummaging side and they are big.
``And we know even from the [Stephen] Larkham days there, they are generally very well organised off their set piece, and so to shut down that launch is pretty important.
``So a big focus for us coming back in is making sure we get our game right. They are a structured team but most teams are these days and you need to learn how to break it down.''
The side was obviously not happy coming off two losses, having gone down to the Hurricanes and then the Chiefs last month. That led to lessons - or work-ons, as they are known in modern rugby.
``We felt perhaps our territory game or how we were managing that was not quite right. So we have had a bit of a focus on how to change that ... it is horses for courses, depending on what team you are playing.''
Lima Sopoaga had left the field early against the Chiefs in what looked a serious leg injury.
However, it was not as bad as feared and there were hopes he would be right for Saturday.
``At this stage it appears to be pretty good. It was a bit of a freak injury and initially we did not know what it was. I would not be able to give you the right medical term for it.
``But it was a bit of a locking up in the leg between the ankle and that is why it appeared the Achilles.''
Hammett said loose forward Liam Squire was still aiming for the Sharks game in Durban on May 6, with his recovery from a broken thumb going to schedule.