Train hard, climb easy is the approach everyone should take in the world’s mountain ranges. No matter what you’ve seen in climbing documentaries or heard from others, trekking and mountaineering trips require significant, specific training and preparation. Proper training ensures that you, your guides, and fellow team members stay safe and are fully prepared for any challenging situations you might encounter. Prior preparation is crucial to fully enjoy and succeed in your adventure. Check out our upcoming trips.
Safety First
Please do not show up on one of our trips without doing the required training. When I think about training and getting prepared for a mountain trek or expedition, I think about our staff and making sure I am not a drain on resources. I also think about all our team members I will be trekking with. Read some reviews from our trips.
I want to make sure each person has access to accurate information and we are available 5 days a week to answer any questions you may have. We know there are some key components for safety and success. There are also a lot of other elements you need to consider, that is why we available to everyone signed up for one of trips.
Fail to Train, Prepare to Fail
Training for a high-altitude adventure demands daily preparation, dedicated time, and unwavering personal commitment. With over 20 years of experience at high altitudes, we’ve learned that precise training is crucial for safety and success.
I am sharing this information to ensure you come fully prepared. Too often, I see people wasting time and money by arriving underprepared for high-altitude adventure trips. Our meticulously designed itineraries prioritize maximum acclimatization for your safety, success, and enjoyment. Have you explored all our YouTube videos for additional guidance?
While you can’t entirely simulate low-oxygen environments during training, having the correct acclimatization schedule is key. Ultimately, after picking the correct acclimatization program, 80% of your success hinges on how physically prepared you are for your adventure. This is within your control. Remember, your safety, success, and enjoyment depend on the daily training you commit to.
1). Acclimatization for High Altitude
One of the primary reasons people fail to achieve their trekking or mountaineering goals at high altitude is inadequate acclimatization. Insufficient time for acclimatization can make your trip significantly harder because your body doesn’t produce enough red blood cells to effectively carry oxygen. This compromise on acclimatization can end your trip early. In addition at that, this lack of proper acclimatization leads to numerous challenges, especially in cold environments. Tips for success at high altitude.
3). Professionally Led Trips
Pacing multiday trips at specific heart rates is crucial for success and managing stress on the body. Ascending too quickly can cause fatigue and hinder recovery. Professionally led trips meticulously manage the pace from start to finish, ensuring optimal acclimatization, safety and success.
To prepare, stress-test your body with specific training at home. This training and heart rate training need to be harder in your training than in the actual trip. Building strength and endurance beforehand makes the actual trek easier and less stressful than your training sessions. This concept is vital to grasp.
At altitudes above 2,500m (8,000 feet), reduced oxygen levels impact sleep and recovery. All our tours are led by highly experienced guides, ensuring better safety and higher chances of success.
In Nepal, we maintain a guide-to-trekker ratio of 1:2.5, with four guides for every group of 10 trekkers. Our award-winning team in Nepal and our head guide on Kilimanjaro, who was voted the number one guide on the mountain, exemplify our commitment to excellence.
4). Physical Training
There is no one size fits all when it comes to training. Firstly, effective training is tailored to individual needs, that is why we recommend speaking to you personal doctor first. Make sue they are happy for you to undertake a more intensive training regime. With our extensive experience leading thousands to success, we can help you understand the specific training required for your trek or expedition.
Secondly, I emphasize hard training, but more importantly, training correctly over an extended periods of time, helps increase your capacity for specific physical stress. I follow three phases of training before a trip and maintain conditioning between adventures. Base phase, build phase and peak phase. For me, each of these phases are 2 months for most treks and shorter expeditions that we run.
Key components of any mountain training plan include exercising in specific heart rate zones for set periods, gradually increasing exercise duration, and progressively adding weight to your workouts.
This approach has proven effective for me over the past 15 years, allowing me to climb Mount Everest and many other mountains without injury. We offer private consultations and have developed comprehensive Colorado mountain training courses. Additionally, our guides in Scotland are available to evaluate your training progress.
5). Stress Testing Your Body for Altitude
What does stress testing mean? simply put, stress testing is training your body. You can train your body to do most things. The key is to stress test or train the body to do the same activity you will be doing before you go on your chosen adventure.
When joining a multi-day trek or expedition in a low oxygen environment on steep challenging terrain your respiration will increase, you will dehydrate faster, and your body will be under more stress.
You will also find it more challenging to sleep, meaning there will be less oxygen to aid recover from the physical activity. This is why you need to stress test your body for high altitude and more importantly stress test your body for the activity you will be doing.
You need to fully understand the terrain you will be trekking or climbing on so you can train in the correct way.
Or what I am suggesting is, be over prepared do more, go the extra mile by building up to carrying double the weight you will carry on the trail. Train in a way that your body and muscles respond well in a low oxygen environment for the type of movement you will be doing. Learn more.
6). Putting This into Play
Think about the activity you are going to do, we can help you understand all of these elements really quickly on a private consultation. For now, think about the elevation gains, distances you will trek, terrain you will be walking on, hours of the activity, the altitude you will be going to and how many days you will be active on the trip.
Lets take Kilimanjaro as an example. We only really run 8 day trips on the Lemosho route for the best safety and success. Here are the elevation gains, distances, hours hiking.
The terrain is mixed with steep and gradual terrain. There are steep stairs, rocky terrain on the way down. So you need to apply this to your training and build up slowly over time. If the terrain is always going to 30 and 40 degree angle for hours of walking, well guess what this is the type of terrain you will need to train.
If your trek is all stairs like a lot of the Annapurna Base Camp trek, well guess what you need to be training on stairs up and down. We can help you understand these elements and build a training program that makes sense.
7). The Correct Equipment and Clothing
Have you tested your clothing and gear? Do you have the correct down jacket, sleeping bag, trekking boots, clothing and specific gear for your chosen adventure. Watch our Cotopaxi Peak packing video.
You need to evaluate all your gear and make sure each piece of kit works and is tested. I can’t tell you how many people have shown up on trips with the wrong gear or they haven’t tested items to see if they actually work. Please check all your gear and clothing well in advance of your trip. Use each item before coming on a trip so you know it actually works.
8). Technical Training
If you are joining a trip or expedition with technical elements. You need to understand the techniques you need to be safe. We offer courses in Scotland and Colorado but it is up to you to come with the correct skill set. You need to be competent using ropes, gear, know your knots and be fully prepared.
There are a wide range of factors that add to your safety and you need to be thinking about all of them. One thing we can all do better on, is endurance training. Longer hikes, training sessions once a week.
Another thing that is missing in the mountains these days is awareness of your environment. Being physically prepared puts you in a position to be in full control of what is going on around you. You need to start thinking about your training and preparation today.
Climbing as Part of a Team
In my view, team work in mountaineering is an essential. Sadly, it has been missing in how some people approach the mountains these days. Working as a team from start to finish building a support network and working together is far easier than work as individuals.
We see these challenges in Himalayan mountaineering. Island Peak is one mountain that stands out for me. Learn more. We know that working with more guides and support staff is way to to approach big mountains.
Having enough support staff is the best way to manage trekking and mountaineering adventures. Most people hire a guide in the mountains and they have no idea of the acclimatization, training, group skills or group dynamics. These groups end in failure. Never compromising and cut corners in the mountains.
Physical Preparation
Training hard is critical for your safety and success. What does that mean for you? This is a question you need to ask yourself and if you can not answer all the questions you need to speak with professionals.
If you are seasoned hiker, used to carrying weight and part of a hiking club with years of hiking experience then you are probably ready for most of our trips. If not, you need to get planning and training for your chosen adventure.
We can help you. For me building up experience and training over a long period of time is important. Building slowly and steadily means you can build your strength and endurance over time.
Importantly, when you join an adventure the exercise, stress and exertion is a natural shift. Your training should lead you seamlessly into your chosen trip. If this doesn’t make sense get in touch with us.
There is No One Size fits All
You need to understand all aspects of the trip you are going on to really understand who you should training. Firstly, if you are going on the Inca trail to Machu Picchu you will be mostly hiking up and down stairs.
So you need to be training on steps and stairs. Secondly, along side this you will be carrying a backpack with 6kg/ 12lbs on a multi-day based. So you need to be training with a backpack.
Thirdly, this trip is at high altitude where a lack of oxygen will impact your ability to perform, so building up the weight you carry in your backpack over time will help ease the stress of high altitude and build endurance and strength in your training.
Get Specific Training Advice
I believe 80% of your training for every trip should involve hill work, up and down. Building up hours of weekly hill work is important. The stair master and 30 degree incline treadmill, weight training, cross training, Yoga, stability and core training are great. But if you have to find hills to get the specific training needed. Building strength and endurance requires hours of weekly training.
Always remember you are not trying to get the top of the mountain quickly. Slow and controlled movement will be the way we approach hills. Keep you pace steady while hiking and exercising, while building up the weight you carry in your backpack.
Carrying weight is key to building up the strength needed for high altitude trekking and mountaineering. There is far more to learn than anything written on the internet, that is why we are available 5 days a week to help you.
Keeping a Manageable Pace on the Actual Trip
Everyone is different when it comes to developing a training plan. I am 42 and my max heart rate is 184 beats per minute. Most of my training is done in the range of 135 to 150 beats per minute. Learn more.
When we talk about climbing easy, we are talking about getting from point A to point B on a trail as slowly as possible. Usually when I am hiking on Kilimanjaro, hiking on the trail to Everest or any trip for that matter my heart rates is usually 100 to 120 beats per minute. Remember I hike and climb weekly and have been doing so for 20 years.
Although exercise is necessary to acclimatize and create the much needed red blood cells. It is so important to maintain lower heart rates on the actual trip. This aids in lack of fatigue and better recovery in low oxygen environments.
Training harder with higher heart rates at home building up the weight you carry will pay off when you actually go on your trip maintaining lower heart rates and carry less weight. Learn more.
Drugs That can Help
Hydration is extremely important in low oxygen environments. Next to oxygen, water is the most important substance that our body needs to survive. Water makes up 60% of our body weight, and blood is normally about 94 percent water when the body is fully hydrated. Learn more.
Act like you are on a drip in a hospital and slowly give yourself water. Do not chug water just sip water and regularly. This is extremely important for coping in low oxygen environments.
Now, I am pretty sure that this is no surprise to any of you out there. However, I can’t tell you how many times I have been out backpacking, hiking or mountaineering with folks that just don’t give proper hydration the attention that it deserves.
Firstly you should strongly consider taking Acetazolamide (Diamox) 125mg in the morning and another 125mg in the late afternoon. Please consult your doctor before use.
You could also consider bringing ibuprofen 200mg tables and use for headaches and to aid sleeping at higher elevations. Ibuprofen will reduce the inflammation and help you sleep.
Your Age and Training
The reality is the older you are the more preparation you need to be doing. Trying to improve your Vo2 Max is important. You also need to be able to sustain certain heart rates for long periods of time. This endurance training is extremely important for your safety and success.
We highly recommend doing a Vo2 max test and seek professional advice on how to improve your physical capacity.
How Many Hours Will you on Your Feet?
If you are going to be walking 3,6,8 hours sometimes back-to-back up and down hills. You need to be doing similar activity in your preparation. How do you think you are going to manage when you have to do this activity for real in a wilderness environment on a multi-day basis?
Important Things you need to Review when it comes to Training
1). Daily elevation gains on your chosen trip
2). Hours of hiking per day on your chosen trip, not distances
3). What type of terrain will you be walking on?
4). What gradient will you be walking on up and down?
5). Do you know how to train for the downhill?
6). Amount of time spent above 14,000 feet.
7). What are your heart rate training zones should you be training in?
8). Do you know how to improve overall body strength?
9). How is your stability?
10). How can you improve endurance for trekking?
11). Map out a training plan building up to 5/6 days a week.
Follow The Guides
On our trips we hold safety the entire team extremely as our number 1 priority. If you are not physically prepared and cannot stay with the group or if you are under too much stress and pressure and overexerting our staff will discuss options with you to return to low elevation. This is not negotiable.
Our guides have extensive experience leading teams and individuals in the mountains. If one of our guides instructs you to turn around, you must follow their instructions. Your safety and safety of our groups have to be our number one priority.
These decisions are not taken lightly but knowing that our guides know what it takes to complete the trip safely and if you are not performing on the trail you will need to follow their advice at all times.
Our website has a lot of advice on training for low oxygen environments and here are some pages you need to review. You will also find specific training advice on each of our trip pages.
1). Training for low oxygen environments – Click here
2). Heart training zones – Click here
3). Training for the downhill – Click here
4). Go the extra mile in your training – Click here
5). Training for big mountains – Click here
Contact Us
We are experts at managing hiking, trekking and leading mountaineering trips around the world. Our Award winning teams and guides have been leading teams for decades. Contact us and we can help you on your journey. You have many choices we offer a personalized service with own unique itineraries designed and safety and success. Our trips will give you the best acclimatization with more staff and support for every trip we run.
