FITNESS RECOMMENDATIONS
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Mountaineering is a strenuous sport, which requires climbers to be in excellent physical condition prior to beginning their expedition. Required fitness levels can vary depending on the mountain you plan to climb, but all of our guided mountaineering expeditions are conducted at extreme altitude, which generates more stress and fatigue on the human body. Therefore, it is recommended that climbers are physically and mentally prepared for their mountaineering expedition prior to starting the ascent. High altitude conditions are difficult to replicate while training for your mountaineering trip, which makes having greater levels of cardiovascular fitness critically important in order to successfully acclimate during your ascent.
FITNESS + TRAINING RECOMMENDATIONS
Cardiovascular Endurance
Our guided mountaineering trips often consist of long days of climbing at high altitude. Maintaining a high level of cardiovascular endurance is recommended in order to achieve peak level performance on the mountain. Properly training to improve your cardiovascular endurance will also make your adventure more enjoyable. There are a variety of exercises that can be performed to improve cardiovascular endurance, such as: running, cycling, stair climbing, and hiking. Starting your training regiment with shorter workouts (i.e. running 1 to 2 miles) is perfectly fine, but the focus of endurance training is to increase the amount of time you spend performing each exercise throughout your training regiment. It takes time to improve your cardiovascular endurance levels, so it is recommended that you begin your training regiment 2-3 months in advance of your climb.
Muscular Endurance
Mountaineering expeditions typically require you to carry a pack containing gear up the mountain. This adds extra weight on your back, thus requiring increased levels of core and lower body strength. You will also trek through steep terrain, which generates stress on the lower body. Some exercises you can perform to improve your core and lower body muscular endurance are squats, lunges, pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, and various medicine ball exercises. Your focus should be to increase the amount of repetitions you perform of each exercise over time.
Other Physical Recommendations
Balance and agility training can help you perform better on the mountain due to the steep terrain you will encounter. Some exercises that will help you improve your balance and agility are yoga, slacklining, and stretching. Yoga and stretching will also increase your flexibility and help your muscles properly recover from strength training, thus helping to prevent injury.
