I vår artikelserie om att klättra Everest så är det dags för del 5, som är den sista delen och ger dig slutfasen av den fysiska träningen inför klättringen. Artikeln är skriven på engelska då den har publicerats på en amerikansk artikelsida.
Basic training– If you followed my preparations on climbing other high mountains ahead of Everest your foundation is solid. If not, you have to build up your cardiovascular fitness together with strength.
Strength training and aerobic exercise– You have your foundation and must intensify your training. Personally I like variation in my training, because I believe that training in the end should be as fun as possible. That will also give your body the chance to recover. Before you get started, consider buying a pulse watch; I’ve found them really helpful in my own training. Find out what your maximum pulse is and use that to calculate how much your heart should work during the different training sessions.
Running: If you do trail running or running on a treadmill is up to you. I prefer to run on trails in the forest for my long runs and doing my intervals on the treadmill where I easily can change speed and incline.
As a variation to your long runs try running in stages, which will help you to train your lungs and heart, pushing them to provide your body with more oxygen. This is excellent training for an alpine climber. You should hike on a steep hill with your backpack loaded with 30-40 pounds of weight. You can fill plastic bottles with water if you like.
Biking, in combination with your running programme, is a great way to build up your cardio fitness. You can do road biking or mountain biking on trails or both if you like and have the possibilities.
Weight training. Go to your gym and use free weights and/or machines. You will need strong legs, back and shoulders. Don’t forget to train your abs. Core is easy to forget but very important. If you don’t always have time to go to the gym, set up a small gym area at home where you can do, push-ups, pull ups, core training etc. Use a medicine ball and/or an aerobic ball for different programs.
Tuning– You are only 6-8 weeks from leaving home to go to Everest when you go in to this phase. Focus on things you feel that you need to work on. Like core training, calves, shoulders and neck. Do maintain your aerobics to a high level whilst you do the tuning. Keep on biking and running. No need to keep training right up till the day before you leave; slow down a few days before leaving, make sure you got everything packed and maintain communication with family and perhaps sponsors. Some people think you should put on weight ahead of going. They believe it’s good to have some extra body fat to lose on high altitude. Think twice here as according to science tests your body will not lose body fat first but muscles on extreme high altitude. You will lose some appetite when you are high on the mountain, but most climbers are still OK to eat pretty well until the final summit push. So don’t worry about that, it’s better to keep your body in good shape.
Add mental training to all this. You must train your mental stamina. When it’s hard and cold and you feel exhausted high up that mountain and you feel like quitting, you must turn on your mental toughness and do what you are trained to do: Climb the highest mountain in the world.
Does all this sound hard? It is, but remember, you can do it!
Good Luck and climb safe!
Om bloggaren:
Michael Zettergren bloggar om det du behöver veta för att få en säker och rolig vistelse i naturen, föreläser gärna och är grundare till äventyrsresebolaget Adventure Lovers.
About:
Michael Zettergren blogging about everything you need to know to make your experiences in the mountains to pleasant and memorable trips. I’m doing presentations and are the founder and owner to the outfitter Adventure Lovers.