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Just curious amoungst you Kili climbers and climbers to be...what was/is your training program for this trek? I live in the epitome of flat land - the only altitude I experience is that I'm on the 11th floor of my condo building. I'm 37 and in moderate cardio shape. My trek is planned for October (Machame Route), and I've been hitting the treadmill/stairmaster 3-4 days a week for 45 minutes. I've also been doing strength training 2 days a week.

Whatcha think?

It sounds like you're fairly fit (fitter than I was before the hike). I think you'll be okay for the most part. I live in hilly terrain, where my 'training' for kili involved walking up the biggest hill in town...200 feet in elevation change...lol! and I only did that once

I mainly trained by doing long hikes (5-10 miles) on the weekends. Getting used to hiking for hours and miles, plus the mental factor of hiking for extended periods of time and potential solitude. When I was on the mountain, it did not feel so foreign to me because I had done long hikes here and there.

What got me was the altitude. Heaving to the point that it physically hurts makes you want to quit.

Remember, pole pole (slow slow). It's not a race to get to the top.

My regiment has been mostly 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer 5-7 days a week and 10 weight lifting exercises 3 times per week at just over a total of 10K lbs lifted per workout. Plus I've tried to do a lot of day hikes over the past year including including some big ones like Half Dome (4000+ ft elevation gain - 17 miles) and Mount Diablo (3200+ ft elevation gain - 14 miles)

I'm doing my climb during the first 2 weeks of September and I have a few of training hikes left. The first week in August I'll be in the Mammoth Lakes area (9,000 ft elevation) and plan to do a 12 mile day hike to Duck Pass (@ just over 10,000) early in the week. Then later in the week we will drive down to Whitney Portal and do Mt. Whitney (14,495 ft) as a day hike (22 miles 6000+ ft elevation gain). And my last training hike will be 2 weeks before departure up Mt. San Jaciento (@ over 10,000 ft) its a 12 mile day hike from the top of the tram.

Basically I've tried to do hilly hikes with decent elevation gain and at altitude when possible. But then living in California good hikes are easy to find!

Because you don't have access to any hills, use a stairmaster in place of anything I say about climbing, but keep everything else the same. Same distance, weight, time, etc.

I'd say do some light running or cycling 3 times a week for around 60 minutes and 2 times a week find a steep climb ~1000 ft elevation gain per mile and do intervals on the uphill. Fill a backpack with water jugs to be between 20-100 lbs, depending on your current physical condition and weight (if your asking how to train for kili I'm assuming you won't be using 100 lbs). DON'T HURT YOUR BACK.
When you get to the top of the climb dump out the water to save your knees on the return.

Climb as fast as you can so that you can go for 10 minutes, then slow down so that you don't puke, then 10 more minutes, slow down, until your at the top. Aim for a hike between 1-2 miles, depending on your speed, alternatively, hike so that you train for around 1 hour. These two workouts should be placed as far apart as possible, and are probably the most beneficial training you can do.

If you skimp on anything, skimp on the running. Add to your 3 running/cycling gym workouts some deadlifts, pullups, upright rows, and shoulder shrugs on one day, some bench press (incline and flat), shoulder press, lateral raises, and arm workout on another day. And on the 3rd day do a muscle building leg workout (squats, leg press, lunges, etc.) If this is too much for you, then just do some light running and then the interval climbs like I said. Do that for a couple months and kili will be a cake walk! Smile as you pass the marathon runners who can't handle climbing with a pack =)

Alternatively, check out crossfit.com. I've heard good things. But incorporate those hillwalks regardless of what training regime you choose. And make sure you are doing intervals, otherwise your just wasting your time.

You'll look weird using the stairmaster with a backpack, but trust me it will work.

Also you have to eat a lot to provide your body with the fuel to do these workouts, recover, and improve itself. Aim for around 1.5x your bodyweight in grams of protein. As a rule of thumb I'd say 2x your bodyweight in Calories, but that's me. I weigh I 185-190 and eat around 3500-4000 calories daily. Sometimes as much as 5500 on long strenuous climbs/hikes. Hope that helps!

P.S. You have to condition your brain too, you'll really want to stop when your doing those intervals, but you can't! Don't stop unless you are dead or dying. Feel the burn! Whatever you do, make sure you train with all the intensity you can take, but also know your limits. Don't try going at interval speed for 60 mins straight, and don't try doing intervals at fat burning speed. I'd say 85-90% max hr at a peak during interval training. And 60-70% max heart rate during longer training periods.

Thanks so much for your input. My trek will begin on 2 October, and I've been training for 7 weeks so far, so hopefully I'll be in pretty good shape by then. We're also doing some pre-trekking in Colorado - Maroon-Bells area - to see how we fare, and what we need to improve on.

I suppose my biggest concern is altitude, and with all the previous talk of Zara (who is my tour company), I know I need to really pay attention to how I'm feeling. Meaning, not give up if I don't have altitude sickness, and to give up if I do. I'm pretty stubborn and hope that I have sense enough to realize if there is a problem, because apparently the guides aren't always proactive...

Here's my two bits. Hike, Hike, and then Hike some more. As often as you can. Remember, climbing Kili requires hiking for several hours several days in a row. Get those hiking muscles used to long hikes. But since you don't have a lot of options for hiking in your area, the gym will have to do. In lieu of the stairmaster, I would look for a treadmill with an incline. Any quality gym should have incline treadmills that have at least a 12 degree incline. Walking on a steep treadmill will more closely simulate hiking in hills. Better yet, alternate stairmaster and treadmill workouts on different days. That will give you a great base, and also break up the monotony of doing the same workout every day. Also, climbing steps and walking up hills are different motions and use different muscles.

While Stephen has outlined a good program, my advice would be to not overwhelm yourself with a complicated training program. If you have the time and energy to tackle a program such as this then that's great, but any regular exercise will give you a good base level of fitness. The important thing is to develop those hiking muscles, and the best way to do this is to hike as much as possible. And his suggestion of using a pack is a great one.

Frequent training hikes will help to improve your overall fitness, but more importantly it will help develop your hiking muscles and get your body used to hiking. Regardless of your overall fitness level, strong hiking muscles will make the hike easier, minimize soreness, and decrease your recovery time.

As for altitude training, if you have the opportunity to train at altitude that’s great. But once on the mountain the important thing is to go slow and not push yourself to hard.

I do quite a bit of hiking and running and can speak firsthand about sport specific training. I'm currently on a RTW trip and four weeks ago while in Thailand I ran my second marathon. My first marathon was nine months ago. For that race, I trained for seven months, logged hundreds of miles, and finished in just over four hours. This time around I did not train, having run only four or five times since I left the US four months ago. Even though I went in with a good level of overall fitness, it took me almost six hours to finish this marathon. My legs gave out way before my lungs did, and the reason was that I had not been running enough and my muscles weren’t prepared for that kind of use.

So hike as often as you can. Your body will thank you for it.

Yeah the training program I outlined would probably be overkill. But you MUST train yourself to climb with a pack. But, while tmags is correct in some instances, what he said can be a little misleading. Sure, doing something physically active is obviously better than nothing, but you will be wasting a lot of time if you don't train effectively. Slogging through 20 miles everyday will not get you into any better shape than an hour of interval training each week, and some longer period training. In fact you'll probably be in much worse shape.

There are two things you need for hiking; A strong set of legs, and a strong heart. Just hiking around might get you a stronger heart, but probably not. And it certainly won't make your legs a whole lot stronger. To build your lung and heart power you need to do interval training. That is probably the single best form of exercise you can do. To build your climbing muscles at the same time I recommend hiking with a weighted pack. Lots of things might work to some degree, but I really feel this is the best/fastest way to get into climbing shape. Start out slow... perhaps with no weight. But gradually build up so that you are climbing strong with a pack even heavier than you will be climbing with.

I guess basically you need to understand that there are 3 types of training. Cardio, lactic acid, and strength.

Cardio training entails pushing your body to a near anaerobic state for some time, then leveling off, then back up, etc. This is pretty much the hardest training you can do.

Lactic acid training entails pushing your muscles through the lactic acid burn, this will help improve the bodies ability to flush lactic acid, and your mental ability to take the pain.

Strength training entails breaking muscle fibers apart through load bearing exercises os that the body can rebuild them bigger and stronger.

Now, while climbing Kili isn't as hard as climbing Everest and the lot, you should still train the same way, regardless of what sport you are involved in. You will save time, and you will see more results.

So do whatever training you prefer, but make sure your program has cardio/lactic/strength training, especially for the lower body. Plus once your finished climbing Kili, your next challenge will be even harder, so you should get started already!

A good pair of poles is a great investment. Save stress on your joints (especially on descent) and your body will thank you profusely.

Also make sure you get a good pair of hiking boots and a good backpack. If you get cheapo versions of either you will suffer. Also I like to wear a liner sock underneath my wool/synthetic sock to prevent getting blisters. And, although you probably know this already, don't wear cotton for anything other than a bandana.

quote:

Frequent training hikes will help to improve your overall fitness, but more importantly it will help develop your hiking muscles and get your body used to hiking. Regardless of your overall fitness level, strong hiking muscles will make the hike easier, minimize soreness, and decrease your recovery time.

As for altitude training, if you have the opportunity to train at altitude that’s great. But once on the mountain the important thing is to go slow and not push yourself to hard.

I second that..
altitude: Pole, Pole as Marisa said is the best advice. I live at Sea Level and never worked out above 50 ft. before I went( although, you should if it if you can). Enjoy the mountain ( read: (don't rush up it), and hydrate ( peeing every hour is part of the experience
It is going to be great!

wrldtrvlr,

Lots of great suggestions here but also consider how many days you are planning to take to climb the mountain. The choices range from 5 to 9 days up. 5 days is a 50/50 chance but 9 days is 95% chance of success.
If you have beaten your brains in working out prier to the trip you can still get altitude sickness if you go up too fast.
I was 53 when I went and took the 9 days up trip. No issues other that what is all in a days work climbing to 19,340 feet.
Once you have made the investment to go that far, extra days were not that expensive and greatly increased our chances for success. I didn't want to return home without the summit.
Have a great time if and when!

If you like to swim for a workout (like I do), hypoxic swimming is basically the best workout you can get and is on par with high altitude running and cross country skiing. I suggest you get Stewart Smith's book about Navy SEAL fitness. It is the toughest and best workout I've ever done, and it requires no gym membership!

quote:

Just curious amoungst you Kili climbers and climbers to be...what was/is your training program for this trek?

My training program was to travel around the world drinking lots of beer for 3.5 months prior to showing up at the mountain. As far as mountains go, Kili really isn't much about physical fitness. And its even less about gear. Quite frankly you can do with it a relative base level of fitness, in a pair of rockports, with socks for gloves, wearing a poncho, and sleeping in a 40 degree sleeping bag (however, I will admit can and should are 2 different things here and i am not advocating this to anyone). My point is your emphasis should be on other factors that will have a more significant impact on your success.

First and foremost, Kili is about knowing how your body adjusts to altitude. But, it is also about knowing how much, what, and when to eat. How much to drink. And how fast (or more likely slow) to go. How to walk/breathe efficiently. And also how to recognize and keep your heartrate below a threshold. These are going to have a higher determination on your success than getting in that final set at the gym or an extra day working out on the treadmill. And the more time you spend exploring how these factors effect you the better off you will be.

The idea of booking an extra day or two on the mountain is a good one. Especially getting extra time at the 16,000 ft level to prepare you for summit day.

My recommendation for the best success:

Day 1. Camp at 10,000
Day 2. Get to camp at 13,000. Then hike to 14,000 and hang out for a while before retreating back to camp at 13,000
Day 3. Get to camp at 16,000. Hike up to 16,500 or so and hang out for a bit and go back to 16,000.
Day 4. Hike up to 18,000 and hang out for a bit before returning to 16,000.
Day 5. Summit.

Obviously, your mileage may vary.

I know you are getting close to the climb date, but thought I would put in my two cents.

I live in western Kansas, where it is really flat and thus no hills to climb. I did Kili in February 2005 at age 68 years.

My "training" was walking 4 miles every morning on flat land. Then 30 minutes every day in the gym on stairmaster or cross trainer followed by 30-40 minutes of weight machines for upper body strength. I also climbed stairs in the local University basketball arena for an hour about two times per week. If I were doing it again, I would do more inclind climbing with a backpack with 4 liters of water in it. Treadmill work is good if at max incline and about 2 to 2.5 mph for 30 40 minutes.

A couple of other things -- use hiking poles. They will save you when you are coming down. Also, drink lots of water on the climb and remember the Swahili phrase Pole-Pole (Slowly-Slowly).

Thank you all for your imput. Since my original post, I have:
-continued my upper and lower body strength training for 1 hour twice a week
-increased my stairmaster up to level 4 on rolling hills for 20 min twice a week
-increased my treadmill to incline 11-12 (max is 15) at 3.3 speed for 1 1/2 hours 1-2 times a week, then 40-45 2-3 times a week
-did a small practice climb in Colorado of 1500 ft and then did a more difficult climb of 3100 ft (9100 to 12,200) in 6 hours roundtrip (was supposed to take 8)

So, knowing that I will get to slow down quite a bit, I'm feeling pretty confident. I have exercised induced asthma and need to use an inhaler and did have to stop to catch my breath on steep inclines, but otherwise I did okay. I also used my trekking poles and they did help on the way down. So we'll see! Wish me luck!

You've done a lot more than I did for the climb! I walked up the biggest hill here to train..a mere 350 feet in elevation change. I think you'll be just fine