How to Train for Mountaineering

Why

With the Scottish Winter Mountaineering courses in March looming ahead, I've just kicked off my five-month training-regime with my first Personal Trainer session ever. I've been a more or less regular gym goer for the last 15 years or so, but never considered taking a PT. I normally do high-intensity cardio interval training and coupled with a few cycle rides and hill walks during the year I'd consider myself reasonably fit. Kilimanjaro was easy for me fitness-wise and I can walk all day up and down mountains over like 16 miles without being shattered after.

However, climbing Scottish hills in winter with the same heavy backpack, but having to use ice axe and crampons to move upwards.... that's something else. And doing the same thing at an altitude of like 5000m-6000m where you only have half of the available oxygen compared to sea level... well, you get the idea.

What Kind of Training Then?

The best way to train is, to do exactly the same thing you're training for. If you want to cycle, you cycle. If you want to hill walk you hill walk. Now, I can't climb a high mountain every day, right? Even a proper hill walk takes hours and with a full-time job you can only do it once per week.

What about indoor cycling or the treadmill? Some cardio? Rubbish I say. Have a look at professional marathon runners. Skinny as they are, put a 25kg backpack on them, stick them in thick clothing and shoo them up the mountain. They may have the breath, but they lack the strength.

My Training

So... what am I doing then??? I need endurance and strength, I need well defined muscles for core, arms and legs. Sounds like I need everything. My answer is circuit training using my body weight and free weights. This way I always need to balance myself and train the respective muscles as well, as opposed to just stimulating a single muscle on a machine. I'm just back from that PT session and my legs are wobbly, my arms are shaking and I'm utterly shattered... after a 30 min workout. Sounds like I gotta lot of work to do.

Basically, I will work out three times a week alternating between two circuits and one boxing session.

Circuit 1 - 3 rounds
Plank: 30s/45s/60s
Plank with legs hanging in loops, pulling knees in: 8/10/15 repetitions
Crunches with dumb bell weight: 8/10/15 repetitions
Knee up "running" on the spot: 8/10/15 repetitions
Squat and slam-ball: 8/10/15 repetitions

Those three rounds getting harder with each round left me resonably exhausted already, muscles burning, sweating like a pig.... but on to circuit number 2!

Circuit 2 - 3 rounds
Biceps curl 6kg dumb bell: 8/10/15 repetitions
Hammer curl 6kg dumb bell: 8/10/15 repetitions
Sumo squat 12kg kettle bell: 8/10/15 repetitions
Plank with legs hanging in loops, mountain climber: 8/10/15 repetitions
Burpees: 8/10/15 repetitions

Needless to say I was shattered afterwards, gasping for air. Did some stretching and went home. I love the feeling of muscles refusing to work after a nice session and I know I'll be hurting tomorrow. But that's exactly what I wanted and I'm already looking forward to go again.
Can't wait for my first boxing session on Monday and hope I'll see some results soon.

My Goals

Weight: Couldn't care less. It's not about the weight at all.
Body Fat: Aha! Here we go. Burn fat, gain muscle. Starting at 29.9% I want to go down to 26% by March and then see where I go from there. Ideally I'm looking at 22-24%
Waist: Will shrink with losing body fat. Want to go from 97cm down to 95 by March and eventually aim for 90cm.


So here it goes. I'm done playing around. No more cheating my diet, no more laziness regarding the gym. I'll be lean, strong and as fit as a fiddle. BOO-YAH!!!