By victoriap30
04 April 2008 13:14
I'm attempting Mont Blanc in September. I'm currently doing 3 sessions a week at the gym with 30 to 40 mins on the treadmill or crosstrainer, then arm weights or leg exercises and sit-ups for about 30 minutes. What else can I do to get fit for this without mountains on my doorstep?
Answer
By Trail magazine
Fitness is essential if you’re planning to take on Mont Blanc. Alpine routes are characterised by their need to move quickly and efficiently and a good base level of fitness is the key to really enjoying your trip.
We asked personal trainer Joe Shepherd to recommend a good training regime for anyone heading out to the Alps.
“You need to target the muscles that you’ll be using on the hill and the best way to do that is to build the following walking lunges and squats into your exercise routine,” says Joe. “You want to aim to be fatigued by the final set of exercises, so use a weighted rucksack or dumbbells as the exercises get easier.”
Walking lunges
Do 3 sets of 15
Standing upright, step forward with first leg, landing on heel then forefoot. Lower your body by flexing the knee and hip of front leg until knee of rear leg almost touches the floor. Use rear leg to push forward until you’re standing on front leg, then lunge forward with opposite leg. Repeat by alternating lunge with opposite legs.
Squats
Do 3 sets of 15
Standing upright, slowly lower the body, with the hips moving back as if sitting in a chair. Maintain the weight directly over the heels or mid-foot. Lower until knees are bent at approximately 90 degrees. Pause, then slowly return to the starting position.
Running
“You’re already doing treadmill work and this is good as it will develop your aerobic capacity,” explains Joe. “This is your body’s ability to do harder cardiovascular exercise for long periods. If you’re working out in a gym, then add at least six running intervals of two minutes to each into your treadmill workouts.
“You should also aim to do some running outside, building up to three half hour sessions each week. As these get easier, introduce interval work, where you vary your speed to mix fast runs with slower jogging.”
There’s always scope to build in some hill work as well. Run up and down the stairs on a railway bridge or find a small incline where you can do repeat runs. Alternatively, plan your run up the steepest hill you can find. This will build aerobic fitness and target the muscles you’ll be using.
Altitude
The one thing you can’t prepare for is the effect of altitude on your body. Click here for more info (answer)
Or you can download a recently published booklet on staying healthy at altitude from www.medex.org.uk.
For more info on Joe’s training see
www.dorsetfitnessholidays.com
