Practical Exercises for Mountain Trekking
Article Written By; Jessica Natalie,
The thought of trekking in the mountains is sure to excite you. After all, who would not be enamored by the beautiful panoramic views that the mountains offer?
Walking through the various trails is something that we’ve always dreamt of. However, thinking and doing are two different things altogether. When it comes to actual trekking, things are quite the different.
You simply cannot show up one fine day with your guide book and the gear and hope to go on a long trip to the mountains without adequate preparation and training Exercises for Mountain Trekking. Find yourself the highest quality gear for the best prices.
Physical fitness is one of the most important ingredients of any outing and it assumes even more importance when it comes to climbing into the mountainous countryside.
The mountains can be very punishing; and extract maximum out of our physical strength when it comes to activities like mountaineering and trekking.
Hence, before planning any such trip it would be wise to spend some time doing Exercises for Mountain Trekking in advance to get your body ready for the rigors of climbing.
Training Exercises for Mountain Trekking
Building up strength
The most important characteristic of trekking is that while it does not need the brute strength at a momentary occasion, it does call upon stamina and sustenance over a prolonged period at a steady pace.
Remember, you would be carrying an extra weight on your back and moving vertically upwards; and hence would need to have the strength to last a long period just walking with that load up on a mountainous trial.
Bodyweight training
This becomes a very important phenomena ingredient for any exercises. You can do so by –
- Going on long walks and supplementing them with basic exercises like pull ups, pushups, squats, lunges, and dipping
- Thereafter you can do some weight training by adding a loaded backpack while going on your walks.
- You can also do some power bench presses, front squats, as well as military presses.
Remember, there are some real world conditions that you would be facing and therefore, you should also be in synchronization with the type of gear that you would be wearing. These days you get special clothing for mountains and some very economical, balanced and sturdy footwear which you must buy and get used to before you venture out.
Increasing the Stamina
This is perhaps one of the most important ingredients as far as Exercises for Mountain Trekking is concerned. You not only have to keep moving but also have to be alert all the time, because you simply cannot afford to get distracted on an uneven mountainous track.
The mountain climbing exercises should include anaerobic as well as aerobic endurance training; which would mean that you need to do high intensity internal interval training as well as continuous movement training
This can be done by cycling long distance, running and of course aerobics classes as well as weight training at the gym.
You can also practice activities like climbing up the staircase with and without a backpack this would increase the strength of your curves and leg muscles which would come handy when you climb up as well as down the Mountain slopes
Altitude Training
This is one of the most important features of the mountains.
As we go up the air gets rarified in the atmosphere and since there is less amount of oxygen we tend to get out of breath sooner and feel tired.
It is a totally different feeling. Hence you cannot go un-trained in such an area since any physical activity may have negative effect on your health and may also lead to some disastrous situations.
It is therefore essential that we get our body used to the change in environment in a gradual fashion.
- When going in high altitude areas, you must go up slowly stopping at various levels and staying there for 1 or 2 days so that the body gets accustomed to the lesser amount of oxygen in the atmosphere.
- The more you practice and outdoors at every stage the more fitter you become to carry out trekking in the higher reaches of the mountains; as your body gets used to using oxygen more efficiently
Practice Climbing
However much you carry out your physical training as well as preparation your real test would be when your climbing boots step over the rocky trails. Therefore, before going on any high altitude climbing, it is much better to practice climbing regularly at smaller ranges and not so high mountains.
The lure of the mountains is hard to resist, but it is always a good thing to plan ahead and prepare yourself fully by doing exercises for mountain trekking so that you enjoy your adventurous outing and also make friends with nature.
Bio:
Jessica Natalie is a health and fitness lifestyle blogger who is passionate about running and wants to spread the love on her blog Cause I Love Running.
