The Fitness Q&A section over at Outside Online always has some good tips for training and improving your performance. After all, it is written by Chris Carmichael, who helped Lance Armstrong win a couple of bike races. Today’s question was a good one focused on how to train for mountaineering, specifically for climbs like Rainier or Denali.
The person posing the question says he has 8 months to prepare, and is living at sea level, living in Boston. In a nutshell, Carmichael recommends interval training, and lots of it. He says that you have to build your body into a cardio machine, especially when training at lower altitudes. Long hikes with a heavy pack and gear are also recommend along with building lean muscle mass and a lean frame, but not too lean, as the extra pounds will do you good when you start loosing weight at altitude.
While not all that specific in it’s recommendations, it’s a nice, simple guide to begin training if you’re looking to go on a climb in the near future. A lot of what Carmichael says makes sense, and obviously you’ll need your cardiovascular system in top working order when you head up. It’ll make the climb all that much more enjoyable in the long run.
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