Like everyone else, you planned to cover new terrains and climb new mountains in 2020. For many like me, mountaineering is not just a sport, it’s a passion, a constant drive that keeps the soul alive. So, when you cannot even step outside anymore for a simple walk, staying fit becomes challenging.

“I love you like a river that begins as a solitary trickle in the mountains and gradually grows and joins other rivers until, after a certain point, it can flow around any obstacle to get where it wants.” – Paulo Coelho

The idea is to flow around this obstacle and still stay fit when the lockdown is over. Here are some ways you can train for your adventures while stuck at home, including some apartment-friendly options.

1. Strength Training

As a mountaineer, you need power, balance, and strength to keep up with a challenging climb. Strength training can help boost your muscles. There is a reason why athletes train in the gym for strength training; they want to continue their general well-being and maintain their strength. So, for strength training, you can add weights or do a mixture of bodyweight exercises. Some of the strength training endurance exercises are:

• Lifting weights
• Using resistance bands
• Using your body weight for resistance, by doing push-ups, lunges, pull-ups, crunches, leg squats, or push-ups against a wall for low impact.

There are many benefits of strength training to your stamina, such as:

• Increased lean muscle mass (or prevention of its loss)
• Reduced risk of osteoporosis, hence increased bone density
• Increased metabolism to aid with weight loss or weight maintenance
• Increased muscle strength to make everyday activities easier
• Lowered risk of injury (by allowing the muscles to support the joints better)

 

1. Cardiovascular Training

Cardiovascular training is useful for improving stamina. Training can include Low Intensity and High-Intensity, depending on which stage of the training you are in will dictate how much of each to concentrate on. Two factors are vital for cardio, which is the intensity and duration of the exercise.

Here are other benefits to cardio that will aid in mountain climbing:

• Aerobic exercises increase energy levels, and resistance capacity hence strengthens our hearts and lungs.
• Cardio also aids in weight loss hence helping in burning fat.
• It controls blood pressure and improves immunity.
• It stabilizes the blood sugar level and helps prevent diabetes type 2

Cardio maintains physical health, which is essential in lockdown since there is limited physical activity. You can adjust the exercising and resting window depending on your physical ability.

Yoga for Mountaineering

Yoga will help in strength, restoring balance, and aid in muscle recovery. Yoga can easily be done at home without equipment or extra space required. They also help with stress management through different breathing exercises, promoting body flow, the precision of movement, attention to the breath, centering, and grounding.

Participating in challenging climbs requires balance when muscles are tested or strained. Learning Yoga will help to:

• Prevent injury
• Facilitate coordinated functional movement
• Improve the ‘climbers’ hunched posture
• Improve strength and flexibility
• Keeps you calm and focused.

There is no need to worry if you are in lockdown, you can work out and stay in shape for your climbing ventures at home without any or limited equipment. All you must do is plan out your workouts and incorporate strength, cardio, and yoga into your routine.

 

References:
https://www.technogym.com/int/newsroom/training-endurance-strength/

https://www.brianmac.co.uk/enduranc.htm#:~:text=The%20types%20of%20endurance%20are,speed%20endurance%20and%20strength%20endurance.

https://www.livescience.com/55324-strength-exercise.html