How to get started

I have led many Expeditions and adventure holidays over the last 7 years and training is one question that always comes up.

It can make the difference between a tiring, sore, sometimes even painful experience, and one that will be enjoyable and memorable for all the right reasons.

It can feel overwhelming to know where to start and if this is you right now don’t worry, I have been in your shoes. There is so much information out there that I didn’t know where to start or what to do first! Should I be training in the gym daily? Running 5 ks multiple times a week? Eating nothing but salad or drinking litres of protein shakes?

The short answer is training for your trip is not a 1 size fits all. It will depend on what trip you have coming up, where your current fitness ability is at and id even go as far to say where you live!

But fortunately there is a basic structure that I have been using for years to keep me expedition fit that will apply to everyone reading this.

So if you’re serious about making your adventure the best one yet and being fitter than ever before keep reading, and make sure you stand up while doing so.

Lets start by breaking it down;

• Cardiovascular Fitness

  Keeping fit for international adventures requires you to train a variety of different things.

  Firstly you need to consider the cardiovascular stress of the trip you’re on. Are you going to be going on day hikes? Hiking up mountains? Running for several days through the desert? Depending on which one will depend on how intense your cardiovascular training is.

  For example I do a lot of hiking. Therefore I aim to be walking 10,000 steps a day and getting in as much activity specific training as I can. What I mean by that is if I am going on a hiking trip I try to emulate that in training by going hiking as much as possible. Wales and the lake district are my personal favourite training grounds and why I chose Wales as my primary destination for our training weekends.

  If my choice of trip was a multi day endurance race, I would then be trying to emulate that in training by running long distances and several days in a row.

  In between my hikes I will also go for a run a couple of times a week to train more intensively but it doesn’t make up the bulk.

• Strength and Conditioning

  The other area of training I will do is based in the gym working on strength and conditioning.

  I ignored this section for years and I really suffered for it. Your body uses a lot of core strength and muscle to hike and climb so weight/resistance training is really important.

  I often have people complaining to me on trips that their back and shoulders are sore and whilst its not always the case, often its due to a lack of training on their lower back muscles and shoulders prior to coming on the trip.

  If you can also include regular stretching and prioritise your recovery each time you exercise this will make a huge difference. It’s often not the strongest or fastest who perform well on these trips but the ones who can wake up each day feeling fresh.

• Diet

  Diet is also hugely important when training for your trip. You need your body to be fuelled properly not only whilst exercising but also in recovery. Make sure you have had a good meal before you go on any long distance hikes and you take similar snacks with you as the ones you will be consuming whilst on the trek.

  Trust me, I have made the mistake of introducing new snacks on a trip I haven’t tried before and the last thing you want is to be Ill when the nearest bathroom is 25km away.

  If you’re coming on an adventure with us then you’ll be fed 3 times a day while on the trek and also have snacks provided so let us know if you have any dietary requirements!

• Mental training

  This is so often overlooked but I really think its equally as important as hiking prior to your trip.

  Making sure that you are mentally prepared for what you are embarking on can make a huge difference. I have seen people who have not really considered the reality of hiking to Everest Base Camp and then whilst on the trip they develop a negative frame of mind. Once you have this everything snowballs and what may only be a little thing can feel huge.

  Ways to help prepare for this are by ensuring you don’t have any stress at home before you come away. Feeling homesick or anxious about something you weren’t able to do before you came away can really start to weigh heavy.

  Set the expectations with friends and family before you go so they arent adding to anything other than the pure enjoyment of your adventure! If there may not be much signal for several days tell them. If you’re going to be out during the days tell them. Make sure they know and therefore aren’t pulling you away from being in the moment.

  Lastly its important to be open minded to the culture of the place you are going. They may not be serving the same food, have the same comforts or standards you may have back home, or perhaps even toilet facilities. Its important to know this and to do your research so its not a shock. This way you can stay ahead of the game and make the most of the incredible country you are about to explore!

My final advice for getting started is to not overcomplicate things. Making changes into your life like standing on public transport, walking to work, wearing your bag where possible, emulating your adventure in your training and focusing on your recovery will make the biggest differences.

Its all about small changes and marginal gains over a long period of time which will make the big difference.

If you followed my advice at the start of this blog you will have stood up and therefore have spent more time on your feet than you otherwise would have, Go You!

Now don’t stop there, go and put into action what you’ve learnt or stay standing and read my next lot of advice.