The mental vs physical during a big climb
The common mistakes people make preparing for any hike or long distance event is not doing enough of the right stuff, you can only measure or test your body by actually hiking trails not just relying on indoor gym work, although training within a gym and using a structured routine using specific movements and activities can and will help, the only way you will know your mind and body will cope through the stress is by doing outdoor work!
Hiking Ben Nevis is the perfect test for a person of a moderate to high fitness levels, but if Big Ben doesn't get you physically it will get you mentally in some way or another on your first attempt, you will ask yourself; " how much further to the summit", "how long have we been walking for", " my knees ache!", "I'm hungry!", " i'm thirsty", your mind will occupy 90% of the hike.
At the beginning of our climb on Ben Nevis Cathy encountered a mental block and we both stopped! "SHIT" all of a sudden all these negitive thoughts ran through my mind! I was looking at the strongest woman I've ever met and she was having a melt down! All the stress that we have encountered over the last 5 years came to boiling point and was leading to a moment of combustion! Thankfully that didn't happen, but after a few minutes of negotiating and options we both agreed to continue with the climb, and we opted taking the long route up Nevis to match the long days walking up Kilimanjaro. There is no doubt in my mind that because our group is so diverse there will be mental blocks, and giving the fact that some of the group signed up last new years eve drunk and suffering with hangover's, the diversity of the groups mental attitude will include some interesting personality's, I'm hoping they will all stay positive and strong during the climb on December 26th so will all make it.
What to drink and snack on
During the whole journey, which took 6:51 minutes to the summit and back down, I had burnt over 4885 calories, so snacking is important and at altitude it's important what you eat, and not to over eat, to keep your stomach from rejecting anything, breaking food down requires more oxygen so be smart what you choose to pack into your day pack, you cannot run your body with a cheese burger and fries, you will need to fuel your body with snack bars containing oats and maybe dark cocoa or coconut, nuts and seeds are also great. How much water should you drink depends on your body weight, you can use a hydration calculator to help work this out, we roughly lose around 0.5 L of water per hour putting it back into your body through food and water will help prevent altitude sickness, I weigh 109 kg and need to consume between 4.5- 6 litres per day when hiking at altitude, but most hydration bladders will only hold 2 litres, so stick some water purification tablets in your day bag and refill from a water source thats preferably fresh moving water.
The common mistakes people make preparing for any hike or long distance event is not doing enough of the right stuff, you can only measure or test your body by actually hiking trails not just relying on indoor gym work, although training within a gym and using a structured routine using specific movements and activities can and will help, the only way you will know your mind and body will cope through the stress is by doing outdoor work!
Hiking Ben Nevis is the perfect test for a person of a moderate to high fitness levels, but if Big Ben doesn't get you physically it will get you mentally in some way or another on your first attempt, you will ask yourself; " how much further to the summit", "how long have we been walking for", " my knees ache!", "I'm hungry!", " i'm thirsty", your mind will occupy 90% of the hike.
At the beginning of our climb on Ben Nevis Cathy encountered a mental block and we both stopped! "SHIT" all of a sudden all these negitive thoughts ran through my mind! I was looking at the strongest woman I've ever met and she was having a melt down! All the stress that we have encountered over the last 5 years came to boiling point and was leading to a moment of combustion! Thankfully that didn't happen, but after a few minutes of negotiating and options we both agreed to continue with the climb, and we opted taking the long route up Nevis to match the long days walking up Kilimanjaro. There is no doubt in my mind that because our group is so diverse there will be mental blocks, and giving the fact that some of the group signed up last new years eve drunk and suffering with hangover's, the diversity of the groups mental attitude will include some interesting personality's, I'm hoping they will all stay positive and strong during the climb on December 26th so will all make it.
What to drink and snack on
During the whole journey, which took 6:51 minutes to the summit and back down, I had burnt over 4885 calories, so snacking is important and at altitude it's important what you eat, and not to over eat, to keep your stomach from rejecting anything, breaking food down requires more oxygen so be smart what you choose to pack into your day pack, you cannot run your body with a cheese burger and fries, you will need to fuel your body with snack bars containing oats and maybe dark cocoa or coconut, nuts and seeds are also great. How much water should you drink depends on your body weight, you can use a hydration calculator to help work this out, we roughly lose around 0.5 L of water per hour putting it back into your body through food and water will help prevent altitude sickness, I weigh 109 kg and need to consume between 4.5- 6 litres per day when hiking at altitude, but most hydration bladders will only hold 2 litres, so stick some water purification tablets in your day bag and refill from a water source thats preferably fresh moving water.
Some tips and tricks for an easier climb
The views are amazing whilst climbing Ben Nevis and when you reach anywhere from 500m altitude weather depending you can see for miles, it helped hugely having clear weather, the terrain has to be the worst I've ever encountered, the incline is steep and constant, the stones they have added to the route made it harder due to them sinking over time turning them into big steps, the mosquitos and black fly are a real big pain during summer, so if you don't want to get bitten use a repellent and long sleeves and long bottoms. If like us your planning to climb a peak then you should be wearing the correct footwear, as blisters can be a real bastard and play with your mind and alter your walking ability, I had the right boots on but managed to still get a blister on my right heel, this can not happen on Kilimanjaro as it will be agony, there are a few ways to keep blisters away and one way is to use Compeeds, you can also get them with pain relief, another tip for prevention against blisters I've heard is to also cover your feet in Vasaline before putting your socks on? I will try this on our next training hike. I've now got Salomon boots, so will be testing them out for our next few hikes,
To use walking sticks or not to use walking sticks? Well I tried them, they are like marmite, you will either like them or hate them, half way down I put them away, I can see the benifit but it's also down to personal preference.
Things you can do in the gym
Depending were you are located here are a few things I reccomend giving a go in the gym (facility's depending) no less than 4 times per week for 30 to 60 minutes. It's not all going to be lower body whilst on Kilimanjaro it will be a mixture of your upper body and lower body taking the strain. The balance is key to limiting the amount of delayed onset muscle sorness (D.O.M.S) this is important so you can enjoy the climb.
Upper body areas
Your posterior chain is going to take a bit of a beating so try focusing on everything you cannot see in the mirror, this is not a body builders routine so stop looking at your image how you look, it's all about how you can perform, focus on your thoracic spine, lower back, and stretching and mobility across the chest and your shoulders, have a go at regularly extending the spine doing floor excercises, and focus on your core keeping a strong abdominal wall will help support the demand carrying your day pack for long periods.
Lower body areas
Again, focusing on those key areas that take the strain on steep gradiants included using your thighs much more than on lower gradients, Glutes, hamstrings, calfs, quadriceps, and hip flexors which lead into your abdominals. All these body parts have hundereds of movements and exercises you can include in your training but some are more important than others. Remember, "there is never a right or wrong way to structure your routine, it's what works best for you" however, there is the complete wrong way to lift weights and use machines so make sure you seek advice before lifting.
Being specific
Make sure you include movements that are specifc to your hike, try wearing your kit and train in your kit, stability moments requiring the use of one leg or one arm, then even trying the both balance on one leg whilst also using one arm, included rotational movements also, This is to make sure your ready and strong for any situation.
Using a Hypoxic chamber
If you are fortunate to have the option of using a hypoxic tent or chamber then there are some benifits to using them but it will not defy the odds in you not getting A.M.S (altitude mountain sickness) the chamber just gets your body use to low levels of oxygen, after all the training in life or preparation for this climb it doesn't mean a thing, the altitude can still get you.
Using the chamber has become part of our routine and we will keep increasing the height and intensity as we get closer to the date we depart for Africa. Currently we are using the chamber at 3000 meters for around 2.5 hours, the long workout is needed because we live and work around 60 meters below sea level and in order for us to get the full benefit we would have to sleep in the chamber, which is not an option. Clearly, the simplest way to expose ourselves to hypoxia is to live at altitude. Unfortunately we don't, so two alternatives are available.
*Hypobaric chamber: These devices are constructed from reinforced steel and are usually operated by medical specialists. They work by removing an equal proportion of gases from the chamber, thereby reducing the atmospheric pressure inside. This is exactly what happens during a climb to altitude.
*Hypoxic device: Instead of lowering pressure, these devices remove only oxygen and replace the missing space with nitrogen gas. This maintains a normal atmospheric pressure whilst reducing the partial pressure of oxygen, creating a hypoxic environment at sea level. . Such devices come in all shapes and sizes, from large living quarters to small portable face mask systems (not the new fad model the altitude mask that does not work). here is a link with all the positives and negitives using the chamber whilst living below sea level.