One of the best ways to train your body for a strenuous trek up Mount Kilimanjaro is to get your body and legs accustomed to distance and endurance rather than distance and speed.
There are many different regimens that you can use to get prepared. Based on the folks that I’ve spoken to I’ve chosen to do 30 mile bike rides up and down hills on Fridays. Saturday could be a 9 mile hike up and down hills only. To top the weekend off I could even do a 6 mile hike up and down hills on Sunday. Now what I do need to take notice of is how tired I am on Monday. This will show me how I am progressing with training.
Mount Kilimanjaro is at least five days of strenuous hiking and potential frigid weather,therefore training for stamina is important. In addition to your long weekend training you should also exercise on three to four weekdays even if the duration is shorter.
Since the main goal is to teach your body how to last on consecutive days of strenuous activity I am making it a point of doing 4-5 days of sustained exercise the month before the trip. For example 25 mile bike ride Friday, 2 days of long hikes on various terrains on Saturday and Sunday, and on Monday another 25 mile bike ride. Ideally a shorter mid week hike as well as several high intensity cardio classes along with walking.
Now I know this sounds like a painful exercise regimen however as you start seeing that your body is comfortable and you are ready to do it all over again your level of preparedness will also increase.
Feel free to share your training exercises.
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