Mountain Climbing: Tips For Training For Kilimanjaro

By Charles Snyder


If you are an adventurous person, you ought to try mountaineering at some point. With so many mountains to choose from, there is a unique thrill that comes with visiting the East African nation of Tanzania. The country is home to several parks and a world renowned mountain. Before embarking on your trip, it is advisable to do some training for Kilimanjaro.

As you prepare to go mountain climbing, ensure you pack the required equipment. Your checklist should include water resistant pants and jackets, hiking boots, a first aid kit and insulated shirts. Just ensure every clothing item you will be wearing is tailored to protect you against very harsh weather.

Also ensure your first aid pack consists of medication that can help alleviate high altitude complications such as shortness of breath. In this case, it is always important to consult a medical practitioner beforehand. However, all these things should be done once you are confident enough in your ability to scale the mountain. This sort of confidence can only be attained once you are through with intensive training.

It is a good thing to embark on rigorous exercises two months before your departure, especially if it is your first time doing so. It takes roughly a week for an amateur team to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. This is easily understandable since the mountain is the highest in Africa. Stamina is the main factor that will determine success in climbing, so focus on building it as you train.

Considering you will be walking with at least twenty pounds of luggage on your back, you might want to consider carrying a similarly sized backpack back at home for a few miles every day. Some of the recommended exercises include hiking, bike riding, running and swimming. All these exercises are known to build muscle strength and increase stamina.

Conditioning your body to metabolize at an optimal level is also important. It should be able to use oxygen efficiently even when the supply is low. Oxygen levels always drop as you go higher up a mountain. To aid potential climbers train for this aspect, manufacturers of exercise equipment make systems geared towards high altitude training these days. A typical system may simulate the environment around a mountain so as to help the body learn to acclimatize to such an environment. Look for a fitness center that has good equipment close to your neighborhood and start exercising.

Mountaineering is not meant for everyone. To be successful at it, you ought to be medically fit. This means that vital factors in the body such as your heart rate and blood pressure ought to be in the normal range. When you get to the climbing site, you will be required to undertake a medical checkup for your own safety.

In Tanzania, the medical practitioner on site will not advise you to proceed if your heart rate goes beyond a hundred beats per minute. This is something that you may probably already know as a result of the regular interactions with medical practitioners back home. If you train every day, you can easily monitor your heart rate and arrive at a baseline.




About the Author:





No comments:

Post a Comment