Training for Adventure

Why should I train?

Having made the decision to undertake a trek or climb, the second most important step is to do everything possible to ensure the success of your expedition and maximise your enjoyment of the experience.

Having chosen Chessell Adventures as the provider of your trip, all operational and logistical issues are up to us. Our experience and commitment to the safety and the quality of our trips will ensure that this aspect of the expedition will run as smoothly as possible – subject to the vagaries of weather conditions and other factors not under the control of mere mortals!

That means that for you as our client, your major concern once you have booked your trip is to ensure that you are in the best possible physical condition to tackle the challenge that you have chosen. We all have many time constraints and responsibilities within our lives – family, friends and work all make their demands. But having made the choice to participate in a Chessell Adventures adventure, we want your trip to be an experience you will remember for all of the right reasons. To facilitate this we strongly recommend that you aim to be as fit and strong as possible before setting off.

A training regime that includes a program of increasing difficulty or intensity or repetition and which includes walking on rough tracks will have an added benefit, because we are not only getting your body fit and strong, but also preparing you mentally for the challenge ahead. Setting a training program is easy – having the discipline to keep to it may not be. If you can ‘train yourself mentally’ as well, then that may give you that final edge you could find you need, either at the end of a long day trekking, or on summit day, when you may feel there is nothing left in the tank. At times such as these it may be nothing but sheer strength of mind and perseverance that gets you there.

General tips

• When and how to start training is up to the individual. If you have a good level of fitness (e.g. you are already running or walking a couple of times a week and/or going to the gym a couple of times a week) then you could commence a trek-training program as little as 13 weeks before your trip. For harder adventures, or if your current fitness is lower we'd suggest a longer lead-up. A general guide is to start at a point where you are not adding more than one session a week to your current program.

• We'd suggest you include bush walking on unmade tracks, carrying a backpack (starting from a moderate 3-4 kgs and gradually increasing the weight til you're carrying 25-50% more than you expect to carry while on your adventure).

• Instead of a (very) heavy pack for training, it is OK to go for up to 10-12 kgs but an alternative is just try to tackle longer steeper rougher hills, or do the same ones faster. This will help avoid overuse injuries, and is good for training agility and reflexes. This will be of use on the track if you can gain confidence on rough terrain, more so than a stepper/versa climber training session with 10 kgs on your back. For someone not familiar with trekking on uneven terrain, this is a skill that is as important to learn as it is to increase strength and aerobic ability. Importantly you need to be increasing the length and intensity of the sessions to get a training effect, but also avoid injury.

• For weighting down your pack, there are a number of options. For the really hard core you could fill your pack with rocks - however this can be unnecessarily uncomfortable! Large bags of rice can fit more easily and not cause uncomfortable rub spots. Water is also good, it can be used to weigh down your pack on the way up the hill, and empty it at the top for the trip back down to provide some relief for your knees.

More specifics

Talk to Chessell Adventures's staff and or your gym for more specific recommendations for you and the adventure you're preparing for.