This 12 week training plan is ideal for the moderately active person planning a trek such as Everest Base camp or the Annapurna Circuit who lives and works in a city and/or is otherwise limited in their ability to hike outdoors on mountainous our even hilly terrain due to weather or locale.
The exercises are meant to be done largely on the equipment available in most commercial and even some well equipped home gyms. So, access to a treadmill, stairclimber machine, stationary bike and rowing machine is required. If you have access to big hills and mountains right out your back door, feel free to substitute outside hiking for these exercise machines. The only other special requirements are a heart rate monitor to control the intensity of the aerobic workouts and access to some steep stairs such as those found in tall buildings for fire exits. Preferably these stairs will allow you at least a continuous climb of 5 minutes but smaller buildings will suffice. You will just need to go up and down more. The most important factor in your successful and enjoyable trek is going to be your fitness. Sticking with this plan will give you the base fitness you need to not only complete the trek but to enjoy the experience.
Time requirements begin at just over 4 hours in the first week and peak at over 7 hours in the final week.
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Happy Training,
The Uphill Athlete Team
Uphill Athlete exists to educate mountain athletes. We wrote the books on training for mountain sports. On our website, you'll find a wealth of science-based, mountain-proven resources, including articles, videos, and podcasts. From trekking to climbing Everest; from 10K to 200-milers, our expert coaches cover it all.
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