8. Begin an Exercise Routine
Jon Krakauer, author of Into Thin Air, characterized the ascent of Kilimanjaro as "...physically grueling but technically undemanding...".
We agree, but you don't have to be superhuman to succeed. Some websites have you running, hiking and weight-lifting for months before your climb. While this cannot hurt, we believe that proper acclimatization is more important.
Our climb is carefully designed to maximize your chances for a successful summit. Seven days to the summit leads to a 98% success rate.
YOU MUST TRY TO GET AS FIT AS YOU CAN - and please do not climb if you are seriously overweight!
General fitness tips:
- Please talk to your physician before attempting any exercise activity. ABSOLUTELY get a COMPLETE physical before your trek with focus on your heart and lungs.
- Start a brisk walking program at least 6 months before your Climb. Some of our older clients averaged about 2-3 miles per day.
- Buy your boots early and use them when you walk. A few weeks before your Climb, try to complete a 6-mile hike on rugged terrain - but be careful. This is not the time to get hurt.
- Wear your mountain clothes to get used to walking with many layers of clothes.
- Do some stair-master work. Some of our clients averaged about 20-min per day on the stair-master.
- To get used to your daypack, wear it a few times and load it with 3 liters of water in a bladder or bottles. Get used to the idea of drinking water through a pipe while walking!
- Try different powered energy drinks while exercising to see which ones you like when you're really thirsty. Then pack some for your trip. Drinking plain water for a week gets boring.
- Do leg exercises. Your knees should be flexible and strong.
- There are no specific tests to see if you are ready to succeed. Marathon runners have failed on Kilimanjaro and overweight couch potatoes were successful. But we suggest you do the following:
1. Measure 6 miles on hilly terrain. 3 miles out and 3 miles back.
2. Put on your running shoes, start the stop watch and walk/run as fast as you can, completing 6 miles.
a) It took longer than 2 hours - you are not ready for Kilimanjaro. Do not book a climb yet.
b) 1 hour 45 to 2 hours - you are barely fit enough and will possibly make it to the summit but you may be the slowest in your group. Book your trip but give yourself several months to train.
c) 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes - book your climb but train more. Your fitness level is below average and you may be slower than most others.
d) 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes - your fitness level is about average and you should be fine on the mountain. Next time wear your boots. Then add a daypack with 3 liters of water! Then see if you can do 6 miles for 5 days in a row while wearing boots and a daypack.
e) 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes - you are fitter than most on the mountain and should have an enjoyable climb if you can manage the altitude.
