Don’t Ruin Your Adventure By Going Unprepared!

COMMON FEARS:

“What if I slow down the group?”
“What if I can’t do it?

Interview with Marcus Shapiro of Fit For Trips

Marcus’ company specializes in getting folks like us ready for our adventures. He will custom design a program for you so that you can go on your adventure with the confidence that your body it up to the challenge! Use Promo Code ATAKIT10 if you decide to use Marcus and Fit For Trips to get a 10% discount and you’ll also be helping to support the show at NO additional cost to you! Here’ the link

Proper training for your adventure can determine whether you return home exhilarated and empowered, or miserable and in pain, or even injured. While it’s possible to speed up your training calendar, aim to ease in to building your body strength gradually so that you don’t inadvertently tweak your movements to accommodate a sudden new load.  Marcus says that even if you are short on time to properly train, you will get the benefit of even some conditioning ahead of time so you won’t be as sore when you start your adventure.

You want to build up your conditioning gradually.  For example, if you are going backpacking and are training on a treadmill, don’t start the incline at 15% (the usual max) as you may change your walk because your calves aren’t yet strong enough!  Start instead at 3-5% and then slowly increase the grade each session.

The difficulty of the challenge and your personal health and fitness, plus the time you can devote to training will determine how to train and for how long to train. To ensure you tackle your adventure with the proper strength and conditioning, I recommend hiring a personal trainer to make sure you are working in the right direction, even if you only use him or her to get your plan together and to make sure you have proper form.

How to Choose a Personal Trainer

• Ask for recommendations from friends and the gym.  
• Can you observe the trainer in action?  Do clients look happy?
• Interview him/her and see if you two connect
• Examine his/her certifications. Quality certifications for strength and conditioning specialists include the CSCS (the first personal trainer accreditation by NCCA) and PES.  Read more here.
• Consider costs.

Online Training

Our guest today, Marcus Shapiro of Fit For Trips, can customize a training regimen to make sure you are prepared for your adventure.  You can get a FREE initial phone consultation to see if you are a good fit.  Then choose 1-2-3 or more months training.  Use the promo code ATAKIT10 to get 10% off your training schedule (plus, at no additional cost to you, you’ll be helping to support the podcast – thanks!

Fit For Trips offers an easy to follow regimen plus includes videos to show you the proper form, all at a considerable savings over hiring a one on one personal trainer.

Be careful if you use YouTube videos as your personal trainer:  make sure that the video form you are emulating is from a certified trainer!  Don’t practice potentially harmful motions!

Develop a Written Plan

Regardless, a WRITTEN PLAN for your training is important!  Make micro goals so your main objective doesn’t look so daunting.  For example, Cindy in Episode 23 on Training for Kilimanjaro, said her first month’s goal was to be able to hike two miles.  It was inconceivable for her to imagine that her overweight, couch potato body could actually summit Kili (SPOILER ALERT:  CINDY DID IT!!!  See Part II, Episode 24).

You should see weekly increases in distance, weight and incline.  A well designed plan will incorporate practicing the activity (ie, hiking) plus incline (stairs or treadmill on incline), high intensity interval training, such as on a bike, and resistance and balance training (like lunges and squats).

REST DAYS are important!  This is when your body actually gets the benefits of all of your training.

If you’ll be dealing with altitude, make sure that your body is in TOP FORM to help counterbalance it.  (There’s also a good discussion on dealing with altitude on the Kili episode.)

Develop your MENTAL TOUGHNESS:  make yourself do things that you don’t WANT to do to beef up your ‘Grit Bone’.  Even with the best of plans and training, things can go awry, so you want to have the fortitude to push through as called for.

Marcus says that for most healthy people, even if they’ve had surgeries and have only done a Level One adventure, that with proper training, YOU CAN DO IT – even a Level Five adventure (see Cindy, above:)!  

Dream Big!

Marcus and I agree that you get the MOST SATISFACTION when you actually choose an adventure that is beyond your current capabilities:  Knowing all the blood, sweat and tears that went in to you accomplishing your dream makes the success all the sweeter!

Having an audacious dream and then actually fulfilling it – especially when it calls for discipline and willpower both in the training and execution, gives you the biggest high that no drug could ever compete with!   

Equipment:

If you belong to a gym, great!  If not, there are some work arounds that your trainer can suggest.  If you don’t have mountains, you can find a parking garage or office stairs to strengthen your calves.

Train your body to overcompensate, especially with weight, so that your pack feels lighter when you are actually on the adventure.  Most can safely work up to 20% of your body weight in pack weight (I train with filled up water bottles that I cushion with a towel).

TRAIN FOR ADVENTURE: I’ve also partnered with Marcus at Fit For Trips to get ATA fans a FREE initial phone consult and, if you use my promo code, a 10% discount if you get a customized planning regimen to prepare for any adventure you’ve got planned! Use Promo Code ATAKIT10.  Plus, at no additional cost to you, you’ll be helping support the podcast – thanks!

FREE Training Consultation

TRAVEL INSURANCE: Things happen, so it’s important to get insurance!  Also, make sure you go with a company that covers adventure activities!  (Hint: many DO NOT!)  I use, recommend and have partnered with  World Nomads. Click below for a quick quote.  If you use my link to get your insurance, at no additional cost to you, you’ll be helping to support ATA – thanks!

Insurance Quote

Links Mentioned in this Show:

Training for Kilimanjaro

Climbing Kilimanjaro

Adventure Travel Show Podcast

Fit For Trips

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