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Climbers should remember that on a standard Kilimanjaro ascent, failure to reach the summit is far more likely to be because of exhaustion as a result of inadequate training than due to any altitude related causes. Please make the most of your chance to reach the highest point in Africa by committing yourself to an appropriate training regime such as the one below.
Not every element of this training regime is mountain specific. There are two aspects: cardiovascular training – which will strengthen the heart and lungs to the necessary extent to cope with the rigours of a high altitude expedition; and endurance training – which is more specific to the role of walking uphill over long distances.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Jog or Walk 2 miles | Rest | Jog or Walk 3 miles | Swim 8 lengths or Cross-train | Rest | Jog or Walk 3 miles | Rest |
| Week 2 | Jog or Walk 3 miles Swim 12 lengths | Jog or Walk 5 miles | Jog or Walk 3 miles Best effort(timed) | Swim 12 lengths or Cross-train Jog or Walk 3 miles | Hill training 7 reps | Jog or Walk 3 miles | Rest |
| Week 3 | Jog or Walk 3 miles Swim 12 lengths | Jog or Walk 5 miles | Jog or Walk 3 miles Best effort(timed) | Swim 12 lengths or Cross-train Jog or Walk 3 miles | Hill training 9 reps | Jog or Walk 3 miles | Rest |
| Week 4 | Swim 12 lengths Jog or Walk 3 miles | Circuit training 20 minutes | Rest | Interval training, 3 miles | Swim, 15 lengths | Rest | Rest |
| Week 5 | Jog or Walk 5 miles Swim 15 lengths | Circuits 20 mins Hills 10 reps | Jog or Walk 4 miles Swim 15 lengths | Circuits 20 minutes Jog or Walk 4 miles | Jog or Walk 3 miles Timed run 1.5 miles | Jog or Walk 6 miles | Rest |
| Week 6 | Jog or Walk 4 miles Circuits 20 mins | Swim 17 lengths Hills 12 ascents | Jog or Walk 4 miles | Swim 20 lengths | Jog or Walk 4 miles Circuits 20 minutes | Jog or Walk 7 miles | Rest |
| Week 7 | Swim 18 lengths Jog or walk | Jog or Walk 5 miles | Rest | Jog or walk 5 miles Circuits 20 mins | Jog or Walk 5 miles | Rest | Rest |
| Week 8 | Swim 20 lengths Jog or walk 4 miles Circuits 20 minutes | Hills 15 reps Jog or walk 4 miles | Hillwalk with rucksack, 12 kg 6 miles | Jog or walk 3 miles | Swim 25 lengths Jog or walk 6 miles | Hillwalk 12kg rucksack 10 miles | Rest |
| Week 9 | Hills 15 reps Jog or walk 4 miles | Circuits 20 minutes Jog or walk 3 miles | Swim 30 lengths | Rest | Rest | Hillwalk 12kg rucksack 10 miles | Rest |
| Week 10 | Jog or walk 5 miles | Swim 30 lengths | Rest | Timed run 1.5 miles Circuits 20 mins | Rest | Hillwalk 12kg rucksack 10 miles | Rest |
| Week 11 | Jog or walk 5 miles Circuits 20 mins | Jog or walk 3 miles | Hillwalk 5 miles with 15 kg | Jog or walk 5 miles | Rest | Hillwalk 20 miles with 15kg | Rest |
| Week 12 | Hillwalk 5 miles with 15 kg Jog | Timed run 1.5 miles | Rest | Fast run 3 miles | 8 miles | Rest | Rest END |
The most effective cardiovascular exercise but is high impact and so carries a risk of injury. Always stretch off and warm up thoroughly before each session. Jogging should be at a pace at which it is just about possible to maintain a conversation with a partner provided sentences are kept very short. If injury appears likely it may be necessary to substitute with cycling or swimming.
Try to accurately determine a 1.5 mile course that has a little rise and fall but no big hills. Warm up thoroughly and aim for the best time you’re capable of. Note your time down. Reduced times as your training course progresses are a reassuring proof of increased cardiovascular strength.
Try to find an incline near to where you live that would be long enough to sprint up for a minute (if ever you were capable of this!). A single repetition involves an ascent and descent without any break in between. If you choose to jog down ensure that you take small strides and that your knees are never locked. Aim to minimise the time spent resting between repetitions.
A useful non-impact cardiovascular exercise with the added benefit of strengthening your shoulders for load bearing. If you experience pains or niggles when you jog, substitute some jogging sessions for swimming. If you thoroughly dislike being in water or can’t swim cycling is a good low impact alternative but is difficult in bad weather and carries peculiar risks of its own.
Strengthen the midriff and shoulders and will minimise the risk of neck strain, and shoulder and back injuries caused by carrying your day sack on the mountain. Typically, a circuit session could consist of: 25 press ups; 35 sit ups; 15 dips; 5 pull ups; 20 press ups; 30 sit ups; 12 dips; 4 pull ups; 15 press ups; 25 sit ups; 8 dips; 3 pull ups.
This is a vigorous and very effective form of cardiovascular strength training and is a run that is punctuated with short periods of very intensive output. Typically jog at moderate pace for 5 minutes then sprint for 20 seconds exactly; jog for 3 minutes moderately then run hard for 1 minute; jog 4 minutes, sprint 30 seconds; jog 8 minutes, run hard 2 minutes; jog 5 minutes, sprint 30 seconds, etc, etc. Very hard work but reaps dividends.
Hillwalking
This is an essential aspect of preparation for Kilimanjaro. Navigation skills are not important, rather ensure that you are on ground familiar to you and aim to keep moving at a good pace with only short breaks now and then. Take plenty of water with you and drink little and very often. You’ll be carrying more weight than when you’re on Kilimanjaro and so will be simulating the exaggerated sense of fatigue experienced at high altitude.
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