Need advice for climbing Kilmanjaro

brittanysmith513

So I have moderate exercise induced asthma that I've gotten a LOT BETTER through light gradual cardio. I'm a student and am going on a student trip next summer to tanzania. Part of this is climbing my kilmanjaro. I really want to do this. What can I do to prepare and train for this?
I'm fairly overweight. 5'3 and about 240lbs. I intend to lose at least 80 lbs by then.
Also any tips from hikers in general? I love to hike but don't go as often as I should. So I'm sure I will love the grueling experience. I just want to be prepared and also not die. Lol

MiaisMIAinMiami

I have nothing of substance to add as I've never climbed a mountain, but I wanted to tell you that I'm super jealous. Tanzania is my dream!

NorthCascades

The first thing you can do is to lose weight. I don't say that to put you down, but climbing means fighting gravity and, well, the less weight you carry up hill, the easier it will be.

I assume you're going to have guides. There's still a glacier up there. Figure out who will carry the gear. Presumably you'll be wearing crampons which are sort of teeth for your boots, they help you not fall into a crevasse. They weigh about a pound each, and make walking more difficult. It might be a good idea to occasionally wear weights on your feet to get ready for this.

Figure out what you're going to carry, what it will weigh, and practice hiking up hill with that much in your pack.

I'm sure people will disagree but for me, hiking in the (steep) Cascades, leg strength is much less important than cardiovascular fitness. I don't need to leg press my car, just my body weight, but I have to do it constantly throughout the day. So riding a bike or running are better ways to maintain hiking fitness than lifting, in my opinion.

Lesley2603

My husband did Kili about 12 years ago. If possible try to get acclimatised to altitude before you start climbing. It is the altitude that is the real killer! Make sure you take malaria prevention, and research which one is best for you. Try to take the climb slowly, don't rush, especially in the beginning, and if you can practice downhill descents, you will be tired and coming down it is not solid ground and is very slippy and very tiring. Definitely work on your leg strength. Good luck

SonyaCele

wow i'm jealous! yes lose weight, and start walking or even jogging and get really good at it. When i was in peak shape and jogging a 3-5 miles several times a week, i was able to climb a 11K mountain without any physical problem, but i was turning blue at the top , so i'm sure you will have to have altitude training and/or oxygen. Try and find a group that specifically trains for those types of mountains and train with them and learn from people with that kinda specific experience

astrampe

Lose weight, get fit (both strength and cardio) definitely talk to your GP about your plans and dealing with asthma in high altitudes, and start hiking and climbing with experienced people. If you are not well prepared, very fit and healthy, you will put your guides and team mates in danger....

Spliner1969

Never climbed a mountain so not sure anything I say would be helpful, but last year I purchased a Bowflex M5 and I can tell you it's really helped with cardiovascular fitness and leg strength as well as endurance. It's a combination stair stepper and elliptical. If anything would get you ready for a climb it certainly would. They may have them in gyms, or you could try some forms of ellipticals and simply dial up the intensity to simulate the weight you'll be carrying. Practice HIIT (going slow then fast at higher resistances.. most have a program for that). You can lose 80 lbs by then, you're just going to have to be strict with diet and exercise. Good luck it sounds fun!

peleroja

I haven't done Kilimanjaro but I have done an eight-day high-altitude trek in the Andes and I can tell you that the two biggest things I'd suggest are running stairs and as much hiking with elevation gain as you can do ahead of time. I ran up to 200 storeys of stairs several times a week for a couple months leading up to the trek (having previously been not much for exercise, I could run a 5K in about 30 minutes but that was my limit) because I read that it was the best urban training possible for uphill hiking, and as a result I found it much, much easier than my (fit, weightlifting) husband did.

I started with 50 storeys, then increased every session as much as I could up to 200 (I had a 20-storey building stairwell and went up and down 10 times.)

Obviously, actual mountain hiking will be the best possible training for this, but if you can't get out and hike uphill several times a week, stairs are a decent substitute.

I'd also recommend getting the Diamox prescription and using it. I think studies are mixed on it but I figure better to at least try it (and stop if the side effects are bad for you) because it might help. I had no issues with it and my energy and breathing was fine the whole time, so I'm glad I took it.

rayrog6

I hiked Kilimanjaro with a group of 14 people. Only 11 of us actually made it to the summit. One person who didn't was a personal trainer and in the best shape out of everyone. Another person who did summit was very overweight. The best advice I have is to acclimate. We hiked it really fast, five days total, which was the fastest option on our route. Our bodies didn't have time to acclimate to the altitude so it was really hard on everyone. The first day, we went "pole pole" which means really slowly. I'm an avid hiker and was bored with the slow pace. I quickly learned on day two that we had to go slow now because our bodies wouldn't let us move faster. So how do you acclimate now? It depends on where you live. Try to get above sea level as much as you can. Practice hiking at altitude, no matter how slow you have to go. Get moving in general so it will be easier. Kili was fun, but very hard. I work out HIIT 6 days a week, and it was hard. However, it was just as hard for me as the overweight woman who was mostly sedentary at home. Don't worry about your weight and have fun!

yirara

I find that climbing stairs bears no resemblance with climbing up a mountain. The way of walking, uneven ground and various sized steps all add to that. I would go on a couple of hill/mountain walks to train for it. Honestly. Also train walking downhill as it's much more tiresome for your knees and thighs.

And if you feel that you're fairly out of breath at moderate heights or when exercising in generally, or your legs feel heavy please do get your ferritin checked. You might be low on iron, which is something you don't want on a high mountain. Also make sure your asthma medication is spot on.

peleroja

yirara wrote: »

I find that climbing stairs bears no resemblance with climbing up a mountain. The way of walking, uneven ground and various sized steps all add to that. I would go on a couple of hill/mountain walks to train for it. Honestly. Also train walking downhill as it's much more tiresome for your knees and thighs.

And if you feel that you're fairly out of breath at moderate heights or when exercising in generally, or your legs feel heavy please do get your ferritin checked. You might be low on iron, which is something you don't want on a high mountain. Also make sure your asthma medication is spot on.

As I was the one to recommend stairs, I'll address this a bit. I did say in my response that the best training for hiking is hiking, but that in the absence of the ability to get out and hike in altitude regularly, stairs are the closest thing you're going to get as far as conditioning goes because IMO "a couple of hill/mountain walks" isn't really enough to prepare adequately. If you're only able to get a few real hikes in, then I think stairs or similar uphill endurance cardio is a vital part of training (especially while wearing a backpack) because you really have to do something like that multiple times a week for at least a few weeks to get real benefit from it, I think. It's the aerobic thing you're after. What @NorthCascades said about cardio fitness is spot on in my experience.

I came back to mention that I also can't recommend enough that you also bring a prescription against traveller's diarrhea (when you visit your doctor or a travel health clinic beforehand to get your vaccines and antimalarials they will likely offer this to you along with Diamox if you tell them your plans.) Nothing worse than being out hiking with a bad case of that, both for the inconvenience and the dehydration. My husband had it really bad one day and I have never seen him so exhausted and miserable, so I was so, so glad we had the meds and it only wrecked one day for him.

Timothyh27

Aim for the top.

Timothyh27

Hill train. Walk regularly, then walk on slopes, up and down slopes. Walking down a slope exercises more muscle groups than up a slope. Your are more prone to injury descending than ascending, slopes, hills and mountains.
Gradually build up you leg and upper body strength. Upper body for carrying weight on your shoulders. Best bet to carry weight in a bag. Essential weight! Like water, food, clothes etc. Pack the heavier weight at the top of the bergen/rucksack. By doing so you'll be putting the weight on your shoulders more than you back (lower back).

Gradually build up to weight and slope/hill/mountain ratio.

Where do you live? You should be able to have access to any sort of natural hills or slopes.

Also consult with your doctor. Being asmatic and climbing, especially at altitude carries a risk.

All the best.

meritage4

as everyone else says. Hike as often as possible-with boots and a pack with stuff in it. Do stairs if you have no hills easy to access and walk 5 days a week, for 30-60 minutes.

ElizabethJoanMacDougall

I climbed 14,500 ft Mt. Whitney in California, USA at every weight I've been 152, 175, 200 lbs. It was definitely easier with less weight. I did it during each decade of my adult life.

jgnatca

If I was going to prepare for this I'd get wicking socks and be out doing cardio for at least twenty minutes three times a week. Anything knee strengthening.

lorrpb

Climb lots of high mountains with the gear you'll be using next summer.