I stumbled upon a great exercise routine last weekend when working on my hill strength. I chose a small hill (Shuttlingsloe in Cheshire) and decided that I would spend the three hours I had going up it at a steady pace, returning to the bottom and then doing that again and again.
It wasn’t a fast pace, but I focused on good form and addressed any niggles such as tight muscles, making sure one muscle group wasn’t over-compensating for another. After the first ascent, I made a steady drop back down, staying in control the whole way.
The psychological element of this exercise was that I knew that whatever pace I committed to, I had to maintain for the duration of the session. Even at medium intensity, the steep sections pushed me hard and I had to fight the urge to slow down or lose form.
In two weeks’ time I’ll be in Tanzania and on my way up Mt Meru to acclimatise before Kili – let’s hope my hill training pays off.
Keep training
GeekintheHills
Geek in the Hills 