Keep Fit for the Mountains during Lockdown

Hiking With A Pack

If you're allowed out locally, then make the most of your daily exercise and simulate trail running in the hills as much as possible, even if you live in an urban area. Stick on a weighted pack (5-8kg), and fast pack your way around your local parks and streets. Remember to notice the nature that surrounds you, even if it's just the neighbours' flower beds and hedgerows. Even in the most built up areas, the birds are singing loud and clear against the quiet roads and skies. You'll be amazed what you can find within just a few minutes' walk from home. 

What to Pack?

Check out this video we made on hiking or running with a pack to help you remember what you need to put in your running rucksack. Plus read our blog on fast-packing adventures if you're looking for more inspiration - in a future beyond lockdown. 

Poling and Hills Reps

Find yourself a local training hill and make it work for you, even if it's short. If you're lucky enough to live in a hilly countryside area, pick a nearby slope that's easy to access and grab your poles. Short, intense intervals are an amazing way to improve your fitness, so set yourself a time challenge and try to beat it every day.

3-4 minute efforts are ideal for building endurance. Aim for 80-90% effort and you'll be amazed how hard it feels and how quickly you'll see results! In an ideal scenario, you hike or run uphill for 3-4 minutes, then turn around and use the downhill to recover. By the time you get back to the bottom, you've got your breath back and are ready to go again. Repeat as many time as you feel is right for you, but aim for at least 4 repetitions. 

Don't forget to watch our 'How to use poles for hill running' video before you go to make sure your technique is spot on! 

Online Strength Training 

You don't need a gym or weights to get strong. And you don't need very much space. It's amazing what you can achieve with just body weight exercises and little or no equipment. Now is the time to do all those exercises you know you should but never do - especially for core strength and glute activation, both of which are essential in the hills. 

Our physiotherapist friends at BeFitApps offer excellent strength training programmes to help you get in shape for the upcoming running season. These guys really understand mountain fitness and injury prevention and their programmes are designed to be progressive and fun. So there's no excuse not to come out of this period stronger than ever before. 

Family Fitness

Many families are finding this enforced time together is actually proving to be great quality time. Even if you can't get out and exercise with your regular hiking or running buddies, you can head outside with those you live with. Make it work for you with family walks or runs. Take it in turns to pick a route or destination in your local area and adapt the pace to suit your group.

Maybe the kids can ride bikes while mum & dad jog? Consider a family challenge like the NHS Couch to 5km run or hike?

Or everyone walks while the fast paced in the family and do 'out and back' sprints to the next lamp post or hedge. So everyone gets home feeling like they've got what they need out of the adventure. Stop on the way for a quick burst of family star jumps or planks. And don't forget to pause en route to admire the view, spot flowers and wild life, or pick up litter. 

Flexibility and Balance

Often neglected but so, so important for hill fitness, now's the time to focus on flexibility and balance. When you're next up in the hills, navigating that rocky ridge or you need to make big steps up over boulders on the trail, you'll be thankful for those online yoga classes you made the effort to join.

Many yoga and pilates teachers have embraced zoom or other online platforms to teach great classes online that you can take part in from the comfort of your living room. All you need is your laptop or tablet and a space on the floor. If you don't know where to look, ask your hill walking friends for their recommendations. Or we're happy to share our favourites - get in touch! 

HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a very effective way to get fitter, but only recommended if you work out regularly and already have experience of similar work outs.

The objective of HIIT is to combine bursts of exercises which you do at maximum intensity (90% effort) with short breaks at medium intensity (60% effort) to recover. The usual timing ratio is based on 50% recovery, so if you've done 30 seconds of all out effort, you have 15 seconds of recovery. And repeat! The idea is you push yourself until you're too tired to carry on. 

Designed to boost both strength and cardio vascular fitness in as short a possible time, HIIT work outs usually last less than 30 minutes in total. Done correctly, it's incredibly intense, but it's over quickly. And it's effective. 

Expect to be busting out burpees, push ups, or if you have home gym equipment, cycling until you think your legs will spin off. Search online for zoom HIIT classes. Or take the concept out on your local run and make it work for you. And remember, pushing yourself hard should only be done with your doctor's approval! 

Biking 

If you're able to get out on your bike, this is a great time to get out and explore under pedal power. The roads are so quiet that it's a great time for cyclists. Depending on your country's lock down restrictions, you may be able to travel much further than you can on foot. 

Not only will you cover more distance, cycling is a great way to see, smell and sense what's around you in a way you never do from a car.  You notice so much from a bike and will come home feeling energised and free in a way that running laps around the block will never deliver. Cycling is great for your overall aerobic fitness, strengthening your legs as well as protecting them from the repetitive impact of running or walking. All the better if you've got some local hills to work up a sweat on. 

Don't Forget The Mountains Will Still Be There!

These are strange and unsettling times for all of us and everyone's situation and experience of lockdown is very different. While our lives right now are limited, we can still dream of mountain adventures and keeping in shape while in lockdown is the key to unlocking those trails when restrictions do lift.

And if you need an extra bit of motivation, why not give yourself something exciting to look forward to? We're taking bookings for Summer/Autumn 2020 and Summer/Winter 2021 on all of our trips.

Book now and pay deposits in September for 2021 trips. Full refunds guaranteed if your trip doesn't run due to Covid 19. We anticipate that many people are postponing their holiday plans until 2021 so by expressing your interest with us now will be enable us to confidently prebook accommodation on your behalf to ensure availablity.