Getting fit for a summit: an eight-week plan without a gym

Most people who struggle in the mountains are not "unfit" — they have simply trained for the wrong thing. Endurance for running and endurance for climbing are not the same.

What we are preparing for

A typical one-day summit route: 10–15 km of distance, 800–1200 metres of ascent, 6–8 hours of movement, a 5–8 kg pack on your back. What we need, then, is the ability to work at a moderate load for a long time.

The eight-week plan (3 days a week)

Weeks 1–2 — base

• 2 × 45 minutes of brisk walking (flat)
• 1 × stairs: 15 minutes of continuous climbing

Weeks 3–4 — adding gradient

• 1 × 60-minute walk
• 1 × stairs: 25 minutes
• 1 × 45-minute walk with a 5–6 kg pack

Weeks 5–6 — increasing load

• 1 × 75–90-minute walk with a pack
• 1 × stairs: 30 minutes
• 1 × leg strength: 3 sets × 15 squats, 3 sets × 10 lunges, 3 sets × 20 calf raises

Week 7 — the test

• A real one-day trek: Aghsu, Dilman waterfall or Khizi, Beybeyim mountain

Week 8 — recovery

• Halve the load. Arriving at a summit already tired is the most common mistake.

Not the legs — the knees

On the way down, your knees take twice the load they do going up. So train the descent as well — walking down stairs, slowly and under control.

Trekking poles significantly reduce the load on the knees. For someone preparing for a first summit they are the first piece of gear I recommend — after boots.

One rule: if you can talk while climbing, your pace is right. If you cannot, slow down.

Once you are ready, to choose a route: what difficulty grades mean.