Training for Mountains: Mental Endurance

2024-07-19 00:26 Expedition tips

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I often get asked how one should train while planning for high-altitude trekking or mountaineering expeditions. Should you focus on strength or cardio? Are legs or core more important? I think these questions are valid, but they only focus on the physical aspects of training, whereas I believe mental preparation is even more important.

The thing is, unless you're attempting very difficult mountains, there is a wide range of physical preparedness that will work. For some, a summit push may take 8 hours, while for others it may take 14 hours, but they will all make it if they are mentally ready for the challenge. As you can imagine, the less physically prepared you are, the harder and longer you will need to work for the same outcome.

If you're better physically prepared, the climb will indeed be easier for you, and you will enjoy it more while suffering less. However, hardly anyone feels the same at altitude as they do at sea level. It is quite common to experience minor headaches, nausea, knee pain, foot pain, and exhaustion, and that's assuming nothing goes wrong. You need enough mental endurance to keep pushing forward despite all of these challenges going wrong. You need enough mental endurance to continue pressing on besides all of this.

Training for Mental Endurance

So, you're convinced that Mental Endurance is important and perhaps wondering how to train for it? It's simple, yet not always easy – the same general rules that apply to training everything else also apply here – train gradually.

Choose a long activity such as running, biking, or hiking, and do it with moderate intensity until you reach the point where you want to quit... and then push yourself beyond that limit. Gradually increase the time you spend "doing hard stuff." Over time, you'll find that doing difficult tasks becomes normal, and instead of thinking "I'm about to give up," you'll acknowledge that you're doing something challenging but can continue as much as you need. Phrases like "It's just 5 hours longer" will no longer sound crazy, but rather a simple acceptable fact of life.

Training for Mental Endurance will also improve your physical endurance, making it a great two-for-one training activity. The specific focus here, however, is training your mind to accept doing hard work for many hours at a time.

With outstanding Mental Endurance, you can go further than your more physically fit companions who may not be mentally prepared.

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