It was on my Mt. Arayat climb when I was first assigned to be part of the sweeper team. As sweepers, we would be the last to reach the peak, we'd have to stay behind with anyone who lags due to exhaustion or injury, and we'd risk not even setting foot on the peak if one of the climbers has to be rushed back to town. In short, the sweeper team would have to buffer any one climber's inadequacy to complete the climb.

For a while I thought it was good to be at the tail end, not to have someone breathing down my neck, forcing me to move along faster than my muscles can take me. I even thought I could relax and set my own pace. Not!

My sweeper teammates were a few of the strongest in the pack, an obvious arrangement in case a "fallen" climber needs assistance with his load. And, naturally, the sweepers had to keep up with the whole group's pace, so I had to be as competent a climber as they all were. Which, to me, was THE challenge I had to face.

One of the Boys

I don't know what got into me, but I was 40 when I decided I wanted to be a mountaineer. I knew it wasn't going to be easy, considering that I had long stopped being a volleyball player, and throwing 12-pound bowling balls (once a month) was no way near the muscle toning I needed to carry a 35-pound pack up a hill.

So, a year before I joined the Meralco Mountaineers, I started a workout regimen. I got a weights program book for women, went jogging on weekends, and replayed the Jane Fonda video I used to follow some ten years ago. When I thought I was "fit" enough to climb, I handed in my application to the mountaineering club.

Applicants had to undergo a series of classroom training sessions, fitness exams, and four short and easy training climbs, to qualify for induction to membership in the club. The lectures were a breeze -- I had learned some of the basics when I was a Girl Scout, and at the Red Cross First Aid Training. But the fitness test was something else.

We had to be clocked for running two miles twice a week, around the company compound, part of which had an elevation of 45 degrees. And a week before our first climb, we had to run fifty laps around the track-and-field oval (a total of six miles), in two hours, if we could last that long. Well, I survived all that, huffing and puffing. Still, at my very first and supposedly easiest, training climb, I almost died!

Out of Shape

Despite the running routine and strength training twice a week, the training climbs told me I was terribly out of shape!

My backpack, though its weight was ideal for my physique, still made my knees crumble even after I had eaten all the food and drunk all the water. My muscles locked from lack of oxygen even when my heart was pumping double-time (and all I could hear was my heartbeat thumping in my head!). A couple of times, I had to stay behind, exhausted and almost comatose, when the rest of the climbers scampered up to take pictures at the peak. And it took me a week to recover from a relatively easy day trek (getting out of bed to go to work was the hardest part!).

If I wanted to climb some more, I had to improve my physical condition. I knew I could do it -- all I had to do was work harder at it.

The Fitness Routine

So, six months (yes, six months) before my last climb up Mt. Pulog (via the toughest route), I went on an honest-to-goodness climbing fitness regimen -- no ifs or buts, just narrow-minded, focused, dogged determination. My workout must have been successful because that climb, which was supposed to be one of the most challenging in the Philippines, was the best climb I ever had. All because I was physically prepared.

How did I do it? These were the steps I took, the ones I would suggest as a "must" for all climbers, to build the endurance and stamina to keep climbing, have enough strength to appreciate the view, and not be bedridden (or catatonic) for a week after the climb.

• Make those muscles work hard!

Therefore, strength training or weight lifting should be part of your pre-climb workout routine. Emphasize on the your back, shoulders, and most of all, your legs. Work with weights that let you have full range of motion for only eight counts. Lift slow and easy -- don't rush the motion. Move to heavier weights when you can do three sets without cursing your barbells. This way you train your muscles to be strong -- powerful. Don't forget to give them at least 48 hours to rest and regenerate. 

For the ladies, don't be afraid of strength training -- you won't look like Mr. BodyBuilder even if you want to. Women will have to really, really work, for several years, on pure muscle building to start looking bulky and masculine. So, don't worry. Regular strength training will make your muscles firm at the right places, your skin will take on a healthy glow, and you will feel energetic enough to dance around singing "climb every mountain". 

• Keep that heart pumping!

You know what happens when there's not enough oxygen to supply those hard-working muscles? Your legs will lock up on you and they won't be able to move no matter how loud your brain screams at them. Therefore, you need to "exercise your circulation". Your body needs to get used to the demands you will be placing on your heart and legs when you assault a 75-degree incline.

For me, the best heart-pumping tune-up is running. Start slow for about 5-10 minutes just to "warm up the engines". Then pick up speed. Don't run too fast too soon or you'll overwork your heart and lungs, then you'll be panting and gasping, then you'll have to stop, and that will defeat your workout.

Pick up your speed gradually. When you've found a stable pace (meaning, you can still run with your mouth closed), stay in that speed for about 20-30 minutes. Then towards the last 5 minutes of your workout, push it up a notch. Then gradually slow down for your cool down. Don't forget to do stretching after your run, to loosen and relax the tired muscles.

If you have other heart-pumping activities you can engage in, like ballroom dancing, aerobic classes, basketball, cycling, skipping rope, swimming, or running after your dog, by all means enjoy! Just be sure to do this regularly and push a little harder to introduce your heart to the big challenge ahead.

The thing to remember about circulation is, once you've trained your heart to pump well, and your veins have been "primed" by the strong blood flow, your whole circulation will have improved. Then your heart won't have to pump so hard to get blood to all the parts of your body. Efficient circulation is necessary to keep those muscles "well-oiled". Also, good circulation prevents legs cramps and cold hands and feet -- conditions we'd rather not suffer when we're trying to conquer a mountain.

• Climb, climb, climb!

So, as part of my serious pre-big-climb routine, I included stair climbing. If you don't have a stairwell or at least three flights of stairs that you can exercise on, use the stair-climber machine at the fitness center.

We had three levels, or floors, at our office building, with an atrium with four flights of stairs. At the end of the working day (Tuesdays and Thursdays), when most of the employees had gone home, my climbing friends and I would go up and down that staircase for about an hour.

We'd start by going up and down at a normal pace. After having gone up-and-down for twenty rounds, we'd RUN up-and-down for about ten rounds. It sounds easy but when you're on the fourth or fifth run-up, you'd start feeling your leg muscles go against your will. 

I believe that was one workout that really taught my body how to be efficient with the ascent motion. (Oh, well, I did some wall-climbing, too! I'm sure that helped!)

Ready for the Big Day

You will know you are ready for the that big climb when after six months of fitness training you can lift heavier weights, run faster and farther, and go up the stairs with less effort. You know you can face up to the challenge because you are mentally psyched up and your body is empowered to agree with what you have in mind. 

Why will your climbing friends appreciate that you are totally prepared for the climb? Because THEY are prepared. And they will hate to have to miss the opportunity to marvel at nature's glory just because one of their team members was not fit enough to keep abreast.

All of your teammates will be completely hyped up to enjoy the trek. If you can't keep up or if you suffer cramps and fatigue because you haven't been working out, haven't been drinking your vitamins, or haven't been having enough sleep, you will be the "bummer" of the climb. Oh, your teammates will not leave you -- they will even help you carry your pack when you start to "malfunction" -- but imagine the strain it will cause on everybody.

A good and responsible climber is not only well-equipped and enthusiastic about the climb, he is also healthy and able. He is THERE to keep everyone's spirits high, to assist (not be a burden), and to be an active member (not a handicap) of the team.

So, if you want yourself and the rest of the climbers to enjoy your climb, be physically prepared for the challenge. You will all greatly appreciate it. 

Return to Ruby's Vital Tips Introduction