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How to physically prepare for an adventure trip…. (Part 2)

[ 1 ] March 10, 2010 | Derek

Our Good Friend Tony Clerc, owner of Platinum Fitness of the Dessert and writer for the Palm Springs Examiner has finished part 2 of How to physically prepare for an adventure trip. Check it out!!!

How to physically prepare for travel adventures (part 2)

Adventure trips will take you to amazing destinations.

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This is the final part of our two part article on how to adequately prepare for a travel adventure. As previously mentioned, travel adventures consists of backpacking, kayaking, river rafting, canoeing, canyoning… many different activities fluctuating in levels of strenuousness and adventure.

It is well advised to have a minimum level of fitness prior to embarking on one of those trips. Again, preparing like a marathoner is not advised and recommended. However, one should take specific precautions in strengthening the core area, lower and upper body muscle groups – a minimum level of cardio-respiratory fitness is also well advised.

The following exercises will help you prepare for any kind of adventure. The exercises highlighted below will make your adventures a lot easier to physically accomplish and will leave you hungry for more cultural exploration. Let’s dig in!

Planks
My clients love to hate the plank, this particular exercise will engage your entire core area, back, hips, abs and oblique. The exercise consists of laying down face first on a mat and prop yourself up on your forearms and toes (elbows should be at the same level as your shoulders). The only portion of your body touching the mat will be your forearms and toes while you keep a perfectly straight line from your heels to your shoulders. Hold for 30 seconds or more and repeat 2 more times. (This is a great exercise also to build six pack abs).

Squats/lunges
To build strength in the lower body, the squat and especially the lunge are two very powerful exercises. Sit on a chair with your thighs parallel to the floor and keep your back straight. Stand up while keeping your back straight and sit back down. Make sure your feet are firmly planted throughout the movement. Repeat 12-15 times and do 2 more sets. More traditional squats can be performed with dumbbells also. To perform a lunge, stand up, take a small step (about 2 feet) and lunge down, do not lunge forward. Many people make the mistake of lunging forward and this puts tremendous pressure on the front knee – while lunging, make sure your front knee does not go past your toes and make sure you are always keeping your back perfectly straight. The squat and lunge work the important quadriceps, gluteus, and hamstrings. Perform 12-15 lunges per leg and repeat 2 more times. The lunge is still one of my favorite exercises because in addition to working this large muscle group, you are also working on your balance and core strength (two things you will greatly need hiking up volcanoes or Machu Picchu…).

Pushup – variations
Although not the most important exercise for your trip, the push up will strengthen your upper body and core. Include some variations of the push up, place your hands wide to target the pectorals or closer together for some triceps action. Bring one leg up off the floow and stabilize the body while you perform push ups for some extra core strengthening. Do 3 sets, and perform as many as you can.

Cardio-respiratory fitness
It is also well advised to engage in light cardio-respiratory conditioning. Light jogging, fast walking, will get your heart used to the extra demands placed on it during the trip. Simply put, to improve your cardiovascular system, your heart only needs to work harder than it is accustomed to. Keep your cardio sessions at 20-30 minutes, (use shorter interval training sessions if you can) and repeat 3 times per week.

The great thing about these exercises is that you don’t need any equipment, just a mat and your own body weight and motivation. Do these exercises 3-4 times per week about 5-6 weeks before your trip to ensure maximum adaptability to the physical demands of your trip.

While on your trip, snap pictures, smell the fresh air and keep exploring, you can be certain about one thing – your body not failing you!