Loosely based off Steve House’s “Training for the New Alpinism”

This program is designed to fit into the schedules of busy working professionals wanting to get the most bang-for-the-buck with only 4-6 hours to spare for training a week, and is pitched at a beginner to intermediate level.

If you are already physically in shape and/or want a more challenging program, please contact us on Telegram at @sotravel_official and we can recommend you more advanced programs!

Only follow this program if you have been cleared fit to hike and/or run by a licensed physician. This guide is only a suggestion and is aimed at healthy individuals aged 18-40 and is not suitable for everyone.

How to use this guide

In this guide we outline the basic principles for increasing your fitness for hikes, no matter your fitness starting point or the difficulty of your desired hike.

• In general, the majority (70-80%) of your weekly mileage (or duration) should be at a relaxed conversational pace. You should not be breathing hard and panting, but it should not feel too easy and trivial as well.
• Based on the starting date of your trip, you should work backwards and figure out when you should begin your training program for the hike. It doesn’t hurt to start earlier!

This guide is split into three separate parts based on the relative difficulties of the hikes:

• short, introductory hikes (e.g. Bromo)
• moderate difficulty hikes (e.g. Ophir, Rinjani, Kinabalu)
• long, high altitude hikes (e.g. Annapurna BC, Everest BC, Machu Pichu)

The terminology used in this guide are jogs, tempo runs, long hikes and staircase training.

• Jogs should be at a relaxed conversational pace, or Zone 1-2 for you cardio freaks.
• Tempo Run should be at a harder pace where you will huff and puff, but still be able to carry out a conversation, albeit in short phrases. Zone 2-3 or Aerobic Threshold.
• Long Hikes should be relaxed and feel like a breeze. The difficulty from hiking should be from the distance/duration, not from the difficulty of the hike itself. Done at Zone 1. If you are running out of breath, take breaks!
• Staircase Training is exactly as it sounds – you do sets of steep slopes and staircases at Bukit Timah Hill or a suitable 30-40 storey HDB block. Sometimes with weights in your bag. This is very effective training for harder hikes and should be done at Zone 1-2. You should not be running out of breath, the difficulty is from the duration and the weight, not your speed! Take the going down the slope/stairs as your break.

If training by yourself is not your thing, don’t worry because we host weekly runs, hikes and staircase trainings (soon…)! Do keep a look out for these activities on Soclub, you will have to register for these events on our Sotravel App.

Training for Short Hikes (3-4 weeks)

Program designed for shorter hikes like Mt. Bromo that require 3-4 hours every day of steep vertical hiking, over the span of 1-2 days.

• It doesn’t matter if you run shorter or longer than what is stated, just stick to the recommended pacing and try not to walk/take breaks! Remove Week 3 if you are pressed for time.

	Cardio Activity	Cardio Activity (Optional)	Weekend Hiking Activity
Week 1	25min jog	20min jog	3-4 hrs Long Hike
Week 2	35min jog	30min jog	3-4 hrs Long Hike
Week 3	20min tempo run	30min jog	3-4 hrs Staircase Training (0kg)
Week 4 (assuming your hike begins on the weekend)	40min jog	rest	Trip start!

Training for Moderate Hikes (6-8 weeks)

Training plan for moderate intensity hikes that require 5-6 hours of strenuous steep hiking everyday for 1-3 days. Combined with moderate altitude (2500m-4000m) and reduced partial oxygen levels.

• It doesn’t matter if you run shorter or longer than what is stated, just stick to the recommended pacing and try not to walk/take breaks! Remove Week 7 and then 6 in that order if you are pressed for time.
• The weighted Staircase Training are only if you have a proper hiking bag with hip support. We do not recommend carrying weights with a normal backpack. If in doubt, do without weights.

	Cardio Activity	Cardio Activity (Optional but highly recommended)	Weekend Hiking Activity
Week 1	30min jog	30min jog	3-4 hrs Long Hike
Week 2	40min jog	40min jog	3-4 hrs Long Hike
Week 3	25min tempo run	40min jog	3-4 hrs Staircase Training (0kg)
Week 4	40min jog	rest	3-4 hrs Long Hike
Week 5	50min jog	50min jog	3-4hrs Staircase Training (4kg)
Week 6	35min tempo run	1h jog jog	3-4hrs Staircase Training (6kg)
Week 7	1hr 10 min jog	50min jog	3-4hrs Long Hike
Week 8 (Assuming your hike begins on the Weekend)	1hr jog	rest	Trip start!

Training for Difficult Hikes (10+ weeks)

This is for difficult hikes that require 4-10 days of constant trekking of up to 6-7 hours and 18-20km daily, usually at high altitude (3000-5500m). Think Everest Base Camp trek.

• Unlike previous plans, this program uses distances as we assume you are already moderately fit or have some previous hiking experience. If not, try to follow the full program for Moderate Hikes and add week 6-10 of this program afterwards.
• Cross-training refers to other physical activities that have moderate intensity. e.g. playing badminton, rock climbing, swimming or yoga. the duration/intensity does not matter too much, as long as you are physically engaged and active for at least 30mins
• Tabata refers to doing HIIT exercises for 20s on and 10s rest, for 3-4 supersets and 1 min rest in between each superset. You do as many repetitions of these exercises in 20s as possible. These are the recommended 8 exercises for each superset, only proceed if you have been cleared by a licensed physician.
  • Push up
  • Crunches
  • Squats jumps
  • Mountain climber
  • Burpees
  • Russian twist
  • Lunges
  • Flutter kicks
• It doesn’t matter if you run shorter or longer than what is stated, just stick to the recommended pacing and try not to walk/take breaks!
• The weighted Staircase Training are only if you have a proper hiking bag with hip support. We do not recommend carrying weights with a normal backpack. If in doubt, do without weights.

	Cardio Activity 1	Cardio Activity 2	Cardio Activity 3 (Optional)	Weekend Hiking Activity
Week 1	4km jog	3km jog	Cross-training/tabata	3-4 hrs Long Hike
Week 2	5km jog	4km jog	Cross-training/tabata	3-4 hrs Long Hike
Week 3	4km tempo run	5km jog	Cross-training/tabata	3-4 hrs Staircase Training (0kg)
Week 4	6km jog	rest	Cross-training/tabata	3-4 hrs Long Hike
Week 5	7km jog	6km jog	6km jog	3-4hrs Staircase Training (4kg)
Week 6	6km tempo run	8km jog	Cross-training/tabata	3-4hrs Staircase Training (6kg)
Week 7	7km tempo run	9km jog	6km jog	3-4hrs Staircase Training (8kg)
Week 8	10km jog	rest	Cross-training/tabata	3-4 hours Long Hike
Week 9	11km jog	10km jog	Cross-training/tabata	3-4 hours Staircase Training (8-10kg)
Week 10	10km jog	rest	rest	Trip start!

FAQs

Q: What if I don’t have time to do the 3-4 hour hike/staircase training? Can I just do a 30min crossfit workout?

• You can do anything you like, but unless you put in adequate hours at a low cardio intensity, you will not see gainful improvements in your aerobic fitness. If you are completely sedentary, any form of exercise is better than none, so go for it! If you are really pressed for time, just do a shorter 1-2 hours hike on hilly terrain or stairs close to where you work/live.

Q: I have a knee problem (or any other musculoskeletal injury), can I swap the runs/hikes for something else?

• Please consult your physician before you partake in any activities in this guide. For generality sake, jogs can be swapped equivalently for swimming or cycling for the same duration. Although it has to be said, given that you are training for a hike, the best way to train would be to be up on your feet, running or hiking. We do not recommend or advise any individual with injuries to partake in our hikes given the risk of aggravating your condition.

Q: I can’t make it for the Soclub run/hike at the weekly time & location, how can I still train with other people?

• By volunteering to be a Soclub host! Soclub run and hike activities are completely free to attend and rely on the generosity and effort of the people in our community to organise. If you have a suggestion for a more convenient place to do weekly runs/hikes, do feel free to recommend in the group or contact us at @sotravel_sg on tele!
• You don’t have to be the fastest runner or fittest hiker to organise an event – all we need are people that can take attendance, know the route beforehand and support participants of all fitness levels throughout the whole run/hike!

Q: I don’t get it, why are you giving out this training plan for free? Does it even work?

• The information in this guide comes from many hours of research as well as the personal hiking experience of the author. The training plan/book this is adapted from is aimed at high level mountaineers who are aiming to climb peaks such as Aconcagua and Everest, alpine-style. The information has been simplified and adapted for entry-level hikers – but the training principles remain largely the same.
• This training plan (unlike many others) is completely free because we believe very strongly in building and supporting our Sotravel community. Yes, of course we would love it if you choose Sotravel for your next hiking trip overseas (to meet many cool new interesting people 🙂 ), but that’s not the point – we would be equally happy if you join our community events and go on your own solo trips, or never join a Sotravel trip at all. Because what really matters is that you leave your comfort zone, take risk and go on an adventure!

Closing

Hiking is an incredible way to see the world, and being at a good fitness level allows you to stop and smell the flowers – being able to take in the sights without worrying about falling behind or struggling to take the next step. Grab a friend and train together, or join our runs/hikes and make new ones!

Check out our hiking trips!