How to get fit for Everest Base Camp Trek

Everest base camp trek blog

Everest Base Camp Trek is a major attraction for tourists who enter Nepal for trekking and hiking. This trekking trail takes you to the base camp of Mount Everest, the highest peak on the Earth. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and to complete it successfully; you need to have a certain level of physical fitness.

Everest Base Camp is situated at an altitude of 5364 meters and offers an incredible view of snow-covered peaks. It passes through different landscapes with unpaved paths, up and down hills trail, which might not be possible by everyone.

Before going on such high ascending high altitude, you need to understand and be physically fit to hike up to the Everest Base Camp. Trekking up to the Everest Base Camp is a challenging journey and is not like casual trekking across the countryside, which can be done by everyone. One must be physically and mentally prepared for the trekking journey they are going to.

The feeling of reaching the Everest Base Camp can be of great rewarding experience and a lifetime memory. At the same time, the walking journey can be hard, painful, and exhausting as well. It depends upon your physical fitness and mindset.

With proper exercise, training, and mindset, anyone can complete the Everest Base Camp Trek 2023 without any difficulty or injuring themselves. Here is a list of ways how can one get physically and mentally fit for Everest Base Camp Trek:

1. Altitude Training

If you are preparing for Everest Base Camp Trek, you need to be cautious about the Acute Mountain Sickness with the increase in altitude. The amount of oxygen in the air decreases with the rise in elevation resulting in Acute Mountain Sickness to many hikers.

Hence, it is essential to take up altitude training before going for actual trekking. It is not possible to train with actual altitude, but you can mimic the training to prepare yourself. You can climb up the stairs faster and go down slower like on a real hiking journey.

To make the training more realistic, you can climb up and down carrying a backpack with the equivalent weight you are going to carry on the actual trek. It will help your body to adapt and make you comfortable with the weight of the backpack.

It cannot be guaranteed that altitude sickness won’t affect you if you are physically fit. It is all dependent on how your body copes with the decrease in oxygen with the increase in altitude.

2. Knee Strengthening

Most people think that the toughest part of trekking is climbing up the hill. But the most challenging part of the trek is descending down the hill. Trekking downhill gives great pressure on the knees.

Hence, one needs to focus on strengthening their knees with exercise and training before going for Everest Base Camp Trek. It is the knees, which take the weight of your whole body while descending downhill. You will also need to work on strength of your shoulders, arm, back, and abdominal muscles.

You may face ankle and knee-related problems while descending downhill if you have a weak knee. So, you should focus on strengthening your knee and muscles around the knee. One needs to work out properly before going for Everest Base Camp Trek.

You can do exercises like squats, pull-ups, push-ups, lunges, rowing, and bench presses to train yourself and build your strength. You can also go for short hiking in your home country before coming to Nepal. It will help you to train you to climb up and downhill easily. Moreover, it will be easier for you

Flexibility in the muscle of your body is more important while trekking to Everest Base Camp. It helps to improve your body posture and stretches your lower back muscles, quadriceps, and hip flexors. It will also help relax your tissues and reduce the pressure on your back during Everest Base Camp Trek.

3. Aerobic Training for Everest Base Camp Trek

Trekking to Everest Base Camp is not like running or jogging in the park. It needs complete physical fitness to complete the trek successfully. But at the same time, you don’t need to be an athletic person to trek over Everest Base Camp.

Everest Base Camp trek is not any competition. Hence, you can trek at your own speed. You can take your time to complete the trek. If you are physically fit, you can complete the trek well and enjoy more during the trekking.

You can reduce the effects of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) if you are physically fit. Also with a good physical condition, you can trek over the Everest Base Camo more comfortably in the thin layer of air.

You will need high-intensity training to improve your cardiovascular fitness and health. It will help you increase your stamina and prepare well for trekking over the Everest Base Camp. The best way to perform this exercise is by climbing over the stair in the shortest time. It will help you help your lungs and heart get fit.

You can do running, jogging, cycling, hill climbing as other cardiovascular exercises. Furthermore, you can do other exercises to warm up and stretch your body before going for Everest Base Camp Trek.

Aerobic exercises help to strengthen your heart and reduce heart stroke and attack at high altitudes. It also helps you make your lungs strong and improves breathing, tones muscles, and endocrine functions, and strengthens your bones. 

4. Mental Preparation for Everest Base Camp

Trekking is a fun and recreational activity but it can be exhausting at the same time. Some of the challenges one can face on the trekking trail are surprised downpours, cold weather, broken gears, and blisters, which can slow you down.

The worst situation you can face is your own mind playing games with you. With the increased height and decreased layer of air, most people's minds started giving up. Even if your body is fine, your mind may force you to give up.

But pushing yourself to achieve your goal can be the most rewarding thing at the end of the day. To train your mind, you need to prepare yourself both physically and mentally. The up and down trekking trail can be a test for your physical and mental fitness.

Hence, you should prepare well for both physical and mental fitness before going for Everest Base Camp Trek. It will ensure that you are ready for the best trekking adventure in the world.

Some tips to stay fit and healthy on Everest Base Camp Trek:

♦ Minimum 2-3 liters a day is highly recommended and good for overall health. You can buy bottled water or filled boiled also if you looking cheapest options then you can use an iodine tablet.

♦ Do not consume lots of coffee and alcohol on the trekking expedition as it can dehydrate you.  Instead, we recommend you drink Lemon Tea and Garlic soup. 

♦ If you are going for a higher trek you will face various difficulties during the trek. If you are on multi-day trekking, you should trek to the higher areas in the day and rest at night. It will help your body get proper rest and acclimatize with the altitude. In our 16 days well-designed Everest base camp trek itinerary, we have 2 Nights at Namche Bazaar an Altitude‎ of ‎3,440 M/11,290 ft.

♦ During your rest day, our guide will take your day hike to higher altitude places like Khumjung 3,790 M/12,430 ft. & Khunde Village. Both villages are very beautiful Sherpa villages in Everest Regions. This day hike will be very beneficial for your body and help to get you better acclimatized. Also, we have 2 Nights at Dingboche 4,360 M/14,300ft. Today our guide will take you for beautiful full-day hikes to closely 5,100M/16733ft high Peak for better acclimatization.

♦ The temperature decreases with the in altitude in the Himalayan area, which can affect your physical condition. Hence, you need to bring warm and woolen clothes during the trek.  A quality sleeping bag is essential, if you do not have your own sleeping bag then we will provide you a quality sleeping bag for the Everest base camp trek. Please just let us know.

Everest Base Camp Trek is once in a lifetime trekking experience, which can be completed with good trekking preparation. Along with physical fitness, you need a positive attitude and mental ability to push yourself during hard and tough conditions.

Besides everything else, you need to let your body acclimatize your body with altitude. Most of the trekkers are not able to reach their destination because of altitude sickness. Hence, you should prepare well both physically and mentally before going for Everest Base Camp Trek.

Follow every step mentioned above to successfully complete Everest Base Camp Trek without injuring yourself or without any hardship.

If you are planning to trek Everest Base Camp in 2023 or any other trekking in Nepal, please let us know. We Mountain Sherpa Trekking are a Local Sherpa own Adventure Company based in Nepal with years of experience. We employ the real local Sherpa guide which will make your trekking and expedition safe and allow you to enjoy your journey.