High altitude is very humbling. Im in pretty darn good cardio shape having just completed my 200 mile bike race and with my triathlon training but high altitude is kicking my butt.
Ive done ski altitudes but never exerted over 8,000 feet before. My first day at 10,000 made me feel about 90 years old. Going up stairs which normally is nothing became a big project. After 24hrs at 10,000 feet doing stairs is easier but still noticably more difficult than at sea level. No wonder so many endurance athletes train at altitude, I can feel my circulatory system becoming more effecient at capturing the scare oxygen every day. Glad I have another day before heading up into the Andes.
Legs have been getting plenty of a workout, upper body gets brutalized in the hotel room. My last workout was lats using a pullup bar in a park in Lima so today is chest and core. Here is todays 90 min hotel workout:
- core (15 min)
- front planks
- side planks
- crunches
- chest (60 min)
- hip pushups
- ultra wide pushups
- shoulder width pushups
- hip pushups, drop set on knees
- ultra wide pushups, drop set to knees
- stretching – impt for backpacking prep (15 min)
- hamstrings
- calves
Tomorrow will be pullups again as Im not sure when I will have access to a pullup bar again – not many trees over 12,000′ :)
