Freezer Training

Inside a freezer sharing layering principles and techniques; temp at around -25C with Louie (FWD North Pole marathoner), pic c/o FWD Insurance

I must admit that this recent 'freezer session' supporting FWD North Pole Marathon candidate’s training was my first.

At first, I thought that it was a joke, and that if ever - the freezer would be some sort of active cold storage facility complete with dead pigs and huge tunas!  Not that it was very surprising as I also heard of the same idea from GMA 7 - when they were still on their planning stage on how to go about training their crew in a winterish environment (to document part of my Everest expedition).

Hearing that the FWD representative has no previous snow/ ice/ winter experience – I thought that it was the logical (if not the only available) approach.

But just to share my own thoughts and opinion for those who are planning to short cut the process and really consider doing a ‘freezer training’, here are some things to consider:

Mountain Athletics

with The North Face team

Let me start by saying that I am not a 'gym person'.  I'm a typical old-school outdoor person that 'goes outside and do stuff'.

But it doesn't mean that's the way we all should be.
If I were introduced to a similar fitness routine at a younger age - I might have adopted the discipline - but growing up with gung ho group in the mountaineering circle just led me to 'just do things' with or without the appropriate training and conditioning.  (And hence my knee pains, among other things).
The good thing at least was that, I was introduced to military-style fitness routines as early as my high school days (i.e. candidate officer training) where I believe I started getting better bodily strength and endurance particularly core and upper.  Martial arts was another good add which promotes holistic workout.  But the consequential strength and endurance developed as a mountaineer was far more significant in my current fitness condition.

Strengthen your Core

(video: bar or rope exercises are also good for your core.  Here, reviewing my 'reversed zero' move.)

Other than endurance, leg power (limb strengthening) and mental conditioning – the often neglected physical training aspect is core strengthening.  

Core muscles are mostly muscles around the abdomen (6pack), lumbar, pelvis area.  There are complicated and hard to remember muscle names in the inner and outer core – but suffice it to say that this group of body muscles help stabilize/ protect one’s spine, mid-body section;  and allows transfer of stress and energy between upper and lower limbs – like a starting and connecting middle engine gear.  A weak core could easily spell back/spinal injury – something not very uncommon given heavy load lifting demand of mountaineering.  

Walking for Good Health



Scenic road to Manang, Annapurna Circuit Nepal 1998.
One of my longest walk - 190km/14days.

 With a variety of exercise activities in today’s modern world – one highly beneficial primal activity that most of us overlooked is – walking. I don’t mean just 2 or 3km-walk inside the mall, something more.


Sometimes due to travelling or time constraints, or simple laziness to go to remote mountains (for my pre-expedition training) – I resolved to pre-historic human activity of long walking. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors walk 10-15km a day to hunt, escape predators or get water – according to some studies. So sometimes, following our paleolithic grandpas – I used walking as part of my so-called pre-climb trainings. As examples, before my 2011-12 Vinson’s climb (Antarctica) – I’ve walked around some parts of Baguio (Benguet/Cordillera) intermittently for 3 days (4-5h each time). Before my 2011 Carstensz trip (Papua) – I’ve walked the mild uphill road of Sta.Rosa-Tagaytay from Nuvali to the junction (~16km) for 3.5hrs. Before Cho Oyu (Tibet) I also walk the Roman highway of Bataan, some 20km (7hrs w/ lunch stop) from the Limay port to Balanga. And of course – the used-to-be-frequent Mt. Samat ‘climb’-walk (on road), and occasional 2hr-walk around Fort Bonifacio (for lack of better opportunities over a busy weekend). There are more but these are some walking highlights. All of these were of course done as part of my weighted training routine (i.e. I carried backpack-weights varying from 15kg to mostly 20kg, and rarely 25-30kg).

Lung Power




At Everest's South Col
showing off my O2 unit.
A necessity for me, and optional
for those with higher O2 uptake.

  (Fitness opinion)


Climbing Lhotse wall (going to Everest summit) at ~24,000ft (without supplemental O2) ultimately tested not just my will and acclimatization readiness, but my maximum lung capacity and efficiency! Imagine – 8 breathes (to get enough oxygen), for every 1 step (-at least in the latter part of my trip to Camp3).

I was not born with a super genes leading to high VO2 max (or oxygen uptake), and I felt I was struggling with high altitude activity. Fortunately, my will is stronger than my body haha! That’s why I maintained that high altitude mountaineering is 80-90% mental! But that’s not my topic…

Make your heart stronger

(Fitness Opinion)



uphill movement is ideal for cardio training.
(pix- my team's acclimatization
hike somewhere in Tibet)

 
Let’s talk about the human heart, how to make this muscle organ – stronger and bigger!


I recall attending Steven Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (in the 90’s), and to this day remember (I hope correctly) that particular section on the last chapters about “Training Effect Zone” (TEZ) which I think is now commonly called ‘Target Heart Rate Zone’.

Imagine learning fitness stuff from a Corporate Training. :)

That particular heart metric/concept was something I retained, using it for my manual heart performance monitoring at high altitudes - while resting, when sick, or when bursting my lungs out during an uphill! 

Nowadays, I share the concept to erring athletes who complained about not being able to boost their performance level. As if I know anything about their sports!  ;p

High-Altitude Training

(Fitness Opinion)


Entering the Gates of Time. My 1998 190km Trek
in Annapurna Nepal

 I quickly learned the value of acclimatization as soon as I started climbing at altitudes. By altitude I mean – higher than 10,000ft (for simplicity). One obvious change in the physiology is the body’s build-up of more O2-carrying haemoglobin, which helps in performing (or at least surviving) at an even higher altitude.


Now to use that to boost performance is also an old technique utilized by many athletes around the world, and is already popular in the Philippine setting. Baguio or other similar high places are now popular for athletes wanting to have an O2-deprived environment, so they can perform better at a sea-level environment. Tri-athletes, runners and boxers alike!

How does it work? If one trains on an O2-deprived environment, his/her system will adapt to that ‘difficult environment’ for example producing more red blood cells to accommodate more O2 absorption. Immediately after that – if one descend to a lower altitude, his performance on an ‘easy environment’ will improved given higher O2 absorption – i.e. more power-generating capability.