As you gear up for the mighty Kilimanjaro, it’s natural to focus on the uphill battle. Yet, what goes up must come down, and nowhere is this more evident than on Africa’s tallest peak. The descent from Kilimanjaro can be just as challenging as the ascent, requiring careful preparation and training for a safe and successful trek.

While hiking uphill builds endurance and strength, descending places different demands on your body, especially on muscles like the quadriceps, calves, and knees. To prepare, it’s crucial to include specific training exercises in your regimen.

Step Downs with Heel Raise: Stand on a raised surface with a slight raise under your heel. Slowly drop your heel towards the floor, then raise it back up. This exercise prepares your knees and calves for the descent.

Squats with Elevated Heels: Use a raised platform under your heels while performing squats to improve knee range of motion and recruit more muscle fibres. This strengthens your legs and improves stability, crucial for downhill hiking.

Calf Training: Strengthen your calf muscles with exercises like calf raises and heel drops, focusing on controlled movements to simulate downhill demands. During a long descent, the calves, particularly the gastrocnemius and soleus, undergo significant strain. They play a crucial role in controlling your body’s forward motion and absorbing the impact of each step. This eccentric contraction places considerable stress on the calf muscles, making them work harder compared to flat or uphill walking/running. Furthermore, navigating downhill terrain often requires a more pronounced ankle dorsiflexion (pointing the toes up towards the shin), which further activates the calf muscles. The combination of these factors can result in increased fatigue and soreness in the calf muscles following downhill activity.

Lunges with Weight: Incorporate forward walking and backward lunges, along with side lunges, using weights to increase the challenge and simulate pack carrying. Perform these exercises with a slow descent to mimic downhill hiking and build core stability.

Build your core strength: Core strength is crucial for a hiker’s performance and comfort on the trail. You need to be working on this today. Having a strong core is essential to help stabilize the spine, allow efficient movement and help protect the lower back from pain and discomfort. Some great exercises to improve core strength are:-

• Plank Variations: Standard planks, side planks, and reverse planks engage your core muscles effectively.
• Russian Twists: Sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet lifted. Twist your torso from side to side, engaging your core.
• Leg Raises: Lie on your back and lift your legs up toward the ceiling, then lower them back down without letting them touch the floor.
• Mountain Climbers: Get into a plank position and alternate bringing your knees toward your chest in a running motion.
• Bird Dog: Get on your hands and knees, then extend one arm and the opposite leg out straight. Hold for a few seconds, then switch sides.
• Bicycle Crunches: Lie on your back with your hands behind your head. Bring your elbows to opposite knees in a cycling motion.
• Dead Bug: Lie on your back with your arms extended toward the ceiling and your legs in a tabletop position. Slowly lower one arm and the opposite leg toward the floor, then return to the starting position and switch sides.
• Plank with Shoulder Taps: Get into a plank position and alternate tapping your shoulders with your hands, right hand to left shoulder, then left hand to right shoulder etc while keeping your core engaged.

Increase your stability and balance: Improve balance with exercises targeting muscles around your ankles, hips, and knees, using balance boards or unstable surfaces for added challenge.

Stability training is crucial for descending a mountain because it helps improve balance, coordination, and control over your body’s movements. When descending steep or uneven terrain, your body is constantly adjusting to changes in elevation, terrain, and obstacles. Without proper stability, you are more prone to slips, trips, and falls, which can lead to injuries.

By training for stability, you can strengthen the muscles that support your joints, such as the ankles, knees, and hips, making them more resilient to the demands of downhill hiking. Stability training also enhances proprioception, which is your body’s ability to sense its position in space. This heightened awareness can help you react quickly to changes in terrain and maintain your balance.

Overall, stability training improves your overall hiking performance and reduces the risk of injuries, allowing you to enjoy your mountain descent safely and confidently.

In summary, preparing for the descent from Kilimanjaro is just as vital as preparing for the climb. Incorporate these training exercises and tips into your routine to build the strength, stability, and endurance needed for the downhill portions of this iconic peak. With the right preparation, you’ll be ready to conquer the challenge and make your Kilimanjaro trek truly unforgettable.

Debra Bouwer