While the financial prepration for a climb is perhaps considered as the most difficult, the physical preparation is also very crucial. Especially when you are embarking on a multi-day climb, physical prepration would make sure you are fit, not just for your safety but for your enjoyment. 1. Get aerobic. Running, swimming, hiking itself, among other sports, are aerobic exercises. They prepare your lungs and your heart for the demands of a sustained, streneous activity such as hiking. Weeks or even months before a climb, try to exercise at least three times a week for at least 30-60 minutes for each session. When we say aerobic, the goal here is pulmonary and cardiovascular training. Check your heart rate before and right after the exercise…the goal is to observe a decreasing trend with the same amount of exercise. This means that the heart is becoming more and more efficient. 2. Ready those leg muscles. Running for prolonged periods is challenging; running or even walking on a steep slope can be even more so. When there’s the opportunity to jog on inclined surfaces, grab it, because you want the leg muscles to be prepared not just for locomotion, but for locomotion at an angle that the body is not really used to. 3. The best preparation for a climb is another climb. Training climbs offer what exercises on sea level cannot: the actual environment where you’ll be. The steep slopes of a Mt. Makiling Traverse would condition the muscles for all the movements and sustained actions that are involved in hiking. Importantly, the muscle groups for lifting the body in an ascent (the quadriceps, etc.) will likewise be conditioned. Joining a training climb will also prepare your lungs to the thinner air of high altitudes; train your brain to coordinate hand-leg movements, and aid in mentally preparing you for the conditions of . Also, a training climb will serve as a “test” if your fitness level is good enough for the climb at hand. If every 10 meters of ascent leaves you gasping, more exercise might be needed. How often must one climb to be fit? Personally I try to climb at least once a month, and a major climb at least once every quarter as the barest minimum. But of course this will depend on you.