Staying fit - Upper body

Hey, I'm going off to Ladekh, Leh in a couple months in order to do some long-term trekking around the region. I know simply by trekking itself my lower body will be getting a lot of exercise. I was wondering if anyone has any upper body work outs they do while on a trek? Beside push ups/ab crunches.

Was also wondering how much food costs in this region?

thanks

Hi!
The question is rather how fit you are generally. Are you doing sports or exercises on a regular level? Then you shouldn't worry about about push-ups and abs. At least I never did and I was hiking in the Arctic, in the Himalaya, ...
If you are not very fit, then you should consider going to Ladakh. Or try to get in shape in the following months.
What do you call long-term-hiking? 2 weeks? 2 months?
Costs of food: generally cheap. I hiked the Zanskar trek 1 1/2 years ago, alone, without guide and horses, mainly as a homestay trek. Paid between 4 and 6 $ per night, food included...
If you need more detailed information, please give more details about what exactly you want to do.
Excellent information about hiking in the Himalaya you find also in the Indiamike-forum, www.indiamike.com
Regards
Mike

whats good mike!

Yea i go to the gym everyday so i'm in good shape. Run 5ks too whenever they're offered so my endurance is pretty good. My main concern is maintaining my current strength/fitness over time. Hopefully trekking for upwards of 2-3 months, planning spending the warmer months up in the mountains then when it starts getting cold head down south.

Planning on starting in Leh, then from there start trekking around the region solo. Pretty much what you did in Zanskar. If you could explain more about that trek I would love it.

thanks mike

If you intend to trek with a heavy backpack, you can train beforehand by hiking with a loaded backpack at home.

As someone who's always lost upper body muscle mass on expeditions, I've thought about this a bit. I have thought that taking some of those rubber exercise bands along would be the most bang for the buck (pound). But it might be difficult to keep up an exercise regimen.

If I was to be on the trip for only a couple of weeks or maybe a month, I wouldn't worry at all. 6-8 week expeditions are where I've noticeably lost muscle.

Of course, what I've actually DONE, is lose the muscle and put it back on after the trip.

Let us know how it goes.

JimS

The most important thing is to acclimatize. Don't start trekking immediately, stay 2 - 3 days in Leh, doing only light walking.
Get the Olizane maps of this region, they are not cheap, but the best. The Zanskar trek, and I imagine also the other well travelled trails, are hard to miss, in normal years you will also encounter plenty of people on them (I was there after the Leh flood, when only very few people started treks around Leh).
I recommend getting a lightweight bivouac tent. Even if you think of mostly doing homestays or sleeping in tea tents, there will be a handful of nights when you will have to sleep somewhere between villages, with no tea tents around, or the tea tents already full..
Prices for homestays, as mentioned, are very cheap, although I mixed up $ and €... The only thing is that the food is not really plentiful sometimes, rice and vegetables mainly. It's simply what they have there... You may want stay a day or two in places like Padum or Darcha, for example, to get some different food.
Here are 2 links about independent trekking and homestays:
http://trek.micahimages.com/
http://www.himalayan-homestays.com/ladakpages/default.html
And another thing about homestays: it is a great experience, but don't expect any luxury. Toilets: mostly a hole in the ground, so get used to squatting...
They do a lot of road building in many of the valleys of Ladakh, so the "pure" feeling will be lost partially, With the maps you find some alternatives between some villages.
If you pm me your email address, I can give you a few descriptions, although allow me a week or so...

Edited by: sirius

I'm going to look into upper body exercises that can be done without any equipment and hopefully work them into a daily routine when im trekking to maintain muscle mass. When i find some good ones i'll be sure to post them Jim.

Thanks for all the quality info Mike! I restrict my diet to mostly fruit/vegetables/whole grains here in the states so adjusting to the diet won't be that much of a problem. I try to eliminate as many chemicals/processed foods as i can. I already have most of the gear i'm going to need. Tent/water filter/ect ect... The only thing im going to need to buy in Leh will be a camp stove, pretty sure i won't be able to get a stove/fuel through customs or even on the plane.

Was planning on sleeping in my tent most of the anyway, I really am looking forward to sleeping under the stars.

Ok, received your email, will send you some descriptions, but as I said already, allow me a week or two...

Here are some more informations which could be useful also to other trekkers with similar objectives:
the only camping stoves you are likely to get in Leh are kerosene stoves. And the only fuel you are likely to get everywhere is kerosene.

Camping most of the time is fine, but don't forget one thing: Zanskar is classified as a desert because of the few precipitation it receives. It is also a very rocky desert. There will be interminable stretches where it is virtually impossible to find a camping spot, because it's just rocks, stones and hard, barren, uneven ground. There's a reason why most people stick to certain itineraries, defined by villages or tea tents. Camping next to tea tents you will still sleep under the sky. They charge you, though, but is's maybe 1 $ per night. But they also prepare you tea or food for very little money. This way you support the local economy (and honestly, it's dirt cheap for us), and you also have contacts and insight into local life.

And don't forget: even without a camping stove, fuel, and food for let's say a week and a half or two, your backpack will still weigh 12 - 15 kilograms (depending on what one carries along, and this includes already basic foodstuff like dried apricots, nuts, chocolate and cereal bars). Carrying stove, fuel and food to be self-sufficient for some weeks, will result in a backpack of maybe 20 - 25 kgs, which is quite a bit at this altitude and with steep passes to cross, some around 5000 mts. Don't underestimate this...

If you search in internet, you come across plenty of agencies offering treks, and they also explain the itinerary and daily distancies. This would give you a basic idea. And this is for people carrying a light daypack, because the rest is carried by horses.

Maps to be found on internet:
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ams/india/
If you scroll down the page, you find the links to each section.
Leh, for example, is NI-43-08, and it includes Lamayuru and the first kilometers of the Zanskar trek with Wanla, Phanjila, until Hanupatta. They are not as detailed as the Olizane maps, but give you a very good idea.

What else? Yes, one thing: I'd recommend you to simply forget about "loosing muscle mass" or getting some special preparation. I've never heard of anything like that. If you do sport and exercises on a regular basis, you'll be simply fine...

So, you loose muscle mass, because you do not need it during the trek. What is the big deal? After you come back home, you certainly gain it back doing your normal work where you need it? Are you a longshoreman?

I'm not going to be back in the States for a while. Possibly a year or longer. I've been saving up for a while to do some long-term exploring of India and as such I want to stay as fit as possible during my travels. Just going to integrate a daily upper body work out into my schedule.

yes im a longshoreman

Use hiking poles .They are good for balance and support weight on your back .I've seen porters and Sherpas slip & fall . Have a great trip !