Hello Adventurers!
This year's (2024) annual mountaineering pilgrimage is to Kang Yatse I in Ladakh. We will leave our hometowns on Aug 15th and return on Aug 31st. Hopefully having raised the tiranga at the summit.
In today's newsletter I share how I plan to train myself to climb the technical and difficult KYI.
What's so special about KY1?
Very little has been documented about KYI. Not many have climbed the mountain as it is considered the toughest expedition in Markha Valley.
A technical 6400m peak. Similar to Island Peak, the last 500m are the toughest that require climbing a vertical ice wall with the use of fixed ropes.
Climbing KYI requires navigating steep sections and knife ridges with steep drops on both sides.
During our KYII expedition in 2022, the Indian Army was there to climb KY1.
I'm giving myself 150 days of training.
Let's break it down.
Physical Training
Before climbing Kang Yatse II in 2022, I added running to my workouts. It made a huge difference by dropping body fat and weight.
Before climbing Island Peak in 2023, I focused on mobility drills to add flexibility and open up tight muscles. That made a huge difference by reducing fatigue and cramps.
This year along with running, mobility drills I want to focus on strength training. Not just legs and core but entire body. Specailly forearms.
Hanging on a rope with another 500 meters of jumarring to go on summit push is a good reminder to train those forearms.
Mornings are for strength training / mobility drills on alternate days.
Evenings are for cardio. Weighted walk, run, sprint, weighted stairs.
Ideally you should do cardio in morning and strength training in evenings but it doesn't fit into my schedule as a parent.
6 days -12 workouts / week.
In June / July I plan to find a weekend jumar course to update my rock climbing skills.
KILL ALL EXCUSES
Nutrition
1 spoon of ghee upon waking up
3 liters of water during the day (with salt)
Protein rich salad for lunch
2 cups of black coffee (before 1pm)
3 eggs cooked in ghee
Healthy clean dinner
No alcohol, no smoking.
Start with 14 hour fasting and go till 16 hours eventually.
NOT REACHING THE SUMMIT IS NOT AN OPTION
Mental Training
10 minutes guided vipassana meditation. Add more time each month to reach 30 minutes. Include visualisation exercise where I see myself successfully climbing the route and how I will handle challenges that will arise.
Wim Hoff breathing exercises.
Cold showers.
Weighted backpack night walks (June, July).
Honestly, not drinking alcohol for 75 days is the best mental hack for me. If I can abstain from that, I can pretty much do anything.
EXTREME EFFORTS = EXTREME RESULTS
Recovery
8 hours of sleep, preferably same time to hit the bed and wake up.
10 minutes of sun exposure first thing in the morning.
Weekly massage.
THE HARDER THE FIGHT THE BETTER
But Before I Begin
For the past few days I've been putting the foundation together for the training.
First, I am getting my blood work done. Need to know what's happening under the hood.
Second, I have identified all the sacrifices I will need to make during my training. The dinners, drink sessions and late nights will need to stop in order for training to take priority. Unfortunately I don't know how to balance things, I prefer extreme. No room for distractions.
The only exception I am willing to make with myself is if and when I go on a vacation with my family. Then and only then am I allowed to indulge.
Thirdd, I have let my family and close friends know that I am going back into the cave. I arranged get-togethers with them this entire week so that I don't feel that I missed out. They are used to my obsessive nature and understand the why behind it.
Beast Mode. ON.
Jai Hind.
