Wether you’re on Coronovirus lockdown or reading this on a cold winters night, the question is perhaps the same. How to get some exercise done in the confines of your own home.

Here in France we are on a pretty strict lockdown at the moment. We’re allowed out once a day for an hour maximum and within a kilometer of the house. So the long hilly trail runs are out of the question and it’s a matter of being creative to get some training done at home.

So here’s a few resources to get you started. We’ve been using all of these for several years and they are perfect for some strengthening and injury prevention. You can use your limited time to good effect and possibly come out of your time in isolation stronger and better prepared for the mountains than before.

Bodyweight exercises are often better than weights. Less stress on the joints and less potential for injury. And cheap!

First off is Convict Conditioning. Ignore the macho title and cover. The bodyweight exercises are very progressive and there’s huge emphasis through the book for taking your time and building up slowly. Everything can be done in the prison cell, so your front room should have plenty of space!

You will need a pull up bar, but that’s the only equipment required.

Try this one for a no drills option: Pull Up Bar

Or if you have a high enough doorway and want something semi-permeant then one of these will do the job.

For a couple of seasons we’ve used local Chamonix’s “clinic du Sport” befit apps. The SkiFit and RunFit are both good and once again put you through a progressively harder series of videos (online or via the app). Quite a few of our ski clients have turned up quite a bit stronger after following their programme before the ski season starts.

It’s nice to follow a video too and there’s no equipment required.

And then for a bit of reading and tons of good specific training advice for the mountains you should check out uphill athlete. They do two good books for alpine climbing as well as a trail running/skiing version.

There’s plenty of online forums and articles and you can download their core workout for free too.

 

When the training pays off – long approaches, climbing with a rucksack on big routes. All round body fitness required.