Training For The North Pole

One of the most popular questions I get asked is, “How do you train for a North Pole?”

Its now just two and a half months till we depart on our scientific expedition to reach the north pole and I’m busy intensifying my training. Nuffield Gym here in Plymouth offers me a great place to train mornings before the day starts with emails and phone calls. I train in the gym for a couple of hours a day working on upper body strength and my cv, I also like to take the time to relax in the steam room afterwards.

Every other day I head out onto Dartmoor with my car full of tires, no matter what the weather. The tires I have rigged to simulate the weight of my sledge and have attached to my harness. These I pull for between 3 – 5 hours along land rover tracks across the moor. This is great training as it really helps develop the muscle groups needed whilst on expedition.

I also like the fact that training at night in pretty awful conditions, is again simulating conditions for the arctic. It will be far from an easy expedition so why should you make the training easy, it isn’t just your body you need to train but also your mind. I go out on the moor along known routes taking with me spare clothing, an emergency shelter, gps, phone, map and compass, food and a hot drink. Dartmoor, especially at night should never be under estimated and is a wilderness environment. Always be prepared.

Pulling tires is as close as you can get to what it feels like to man hauling a sledge. However the terrain you train on makes a massive difference to the resistance of the tires. For example pulling my 3 tires on a tarmac surface, is pretty easy, this is like pulling your sledge on nice smooth ice. Pulling a sledge over uneven ground, like a land rover track across Dartmoor, feels a lot more like the really thing.

More training tips to follow as I continue to train throughout the winter.

Posted 30 November 2009