Short answer - 'Not much!!'

Now before you say 'You must be joking?!' let me explain...

There are two types of people who reach Everest Base Camp

We get many people who reach Everest Base Camp who have done little or no mountain or hill walking. They have this idea or dream that they want to get Everest Base Camp and they just go for it.

We also get people at the other end of the spectrum who are regular hill walkers, regular climbers and they're out in the mountains quite regularly. These people are also in the gym on a regular basis and participate in events like triathlons etc.

So as you can see, there's a massive range in terms of experience levels when it comes to people who trek to Everest Base Camp.

How much training do I need to do?

If you want to reach Everest Base Camp and you have the drive, it's highly likely you will get there. The rule is - the more training you do, the easier you'll find the trek.

Anyone at any level can start training and you might be surprised to hear that you don't need to start attending bootcamp style PT sessions, although if you feel inclined to do so, it certainly isn't going to hurt. Ideally, you want to be giving yourself plenty of time, around 3-6 months to start your training. This is to get your body and your mind ready for the challenge ahead.

You need to be getting out on regular walks and also adding in some gym sessions if you can. Ideally around 2-3 times a week. This is so you have the opportunity to add strength to your legs which helps massively on the trek to Everest with the undulating trails or 'Nepalese Flat' as the locals call it.

In an ideal world, the level of experience for the trek without any training would be people who are regular hill walkers, regular mountain walkers and people with a lot of mountain experience. That would be great. However, you don't need to be an elite sports person or a superhero and the trek is more than achievable for anyone with the desire and determination to put the work in and get to Everest.

Trust us, it's MASSIVELY worth it!

Mind Over Fitness

A huge part of the challenge comes down to the mental preparation that you put in and in my opinion, in terms of getting to base camp, it's more important than fitness. Having a positive attitude, a positive mindset is super important and can make the difference when you're out in the Himalayas regardless of how much training you do. I've seen physically fit people struggle to make it to Everest base camp whilst some of the lesser fit members of the trek battled on and made it - all because they had the determination to get there.

Training Specifics

If you need any advice on how to start training and specifics on what to do when you're in the gym or in the mountains then I highly recommend you download our '5 Training Tips to get you to Everest' which includes some of my personal tips on how to get started with your training and also a step by step training plan for you to use. Alternatively, if you want to chat about this then give us a call on 02920 003216 and either myself or one of our team will be more than happy to chat about this and most importantly make Everest happen for you.

Additionally, I wrote an article about how to get the body prepared for the extreme high altitude. Check it out by clicking here!

When you book your trip with EverTrek we send all our customers a personalised EverTrek Trip Planner & give them access to our exclusive Pre-Acclimatisation Online Programme which will ensure you're fully prepared physically, practically and mentally before you embark on your adventure.