NOLS: Ditch the Gym With the 30-Minute Denali Workout

NOLS is training the Expedition Denali team for their 2013 attempt to summit Denali. With the help of Climb Strong, we’ve set up a rigorous fitness regimen that will whip the team into shape. They’ve already established a base level of fitness and have started building it up with a simple 30-minute metabolic workout.

Follow the team with this simple workout that you can do on your back porch.

Before you start, make sure you know how to do these exercises. If you don’t know how to do these exercises, check out the videos available at lmntl.net/exercises/.

Start by warming up for ten minutes. Jog, stretch, increase your mobility by doing some lunges and shoulder stretches (spin your arms like windmills). Whatever it takes.

Now do the following exercises (1 minute each with 1 minute rest between rounds). The goal is to maintain form and be able to complete each exercise. If you’re breathing so hard you can’t continue, take five deep breaths and keep moving. If you can’t do any of these exercises due to injuries or other limitations on your mobility, modify the exercise accordingly.

Round #1
• Run in Place
• Prisoner Squats
• Off-Set Pushups (switch every 5 reps)
• Total Body Extension
• Reverse Lunges
[1 minute rest]

Round #2
• Vertical Jumps
• Incline Pushup (or knee push-up)
• Prisoner Squat
• Mountain Climber
• Prisoner Lunge
[1 minute rest]

Round #3
• Burpee
• Prisoner Lunge
• Side to Side Jump
• Spiderman Climb
• Prisoner Squat
[1 minute rest]

Round #4
• Jumping Jacks
• Run in Place
• Total Body Extension
• Close-Grip Pushups
• Side to Side Jumps
[1 minute rest]

Round #5
• Total Body Extensions
• Pushup
• Prisoner Lunge
• Mountain Climber
• Jumping Jacks

Need some inspiration? Watch team member Morgan Dixon’s high school students doing the workout!