be hooked on the high of success, and
looking for your next thrill in no time.”
By Joe Bonington
Stressing that bucket list goals can be
set and achieved by anyone - it just
comes down to the right training and
preparation - here, Joe lists the top five
adventures you should add to your
bucket list:
will be in the water, but focus on upper
body strength and core strength when
you’re out of the water,” says Joe. “Even
though you’re supported by the water
having a strong core makes you a much
stronger swimmer.”
The Big Red Run
Hawkesbury Classic
The Kokoda Trail
HOW TRAINING FOR
BUCKET LIST ADVENTURES
CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE
A
dventure trainer
Joe Bonington
shares the top five
adventures to add to your
bucket list.
Helping to inspire ordinary people to
do extraordinary things, Bonington
founded Joe’s Basecamp, a first of its
kind functional training gym based
on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, to
train clients for life’s adventures - think
mountain climbing, desert marathons
and long distance treks.
We’ve all got a “bucket list” of sorts
and whether it’s running a marathon,
swimming with dolphins or even writing
a book, everyone has something they
dream of doing in their lifetime. Whether
we get around to doing it or not is
another story, but according to Joe
Bonington, son of British mountaineering
legend, Sir Chris Bonington, pushing
yourself to achieve your goals can be
life-changing in more ways than one.
In a custom built facility, providing
specialised strength training, functional
movement training, cardio vascular
training, trail running, CrossFit, indoor
rock-climbing and altitude training, Joe
has trained clients to go on to trek to the
North Pole, compete in ultra-marathons,
climb to the summit of Everest, walk the
Kokoda trail, climb Kilimanjaro and trek
to Machu Pichu, among many other
things.
28
According to Joe, training for and
completing these bucket list adventures
has changed the lives of countless
clients, as they achieve things they never
thought possible. “It doesn’t matter
whether you’re a high-octane adventure
junkie or simply someone looking for a
new experience, it inspires you to push
the boundaries and really take a bite out
of life,” he says.
The Kokoda Trail is one of the one of the
most arduous jungle treks in the world
and the 96 kilometre track is steeped in
amazing WWII History, which makes this
gruelling trek that much more fulfilling to
complete. “It’s a rugged trail with a lot
of ascents and descents and the climate
is hot and sticky, so strength training and
training in the heat is key to acclimatising
to this type of event,” says Joe. “It will
take the average person who has a base
level of fitness around six months and
someone who’s relatively unfit around a
year of hard training to prepare for the
trail.”
“Not all bucket list items need to be
hard core pursuits like climbing a
mountain though. It’s just as rewarding
for someone starting out to conquer
an ocean swim, but trust me – you’ll
WHAT’S NEW IN FITNESS - WINTER 2015
An iconic Australian event that’s not for
the faint-hearted, The Big Red Run is an
ultra-marathon stretching 250km through
the Simpson Desert. Completed over six
days, participants run marathons by day
- including a double marathon on day
five - and camp under the desert skies by
night. “This is an ultra-event that pushes
participants to challenge their mental
and physical limits,” says Joe. “A race like
this requires a minimum of 12 months of
hard training for someone of average
fitness, following the 80/20 rule, where
80% of your training should be out on the
trail, running, and 20% should be spent
doing strength and conditioning.”
Everest Basecamp
The Heron Island Swim
Some of Joe’s clients are currently
training to climb Everest, complete the
seven summits, walk across the Arctic Ice
Shelf and swim the English Channel.
Set in the Great Barrier Reef, one of
the Seven Wonders of the World, this
three kilometre ocean swim is an awe
inspiring event to add to your bucket
list. The perfect way to “dip your toe”
into adventure training, it’s a highly
achievable and enjoyable event for
everyone from accomplished swimmers
to beginners, with the usually calm,
strikingly blue waters ideal for spotting
marine life. The swim takes an average
swimmer around an hour to complete,
and requires around six months of
preparation for an able swimmer of
average fitness. “Most of your training
cardio base training outdoors and strong
legs through strength training in the gym.
Altitude training in the months prior can
really help as well,” says Joe. A person
of average fitness will need to dedicate
a solid six months of hard traini