Vertical Rush training tips

Duncan Bannatyne's personal trainer, Matt Roberts, has put together a training programme to help the entrepreneur take on the Vertical Rush challenge. Here he shares some of his tower-running tips with us...

'An event like Vertical Rush will push your physical capabilities to the limit but the satisfaction you will gain will make it all worthwhile.'

How would you suggest training for Vertical Rush?

'Training for Vertical Rush will get you motivated and get your body into the greatest shape of your life. A time of 15 minutes at a steady pace is achievable by most people, though in order to achieve this you will need to work on your lower body strength and cardiovascular fitness. 

'Three cardiovascular sessions a week would provide a good foundation and given that most people have access to stairs, this is as good a starting point as any. At first just aim to walk up and then back down the stairs at a steady speed for ten minutes; as you get fitter, add a minute each week of training. 

'For more advanced exercisers, hill running would provide a fantastic work out and will improve the functional strength of the hip flexors, which in turn should help improve your time.' 

Could you give us an example training circuit?

'Vertical Rush will really challenge you to improve your lower body strength and so to get ready for this challenge I would advise competitors to work on high repetition lower body circuits. For example:

• Perform 15 squats (bend at the knees keeping your back straight until your reach 90 degrees while keeping your weight in your heels) 
• Followed by 10 lunges (step forward with one leg and bend both knees to 90 degrees while keeping an upright torso) on each side.

'To begin with, perform this circuit three times, with 30 seconds rest between sets of exercise. As you begin to feel more confident, add more sets to your routine. To maximise the benefit of the exercise, you should be looking to perform this circuit three times a week.

'For an extra challenge you could combine it with the stair-walking sessions. Not only will this get you in shape for Vertical Rush, but it will also help develop lean hips and thighs.'