Max van Dijk: "Start small and scale up by no more than 20% per week"
Max van Dijk is the driving force behind Project UHURU — someone who doesn't chase extremes for attention, but uses them as a tool for growth. With a background in high-level performance training and expedition work, he lives what he teaches. Max completed his UHURU mission — climbing Kilimanjaro — in 20 hours, 53 minutes and 47 seconds, a result built on preparation, setbacks, and altitude conditioning.
My graduation project for my applied sciences degree was developing the training program for the climb. We didn't focus on starting "as fit as possible," but on starting as adapted as possible. That meant spending 3–5 sessions per week in an altitude chamber, ranging from 4,500 to 7,500 meters. On top of that, we trained breathing for at least three hours per week, and the physical focus was mainly aerobic load — lots of Zone 2 running, stairmaster sessions, and cycling. Realistically, you're looking at 12 to 20 hours of total training load per week.
Being fit in the gym is mostly physical. Being ready for an ultra challenge or expedition demands much more in terms of stress resistance, resilience, and mental capacity. You build that by doing the things you don't always feel like doing. If you want to climb a mountain, you'll have to spend the hours on the stairmaster.
It's definitely trainable. Focus on quick wins so you don't feel like you have to change everything at once. Learn to become comfortable in uncomfortable situations.
The biggest mistake is putting too much focus on the physical side and too little on mental techniques like breathing, visualization, and meditation.
Start with a solid program — not from ChatGPT, but from someone with real expertise. Everyone is different and has different needs. Start small and scale up by no more than 20% per week.
Stop drinking alcohol. It significantly improved my recovery capacity.