Todd Carmichael, co-founder of coffee roaster La Colombe Torrefaction, trains intensely to prepare for extreme adventures like trekking across Antarctica. His training includes metabolic circuits that blast every muscle group to failure without rest for 30 minutes. He also does intense cardio like 14-hour weighted StairMaster sessions. Carmichael advises getting the body used to intense exertion and allowing for ample recovery time. During expeditions, he finds relief in simple pleasures like sipping coffee for 15 minutes and packing treats like sausage and chocolate. Carmichael also stays in shape by taking spinning classes with his wife.

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Travel Channel’s Dangerous Grounds follows Carmichael to the earth’s edges to find the perfect coffee, travelchannel.com
Build to Burn.
● Carmichael could
just work out at a gym
every day, but “I like to
know I’m building toward
something,” he says.
This includes gaining
muscle even though it’ll
be erased by expedi­
tion’s end, and modifying
his food intake: He eats
very late (2 a.m.) second
dinners just before an
adventure to have plenty
of extra calories to burn.
Red Alert.
● “Know that it’s
going to be really bad,”
Carmichael advises. He
gets his body used to
weeks of trekking by
doing intense cardio and
metabolic weight train­
ing. With metabolic cir­
cuits, recommended by
trainer Roger Schwab,
he blasts every muscle
group, largest to small­
est, to failure for 30 min­
utes without rest. Allow
ample days for recovery.
Treat Yourself.
● When you’re out there,
little things keep you
sane. For Carmichael—
co-founder of coffee
roaster La Colombe
Torrefaction—relief is as
simple as sipping a cup
of coffee for 15 minutes.
He also packs sausage
and chocolate for treats.
A Family Affair.
● He takes spinning
classes with his wife,
singer Lauren Hart. “It’s
not key to my prep, but
it’s important to spend
time with my wife, whom
I’m going to disappear on
while on the adventure.”
CALL OF
THE WILDWith your body in peak shape, the entire planet—even the
coldest, windiest place on earth—is yours to explore
BY CAT PERRY
→Adventure exploration has become more accessible
over the years: There are cross-country bikes ’n’ beer
tours, multiweek rafting and backpacking trips through
exotic locales, and even more extreme challenges for
those who have the passion. Take Todd Carmichael,
50, who set a world record in 2008, trekking—unaided—
from the edge of Antarctica to the South Pole, hauling
250 pounds of supplies across 700 miles of icy terrain.
He accomplished the feat in just 39 days, 7 hours, and
49 minutes. Carmichael clearly doesn’t believe in the
impossible. “Train your muscle memory correctly,”
he says, “and you can do what you were born to do.”
Number of pounds Todd
Carmichael lost on his record-
setting 700-mile expedition
across Antarctica
Go All In for Adventure
● Carmichael preps for expeditions using a
gut-wrenching regimen of tire pulls, 14-hour
weighted StairMaster sessions, and metabolic
weight training. Sending his system into “red
alert,” Carmichael says, gets his body—and
more important, his mind—ready for the
shock that defines extreme adventuring.
Get ready for your next daring thrill by
­ratcheting up your regimen to Beast Mode.
TRAINING TIP
> For metabolic train-
ing, go superslowly on
negative reps. After
failure, move quickly
to the next machine.
With high-intensity training and proper diet, your
body and mind can get ready for any adventure.