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<keyword id="619668" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Arunima-Sinha">Arunima Sinha</keyword> whooped for joy. After a gruelling climb over 52 days, several near brushes with death, and as severe a test of her will as she had ever faced, she was on top of the world. She had conquered Everest – the first woman amputee to accomplish this feat.<br /><br />Since that day in May 2013, Sinha has scaled the highest peaks on five other continents and is just one summit away – McKinley in North America – from completing the Seven Summits Challenge to reach the highest point on each of the seven continents.<br /><br />A former national level volleyball player in India, Sinha was travelling from Lucknow to New Delhi in 2011 by train when robbers tried to snatch her gold necklace. “I resisted and so they pushed me out of the train,” says Sinha, who watched in horror as another train sped towards her and ran over her left leg. “I lay by the train tracks bleeding and screaming in pain the entire night, fighting off rats.”<br /><br />Villagers found her in the morning and carried her to the local hospital, which lacked basic facilities. Doctors amputated her left leg below the knee and inserted a rod in her right leg to support it – without anaesthetic.<br /><br /><br />Sinha on Mt Elbrus Photo: courtesy of Arunima Sinha<br /><br />Sinha was moved to a New Delhi hospital where she was fitted with a prosthetic leg and spent four months recovering. Those were her “darkest hours,” when she came to hate the look of pity in people’s eyes. She took inspiration from Yuvraj Singh, an Indian cricketer who had successfully battled lung cancer and was forging his return to the elite levels of the sport.<br /><br />After leaving hospital, she contacted Bachendri Pal, who in 1984 had become the first Indian woman to summit Everest. Pal heads the Tata Steel Adventure Foundation, funded by India’s leading steelmaking company. Moved by Sinha’s story, Pal took her under her wing.<br /><br />“When I met Arunima, I told her, ‘In your heart you have already climbed Everest. Now you merely need to prove it to the world’,” says 65-year-old Pal. “In the early stages, she could barely walk. Her legs would bleed and swell up making every step excruciating. But she persisted.”<br /><br />Sinha spent two years under Pal’s guidance, building both her physical and mental toughness. She enrolled in the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi, training in the mountains of Uttarkhand, Ladakh and Nepal.<br /><br /><br />Sinha on Mt Vinson in Antarctica. Photo: courtesy of Arunima Sinha<br /><br />“I felt demotivated when I couldn’t keep up with the other climbers, but I was determined to outpace them,” says Sinha. After eight months her legs grew accustomed to climbing. She ascended progressively higher mountains, moving to Island Peak or Imja Tse (6,189 metres) in the eastern Nepalese Himalayas and Mount Chamser Kangri (6,622m) in Ladakh, India. She learned to use ropes to climb, carrying 20kg of supplies and walking with crampons for traction on ice.<br /><br />Tata Steel helped her cross the final hurdle, providing sponsorship to cover costs that can range from US$40,000 to US$90,000. On April 1, 2013, Sinha began her quest as a part of the company’s Eco Expedition Everest Group.<br /><br />Climbers tackle hazards that include freezing temperatures, altitude sickness, avalanches and blizzards. After reaching Camp 2 at 6,400m, the second of four stops en route to the 8,858m summit, Sinha ran into serious and unique difficulties.<br /><h2 style="margin-top: 1.14286rem; margin-bottom: 0.428571rem; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 1.71429rem; line-height: 2.21429rem; font-family: Merriweather, serif; vertical-align: baseline;">I resolved that I would not let the fear of death hold me back … I knew that if I turned back then, I would never forgive myself. It was now or never<span class="quote-body-container__author author">Sinha on risking her life to continue through Everest’s death zone</span></h2><br />“Banging my feet against the snow to get a grip on the ice, I damaged my artificial leg stump. On several occasions my artificial leg turned 180 degrees and I had to put it back to its normal position which slowed me down,” she says. “I had to crawl along the slope to move forward, annoying the climbers behind me.”<br /><br />At Camp 4 at 8,000m – the infamous ‘death zone’ where the ambient oxygen level is so low that the body’s cells slowly begin to die – Sinha witnessed dead bodies, and even saw a climber who had run out of oxygen take his last few breaths. “I resolved that I would not let the fear of death hold me back,” she says.<br /><br />On May 21, after hours of strenuous climbing, Sinha’s group had reached the Hillary Step, just 100m from the summit. Stretched in front of them was <a href="https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/3012340/now-time-crowd-control-everest" class="link-text"><span class="text">a human traffic jam along a dangerously narrow route</span></a><br /> in which only one person could pass at a time. It took two hours for the jam to clear, by which time Sinha was running low on oxygen.<br />Sinha on Mt Everest. Photo: courtesy of Arunima Sinha<br /><br />Her sherpa, Neema Kancha, warned that if she continued up, she might not survive the climb down. “I knew that if I turned back then, I would never forgive myself. It was now or never,” says Sinha, who pushed on. Two hours later, she stood on top of the world.<br /><br />“I felt like dancing, crying and laughing, all at the same time. I wanted to tell the world: here I am!”<br /><br />Unfurling the Indian flag, she recorded a one-minute video, asking Kancha to send it home if she didn’t survive.<br /><br />The climb down Everest is far more deadly than the ascent. Thirty steps into her descent, Sinha’s oxygen ran out. Luckily, a climber had turned back before reaching the summit and left behind an extra oxygen cylinder which Sinha put to lifesaving use.<br /><br /><h2 style="margin-top: 1.14286rem; margin-bottom: 0.428571rem; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 1.71429rem; line-height: 2.21429rem; font-family: Merriweather, serif; vertical-align: baseline;">I would not have climbed Everest had I not met with the accident in 2011. Though I lost my leg, it made me a stronger person</h2><h2 style="margin-top: 1.14286rem; margin-bottom: 0.428571rem; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 1.71429rem; line-height: 2.21429rem; font-family: Merriweather, serif; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="quote-body-container__author author">Arunima Sinha</span></h2><br />When Sinha’s artificial leg came loose, she could not risk removing her gloves to secure it in the biting cold (-30 to -40 degrees Celsius) as she could have lost her hand to <keyword id="1101430" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="frostbite">frostbite</keyword>. Instead, she held the support rope with one hand, and her prosthetic with the other, dragging herself down to the first stop. It usually takes 17 hours from Camp 4 to the summit and back. It took her 28 hours.<br /><br />Her determination was well rewarded.<br /><br /><br /><br />Sinha with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Photo: courtesy of Arunima Sinha<br /><br />“At 23 years of age I lost my leg, but at 25 years of age I realised my dream,” she says. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched her memoir, <em>Born Again On The Mountain</em>, in December 2014. In 2015, Sinha was awarded India’s fourth highest civilian award, the Padma Shri, and the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award.<br /><br />Sinha has established an eponymous foundation to empower women and disabled children, and plans to set up a sports academy for underprivileged and physically challenged children in India’s Uttar Pradesh state.<br /><br />“I would not have climbed Everest had I not met with the accident in 2011. Though I lost my leg, it made me a stronger person,” she says, adding she wants to give opportunities for growth to others.<br /><br /><br /><br />Sinha on Mt Elbrus. She is one peak away from completing the Seven Summits Challenge. Photo: courtesy of Arunima Sinha<br /><br /><br />There is no mountain high enough to stop amputee Arunima Sinha, who has scaled:<br /><br /><keyword id="14834" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mount-Everest">Mount Everest</keyword>, Nepal, Asia, 8,858m – May 21, 2013<br /><br />Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Africa, 5,895m – May 11, 2014<br /><br /><keyword id="1127684" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mount-Elbrus">Mount Elbrus</keyword>, Russia, Europe, 5,642m – July 25, 2014<br /><br />Mount Kosciusko, Australia, 2,228m – April 20, 2015<br /><br />Aconcagua, Argentina, South America, 6,961m – Dec 25, 2015<br /><br />Carstensz Pyramid (Puncak Jaya), Indonesia, Asia, 4,884m – July 8, 2016<br /><br />Mount Vinson, Antarctica, 4,892m – Jan 1, 2019<br />

The first woman amputee to summit Everest shares her incredible story of determination

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Ross and Hugo Turner are identical twins who conduct fitness experiments on themselves.</li><li>For 12 weeks, Hugo worked out for 20 minutes and Ross did twice as much, exercising for 40 minutes.</li></ul><p>The identical twins Hugo and Ross Turner — known as the <a href="https://www.theturnertwins.co.uk/fitness/40-vs-20-minute-workout" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Turner Twins</a> — are no strangers to a challenge.</p><p>The professional adventurers have done all sorts of things in a bid to explore every corner of the world. They have rowed the Atlantic, climbed <a href="https://www.insider.com/twin-explorers-take-tampons-and-super-glue-on-expeditions-2019-5">Mount Elbrus</a>, and trekked Greenland's polar ice cap. They're currently trying to reach the most remote locations on each continent and ocean on the planet.</p><p>But they are equally fascinated by the human body. In between their expeditions, the twins, 34, carry out experiments on themselves to understand how two genetically identical people react to different diets and workout regimes. Their latest challenge is designed to test whether working out for longer is more beneficial than short spurts of exercise.</p><div type="image" title="A before and after image of Hugo wearing the same pair or trainers and blue shorts at the start and end of the experiment." height="1850" width="2466" msid="101215521" hostid="261"></div><p>Hugo worked out for 20 minutes at a time, and Ross worked out for 40 minutes. They compared their strength, fitness, and <a href="https://www.insider.com/high-protein-daily-diet-to-lose-body-fat-keep-muscle-2021-8">body composition</a> over 12 weeks.</p><p>Ross told Insider that their results were "eye-opening." Despite working out twice as much as his twin brother for three months, Ross said he saw next to no difference between their physiques or physical performances at the end of the experiment.</p><div type="image" title="A before and after image of Ross wearing a pair or trainers and black shorts at the start and end of the experiment." height="1885" width="2514" msid="101215524" hostid="261"></div><h2><strong>They did the same strength-building workout, but Ross did twice as many reps</strong></h2><p>The twins, who are based in London, followed their usual identical diet — they are usually together, so they eat practically the same thing. They didn't track their food but estimated that they were eating about 2,000 to 2,500 calories a day.</p><p>In each session, the twins would do a 20-minute workout together, which typically involved four exercises. When Hugo finished, Ross would repeat the workout. They generally worked out for two or three consecutive days before taking a <a href="https://www.insider.com/how-to-stop-over-exercising-break-workout-addiction-rest-days-2021-6">rest day</a>.</p><p>The twins lifted the same weights and performed the same number of reps. They performed four sets of each exercise in the <a href="https://www.insider.com/weight-lifting-rep-range-rule-myth-how-train-build-muscle-2021-3">higher rep range</a> of 14 to 16 as this builds endurance, which is important for their expeditions — rather than lifting heavier weights with fewer reps, which aids <a href="https://www.insider.com/best-exercises-for-building-muscle-in-gym-correct-technique-2020-12">strength-building</a>.</p><h2><strong>How they measured the experiment</strong></h2><p>Ross and Hugo weighed themselves at the start and the end of the experiment. Ross was about three pounds heavier than Hugo to start with.</p><p>They also noted their one-rep-max for a deadlift and a bench press — the heaviest weight they could perform for one rep — and how many push-ups and pull-ups they each could do.</p><p>Next, they measured their "<a href="https://www.insider.com/heart-rate-training-benefits-2018-11">VO2 sub-maximal</a>" — a measure of cardiovascular fitness — by cycling on an exercise bike with the same resistance level for 15 minutes at a set speed while measuring their heart rates.</p><p>Lastly, they took a body scan every time they went to the gym to measure their weight and body composition.</p><h2><strong>A shorter workout was just as beneficial, they concluded </strong></h2><p>"The biggest finding was that we didn't really find a huge amount of performance difference between 20 or 40 minutes, if at all," Ross said.</p><div type="image" title="A table of data comparing the number of push ups, pull ups, bench pressses, deadlifts, heart rate at across the 12-week experiment." height="289" width="976" msid="101215529" hostid="261"></div><p>Each twin was able to do one more pull-up than usual by the end of the experiment, despite not doing any specific pull-up-focused training. They also lifted the same amount when they compared deadlifts at the end.</p><p>Hugo — who was on the lighter workout regime — managed 13 more push-ups at the end compared to when he first started, while Ross only did two more, despite exercising more for three months. Ross, however, increased his max bench press by 5 kilograms, or about 11 pounds, more than his brother.</p><p>As for their cardio fitness, Hugo's heart rate at the end of the experiment was higher than Ross', who worked out for longer. A lower heart rate is a sign of greater cardiovascular fitness, so Ross said the longer workouts made him fitter than his brother.</p><div type="image" title="A line graph comparing Hugo and Ross' muscle mass across the 12-week challenge" height="1236" width="2398" msid="101215532" hostid="261"></div><p>Their muscle mass increased at the same rate, but Ross gained slightly more weight overall.</p><div type="image" title="A line graph comparing Hugo and Ross' weight across the 12-week experiment." height="1225" width="2421" msid="101215536" hostid="261"></div><h2><strong>Ross — who did double the work — couldn't believe it</strong></h2><p>After working out twice as much, with nowhere near twice the results, Ross was frustrated.</p><p>"I've put in double the work," he said. "I've lifted 16 hours extra over the 12 weeks. Am I seeing any results that I would say are worth doing? Not at all."</p><p>But he doesn't regret the challenge — in fact, he said that everyone should experiment with their workout regimes. "You'll learn far more for the rest of your life and be far more informed than if you did five years of just doing a gym program because somebody told you to," Ross told Insider.</p><p>He said the two of them would probably get the best results by working out for 20 to 25 minutes but perhaps upping the weights — in the experiment, they lifted weights based on what Ross would be able to do for 40 minutes, and so, in a 20-minute workout, they would be able to lift heavier without fatiguing.</p><h2>A sports scientist said the results aligned with some larger studies</h2><p>Michael Graham, a senior lecturer in sport and exercise science at Teesside University, told Insider that the twins' results should be taken with a pinch of salt.</p><p>Hugo and Ross acknowledged that the study was too small-scale and uncontrolled for the results to be deemed concrete.</p><p>"We can't confidently assume any of the relationships or differences discussed between Hugo and Ross are anything to do with them as twins or simply typical variations and similarities we would see in any pair of individuals," Graham said.</p><p>However, he said their findings did tally with some scientifically controlled <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32567679/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">research</a> on twins.</p><p>Graham said the main takeaways should be the importance of individualizing exercise programs and that you can gain huge benefits from less time in the gym than many might think.</p>

These twins did the same workout for 3 months &mdash; but 1 exercised for half as long each time. By the end, they saw almost exactly the same results.

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/colin-obrady" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American athlete Colin O'Brady</a> spent 54 days in November and December crossing Antarctica on a pair of skis while towing a 375-lb. sled.</li><li>He said when he woke up every morning he repeated four simple words to himself: "You're strong, you're capable."</li><li>When things got really rough and the winds were whipping at 50 mph, sometimes he'd also remind himself: "This too shall pass."&#xa0;</li><li>O'Brady says the two phrases were instrumental to his success. He's now the first person to ever cross Antarctica alone and unaided.&#xa0;</li></ul><p>It was windy and the temperature was well below zero at 6 a.m., when Colin O'Brady rose out of his sleeping bag at the bottom of the world.</p><p>The sun was already shining bright as the athlete's alarm beckoned the beginning of a new day in the Antarctic summer, where average December temperatures hover around -16 degrees Fahrenheit. O'Brady knew it was time to quickly turn on his camping cookstove and start melting ice to make oatmeal so he could fuel up and continue skiing across Antarctica toward the Ross Ice Shelf.</p><p>He was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/colin-obrady-first-to-cross-antarctica-alone-unaided-2018-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on a journey</a> that would eventually become a world-first unaided solo&#xa0; voyage across the harsh white southern continent.</p><p>For 54 death-defying days, the athlete relied on two simple mantras to gather mental strength,&#xa0;O'Brady told Business Insider after he returned,</p><p>Before he crawled out of his bed to make breakfast and even as <span>"winds were whipping outside the tent," O'Brady said</span> there's one thing he always told himself to begin the day:&#xa0;</p><p>"Y<span>ou're strong, you're capable."</span><span></span></p><p>O'Brady often battled frostbite and was no stranger to 50 mph tent-blasting Antarctic winds as he traversed the <a href="http://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/environment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">coldest, driest, windiest continent</a> on Earth.&#xa0;Those trying times were when O'Brady might bust out his other favorite Antarctic catch-phrase:</p><p>"T<span>his too shall change. This too shall pass<em>.</em>"</span></p><p>On December 26, he became <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/colin-obrady-first-to-cross-antarctica-alone-unaided-2018-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the first person to ever </a>cross Antarctica alone and unaided by anything other than skis, on a 932-mile trek that no one had survived before.&#xa0;</p><h2><span>O'Brady underwent some grueling training, both for his body and his mind</span></h2><p><span>Both mantras are the result of years of mental and physical training O'Brady completed for the Antarctic trek. </span></p><p><span>In 2016, the 33 year-old from Oregon raced to the top of the tallest peaks on all seven continents (including Antarctica) in just 132 days, faster than any person before him. More recently, he trained for the cross-Antarctica mission on heavily inclined treadmills, and used weight training to put on an extra 20 pounds of muscle so he could pull his 375-lb. sled of gear across the South Pole. He even completed a test mission in Greenland, towing his gear for a 30-day, 400-mile practice run. </span></p><p><span>But that was only part of the equation. </span></p><p><span>O'Brady also underwent rigorous mental training for the extreme isolation he'd endure on a solo trek. </span><span>The athlete has participated in several <a href="https://www.dhamma.org/en-US/index" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vipassana meditation</a> retreats. </span></p><p><span>"Completely free, highly recommend," he said of the donation-based retreats he attended.&#xa0;</span></p><p><span>In the bucolic, cushioned spaces made for quiet focus, he'd sit in silence for 10 days at a time, meditating 10 hours each day and training his mind to weather waves of emotion with both awareness and balance.</span></p><p><span></span><span></span><span>Traditionally, meditation mantras tend to be simple sounds, like "om," which are repeated to foster concentration. But a mantra can also be any phrase used to focus and calm the mind.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><h2>The mental benefits of mantras aren't just for explorers</h2><p><span>Researchers have recently studied how both mantras and meditation can help people manage high-stress scenarios. </span><span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6157509/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A small 2018 study</a> of emergency room workers in Ireland who participated in just four four-hour-long mantra meditation sessions found that those doctors and nurses improved their focus at work and felt calmer with their colleagues. Some even slept better after their trainings. </span></p><p><span>An <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16499671" target="_blank" rel="noopener">earlier 2006 study</a> of military veterans in San Diego found that silent mantras could help the vets better deal with stress, insomnia, and unwanted thoughts, while <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265663457_Meditation-Based_Mantram_Intervention_for_Veterans_With_Posttraumatic_Stress_Disorder_A_Randomized_Trial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a larger 2013 study</a> noted some veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) reported improvements in depression and well-being when they used mantra techniques in tandem with other treatments, including medication.</span></p><p><span>Other studies on the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6136530/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">positive effects of mantras</a> suggest they may even help people tamp down physical sensations of pain, and improve mood and sleep quality for patients with knee injuries and osteoarthritis.</span></p><h2><span>O'Brady talked himself across Antarctica at a stupefying pace</span></h2><p><span>The 54-day trek across Antarctica was the longest amount of time O'Brady ever spent alone. He had to rely on his mind for reassurance in blasting whiteout conditions, repeating things like, "I</span>t will be sunny again at some point. The wind will calm down," and remembering "As long as I keep putting that one foot in front of the other, keep trying to make progress," that he would move forward.</p><p>Another helpful mantra: "Hopefully, I can make it to the other end."&#xa0;</p><p>O'Brady did just that, managing to shave 16 days off his expected day of arrival. He even capped off his quest on Christmas with a final "ultramarathon," covering the last 77 miles of his cross-continent trip in a 32 hour endorphin-fueled push to the finish line, where he burst into tears.</p><p>"Proving to myself that I can finish that is something that I will carry with me throughout my entire life," he said.&#xa0;</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more about O'Brady's expedition:</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/colin-obrady-1250-calorie-energy-bar-antarctica-taste-test-2019-1" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">We tried the 1,250-calorie survival bar that powered Colin O'Brady's record-shattering 932-mile solo journey across Antarctica</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-colin-obrady-ate-on-solo-trek-across-antarctica-2018-12" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">A 33-year-old American just became the first person to cross Antarctica alone and unaided. He survived on oatmeal, freeze-dried meals, and energy bars.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/colin-obrady-first-to-cross-antarctica-alone-unaided-2018-12" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">An American explorer just became the first person to cross Antarctica alone and unaided, finishing with an 'ultramarathon': Photos show his spectacular 932-mile journey</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-american-colin-obrady-trained-for-solo-trek-across-antarctica-2018-12" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">An American adventurer has become the first person to cross Antarctica alone and unaided. His training included Buddhist retreats and a 400-mile trek in Greenland.</a></li></ul><div>    </div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/maps-big-countries-world-geography-russia-greenland-antarctica-2015-3">9 animated maps that will change the way you see the world </a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

The 33-year-old American who just became the first person to cross Antarctica alone says 2 simple mantras were crucial to his success

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The first woman amputee to summit Everest shares her incredible story of determination

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These twins did the same workout for 3 months but 1 exercised for half as long each time. By the end, they saw almost exactly the same results.

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The 33-year-old American who just became the first person to cross Antarctica alone says 2 simple mantras were crucial to his success

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