UNDERSTANDING FITNESS EXPECTATIONS
Mountain climbing is a very sport-specific activity and having the proper fitness is fundamental. While there are many different approaches to training, we highly recommend Sport Specific training, which means hiking uphill (or on gym apparatus) as your primary training with a pack. Your “test” as to fitness is the ability to travel at a pace of 1000 vertical feet per hour with the required pack weight (and the expectation for most is to build to this point over time). Most climbers train 4-6 days a week. Much of the development and progress can take place during the weekly training sessions, which are usually shorter in time then longer weekend hikes. Please review the below training pages as well as the resources for literature and personal trainers.
GETTING IN SHAPE FOR CLIMBING
Training for mountaineering focuses on building a sport-specific fitness developing cardiovascular endurance training, flexibility, and strength training. The training information here will help you arrive prepared for the mountain. Most people will need to train for an 8-day Mountaineering Course for at least 4-6 months.
THE PHYSICAL DEMANDS YOU ARE SPECIFICALLY TRAINING FOR ARE:
- Hiking with a 55+ lb backpack for up to 5 hours at a time
- Steep climbing and glacier travel with approximately a 20 lb backpack
- Moving on your feet for 9-12 hours on summit day
- Movement techniques requiring balance, core strength, and flexibility
Certain ascent rates are required for this climb. When hours are prolonged due to slow ascent times, climbers become fatigued, dehydrated, and have a greater chance of getting cold. This also puts the team at risk in rapidly changing weather on the mountain. It is a matter of risk management that climbers ascend at the rates stated below.
BENCHMARK ASCENT RATES FOR AN 8-DAY MOUNTAINEERING COURSE IN ALASKA:
- Ascending pace: While moving uphill climbers should be prepared to move at a pace of 1,000 feet of vertical gain an hour. Team will take a break every hour for food and to hydrate. Meeting this pace and having reserves are minimum standard for summit team members. Proper strength training and sport specific endurance work carrying a weighted pack will pay off here.
- Climb from Camp to Summit in 5-6 hours. While this will involve a lighter pack (approximately 20 pounds). Here is where your more challenging training days, like intense weighted hill climbs, will pay off. You want to be able to climb efficiently and clear-headed at this altitude, with plenty in reserve for contingencies and to descend competently.
An effective training program for an Alaska Mountaineering Course should be primarily composed of endurance training with significant strength components as well. Your training should progress slowly and be modulated, incorporating progressively harder weeks with planned rest weeks to consolidate the training loads into fitness gains. The following tabs will help you construct an endurance and strength training program for yourself.
For catered training plans and advice, contact Steve House and the staff at Uphill Athlete. Use our code at Uphill Athlete to receive 10% off personalized coaching for your next climb: AlpineAscentsTraining.
You may also finding the following blog post helpful: “Is my Training Working?”
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Books to consider:
Training for the New Alpinism: A Manual for the Climber as Athlete
The Outdoor Athlete
Personal trainers & sport specific training plans:
Working with a personal trainer that is familiar with the demands of mountaineering and climbing is highly recommended. They can create personal training plans utilizing both indoor and outdoor locations with long range objectives and criteria. Personal trainers and training programs can help build a program based on your location, recognizing your access to health climbs and outdoor training. Sport specific training programs provide structured training for individuals to follow at home, the gym, and outside.
For those who have not trained for mountaineering or want to refine their training with industry professionals, we recommend: Steve House and the staff at Uphill Athlete. Use our code at Uphill Athlete to receive 10% off personalized coaching for your next climb: AlpineAscentsTraining.
Cardiovascular Endurance Training
A properly designed endurance training program is the key to being successful for long days in the mountains. For those not familiar with endurance training, it may be surprising that the vast majority of time spent is at a fairly low intensity. For better or worse, there is no shortcut to this process. To perform well over many hours climbing you need to teach your body to be efficient and comfortable burning fat and operating at a sustainable intensity. There is no way to do this except to spend the bulk of your time training at these levels. The good news is that most of the training isn’t brutally difficult at any one point, the hard news is that it can be time consuming and requires dedication and consistency to see the results. For most folks this will involve some early alarms during the week to fit in shorter training sessions then doing the more time-consuming longer sessions on the weekend.
Endurance training needs to be reasonably convenient to execute and as sport-specific as possible. Striking a balance between these two goals is the key and depends on your geographical location and time constraints. The following are examples of endurance training modalities that can be used in a mixture during your training phases.
- Steep outdoor hills with lots of vertical gain
- Steep outdoor hills that are short, requiring repeated laps
- Stairs with many flights (stadium or tall building)
- Incline treadmill (40% max incline)
- Normal treadmill (15% max incline)
- Stepmill type trainer with actual rotating steps
- Stairstepper/Stairmaster
Other training options like cycling, rowing, and swimming have their place at times for active recovery and/or injury rehab, but these activities are not sport-specific enough to adequately train you for climbing. Use the best training modes you have available. Make an effort to train outside and in varying weather conditions when you can. If you live in an area that has hilly terrain somewhat close, try and get out on the weekend to train in this terrain.
FLEXIBILITY
Be sure to include at least 5-10 minutes of targeted stretching following every workout, specifically for the hamstrings, glutes, hips, calves, lower back, and quadriceps. If you have any areas of concern early season, add emphasis to making sure you have normal range of motion about all your joints. This will become even more important as you add weight and distance to your conditioning.
Strength Training
Consistent and thoughtfully progressed general strength work can be a great benefit to mountaineers. Being strong makes your movements more efficient and ultimately less taxing. It will also make you more durable and prevent injury. Strength training does not need to be complicated, equipment intensive, or time consuming. We do recommend having access to some basic dumbbells and a few height boxes at a minimum. Progress the workouts slowly and always pay attention to good form before trying to increase weights too quickly.
General strength and core exercises are great in the early and middle phases of training plans. As the training progresses and the goal climb approaches, you may want to use some of the training time to do more sport-specific strength training such as heavy pack carries that simulate the stress of climbing.
A good warm up is important for strength work just like any other training. One way is to do 15-20 minutes of low intensity aerobic work first to get the blood moving and the muscles warm. This can be an easy jog outside, cycling, or using a gym machine like an elliptical. Once warmed up, you can dive into core work. Pick 6-8 core exercises and work up to doing 3 sets of 10 reps. The following link has some suggestions and demonstrations of exercises that are great for climbing.
Uphill Athlete: Scott’s Killer Core Routine
Following core exercises, you can move directly into a strength workout. A basic but effective way to structure this is to include a few upper body and a few lower body exercises. The upper body exercises ideally include a pushing and a pulling movement, while the lower body exercises are primarily single legged (bonus points if they require a bit of balance). Alternating between upper and lower body is a great way to be time-efficient in you training. For example:
10 reps of step ups onto a 16” box working up to a 24” box
10 Wall Pushups, Knee Pushups, or Traditional Pushups
Rest 3-4 minutes
10 reps of step ups onto a 16” box working up to a 24” box
10 Wall Pushups, Knee Pushups, or Traditional Pushups
Start with one round of this and work up to 4 rounds over a couple months. Use additional weight in the form of a barbell or weight vest to make 10 reps challenging. Progress the weight and number of rounds slowly over the training period. You may also consider other similar movements with resistance bands or TRX straps. Full body exercises like the deadlift and Turkish get-ups are also great for this kind of general strength training.
Phase 1: Transition
Transition Phase – begin 24 weeks before climb
The following side tabs are examples of how you might construct the weekly flow of a training plan. For a training plan to be effective, you need to lay down a firm foundation. This transition phase (Phase 1) is especially important for those that are coming into the program less trained or who haven’t been training at all. It is also important for those coming from other sports that are not foot borne and/or do not involve carrying heavy packs.
Remember to progress the total volume of the weekly training, slowly adding 10% or less each week. Approximately every 4th week should be a very easy consolidation week to prevent over-training and consolidate fitness gains. This week should be about 50% of the total volume of the last big week.
Weekly total training time: 6 hours
Heart rate zones:
| ZONE | % OF MAX HEARTRATE | PERCEIVED EFFORT |
| Zone 1 | 60 – 70% | Light effort, can keep engaged conversation |
| Zone 2 | 70 – 80% | Moderate effort, speaking in short sentences |
| Zone 3 | 80 – 90% | Challenging effort but not exhausting, can speak 5-7 words at a time |
| Zone 4 | 90 – 100% | Maximum effort, unable to speak |
Complete rest at least one day a week. This is a great day to get organized for the coming week. Stretching, foam rolling and a gentle 20 minutes walk are encouraged.
1 x core routine + 1 x general strength for first week;
progress to 3x core + 3x strength by week 8.
Suggested core – Uphill Athlete: Core Routine
Suggested general strength – Uphill Athlete: General Strength Routine
60 minute hilly long cardio day. Progress this to 80 minutes by week 8. Ideally hiking/jogging outside in as hilly of terrain as possible. Zone 2 HR throughout. Emphasis more on vertical gain and time on feet than intensity.
Alternative option: If outside hills are unavailable, use treadmill on 10-15% incline.
Alternative option: Stair repeats in stadium or tall building can also be used.
45-60 minute walk/jog. Zone 1 effort on flat to gently rolling terrain. Should not feel strenuous.
Alternative option: 60-90 minutes of cycling can also be used on recovery days instead of walk/jog.
1 x core routine + 1 x general strength for first week;
progress to 3x core + 3x strength by week 8.
Suggested core – Uphill Athlete: Core Routine
Suggested general strength – Uphill Athlete: General Strength Routine
60 minutes of Zone 2 running/jogging. Flat or gently rolling terrain is fine. You may need to walk at times or on uphill to keep your HR in Zone 2. Once 20 minutes in and warmed up, add in 4 – 6 pickups to a hard pace. These should last only about 10-20 seconds each and you should allow HR to return to normal in between.
Alternative option: Treadmill at 5% incline can be used.
1.5 hour hilly long cardio day. Progress this to 2.5 hours by week 8. Ideally hiking/jogging outside in as hilly of terrain as possible. Zone 2 HR throughout. Emphasis more on vertical gain and time on feet than intensity.
Alternative option: If outside hills are unavailable, use treadmill on 15% incline.
Alternative option: Stair repeats in stadium or tall building can also be used in combination with normal running, for a total of 1.5-2.5 hours moving at Zone 2.
Phase 2: Base
Base Phase – Begin 16 weeks before climb
The following side tabs are examples of how you might construct the weekly flow of a training plan. Remember to progress the total volume of the weekly training slowly adding 10% or less each week. Approximately every 4th week should be a very easy consolidation week to prevent over-training and consolidate fitness gains. This week should be about 50% of the total volume of the last big week.
Weekly total training time: 8 hours
Heart rate zones:
| ZONE | % OF MAX HEARTRATE | PERCEIVED EFFORT |
| Zone 1 | 60 – 70% | Light effort, can keep engaged conversation |
| Zone 2 | 70 – 80% | Moderate effort, speaking in short sentences |
| Zone 3 | 80 – 90% | Challenging effort but not exhausting, can speak 5-7 words at a time |
| Zone 4 | 90 – 100% | Maximum effort, unable to speak |
Complete rest at least one day a week. This is a great day to get organized for the coming week. Stretching, foam rolling and a gentle 20 minutes walk are encouraged.
Core: After warm-up do 4 of the exercises from Scott’s Killer Core Workout that you find most challenging. Add weight or do progressions that allow 4-6 reps only. Work up to 3 sets.
Strength: do 4-6 reps of push-ups followed by 4-6 reps of box step-ups. Add weight as needed, a weight vest may be helpful. Repeat for a total of 4 sets. Then move to a couplet of pull-ups and box step down heel touch. Again add weight to allow 4-6 reps. 4 sets total. Progress to 6 sets over the course of 8 weeks. Strength Demo Video: Box Step-up and Heel Touch.
90 minutes total of Zone 2 cardio seeking out steep terrain available. After first 30 minutes, go hard for 20 continuous minutes uphill. HR should climb into Zone 3 during this 20 minute interval. After those 20 hard minutes, hike remaining duration in Zone 2. Over the 8 weeks progress the 20 minute Z3 interval to 40 minutes. Carry a small pack or weight vest with about 10% of body weight.
Alternative option: If outside hills are unavailable, use treadmill on 10-15% incline or stairmill machine, still including 20 minute hard interval in Zone 3.
45-60 minute walk/jog. Zone 1 effort on flat to gently rolling terrain. Should not feel strenuous.
Alternative option: 60-90 minutes of cycling can also be used on recovery days instead of walk/jog.
Core: After warm-up do 4 of the exercises from Scott’s Killer Core Workout that you find most challenging. Add weight or do progressions that allow 4-6 reps only. Work up to 3 sets.
Strength: do 4-6 reps of push-ups followed by 4-6 reps of box step-ups. Add weight as needed, a weight vest may be helpful. Repeat for a total of 4 sets. Then move to a couplet of pull-ups and box step down heel touch. Again add weight to allow 4-6 reps. 4 sets total. Progress to 6 sets over the course of 8 weeks. Strength Demo Video: Box Step-up and Heel Touch.
1.5 hour hilly cardio day. Progress this to 2 hours over the 8 weeks. Ideally hiking/jogging outside in as hilly of terrain as possible. Zone 2 HR throughout. Emphasis more on vertical gain and time on feet than intensity.
3 hour long cardio day. Progress this to 4 hours over the 8 weeks. Ideally hiking/jogging outside in as hilly of terrain as possible. Zone 2 HR throughout. Emphasis more on vertical gain and time on feet than intensity. Carry a pack with 10% body weight.
Alternative option: If outside hills are unavailable, use a combination of normal running and time on treadmill at 10-15% incline for total of 3 hours moving at Zone 2.
Phase 3: Specificity
Specificity Phase – Begin 8 weeks before climb
The following side tabs are examples of how you might construct the weekly flow of a training plan. Remember to progress the total volume of the weekly training slowly adding 10% or less each week. Approximately every 4th week should be a very easy consolidation week to prevent over-training and consolidate fitness gains. This week should be about 50% of the total volume of the last big week
Weekly total training time: 8-10 hours
Heart rate zones:
| ZONE | % OF MAX HEARTRATE | PERCEIVED EFFORT |
| Zone 1 | 60 – 70% | Light effort, can keep engaged conversation |
| Zone 2 | 70 – 80% | Moderate effort, speaking in short sentences |
| Zone 3 | 80 – 90% | Challenging effort but not exhausting, can speak 5-7 words at a time |
| Zone 4 | 90 – 100% | Maximum effort, unable to speak |
Complete rest at least one day a week. This is a great day to get organized for the coming week. Stretching, foam rolling and a gentle 20 minutes walk are encouraged.
45-60 minute walk/jog. Zone 1 effort on flat to gently rolling terrain. Should not feel strenuous.
Alternative option: 60-90 minutes of cycling can also be used on recovery days instead of walk/jog.
MUSCULAR ENDURANCE HILLS ZONE 3 EFFORT (HEAVY PACK)
90 minutes total seeking out steep terrain available. After 20 minute warm-up, go hard for 40 continuous minutes uphill with heavy pack. HR should climb into Zone 3 during this interval, but the weighted pack should feel like the limiting factor, not HR. After that hard interval, hike remaining duration in Zone 2. Over the 8 weeks progress the 40 minute Z3 interval to 50 minutes. Carry a heavy pack with about 55+ pounds or 35% of body weight.
Alternative option: If outside hills unavailable, use treadmill on 10-15% incline or stairmill machine, still including 40 minute hard interval in Zone 3.
45-60 minute walk/jog. Zone 1 effort on flat to gently rolling terrain. Should not feel strenuous.
Alternative option: 60-90 minutes of cycling can also be used on recovery days instead of walk/jog.
2 x core routine and 1 x general strength. This is for maintenance only and should not feel particularly draining.
Suggested core – Uphill Athlete: Core Routine
Suggested general strength – Uphill Athlete: General Strength Routine
1.5 hour hilly cardio day. Progress this to 2 hours over the 8 weeks. Ideally hiking/jogging outside in as hilly of terrain as possible. Zone 2 HR throughout. Emphasis more on vertical gain and time on feet than intensity.
3 hour long cardio day. Progress this to 4 hours over the 8 weeks. Ideally hiking/jogging outside in as hilly of terrain as possible. Zone 2 HR throughout. Emphasis more on vertical gain and time on feet than intensity. Carry a pack with 15% body weight progressing to 20%.
Alternative option: If outside hills are unavailable, use a combination of normal running and time on treadmill at 10-15% incline with a weighted pack for total of 3-4 hours moving at Zone 2.
Our guides were super knowledgeable and with abundant experience. What I found best and really making the experience outstanding were our guides genuine love for the mountain and alpine adventures. It is most inspiring and effective to learn from people who love what they do and teach – it was 100% the case here.
