Training for the New Alpinism: A Manual for the Climber as Athlete

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The resources at Uphill Athlete are perfect for beginners, and I am proof that anyone (even a guy living in Texas) can figure out how to climb a big mountain like Mount Rainier. For a while, I considered hiring a personal trainer but then I met another would-be seven summiteer who was about to embark on a six-month training program for Everest. He shared some advice and after a little research of my own, I signed up for a training program with Uphill Athlete who specialise in training plans specifically for high-altitude mountaineers and alpinists. Throughout the program we also touched on our experience with various topics that the training book dives into. It will take a toll on your body. We ran into a couple of over-training scenarios. Monitor and listen closely to your body. Build in rest and recover to the program, dedicate time to active recovery.

Be aware that a high volume (many dozens in a day) of normal pull-ups from a bar can increase the likelihood of elbow tendonitis since the fixed handgrip forces your elbow into a restricted range of motion. Rather than go for a high volume of unweighted pull-ups, it is much better to work through some pull-up variations. Here a few we have used over the years. Great whole-body exercise that connects hands to feet. When you can execute ten reps progress to raising one foot off the ground while maintaining strict push-up form. When an elevated single foot gets easy, add a weight vest or place a box or exercise ball under your feet.There are three components to climbing a mountain. You need the right skills, the right equipment and the right body. Training for the New Alpinism: A Manual for the Climber as Athlete by Steve House and Scott Johnston is about how to build the optimal body for alpine mountaineering. It will also eat into your personal life, especially if you are trying to do this along side a full time job. There is no getting around it without half-assed-ing it. Prepare your loved ones for what the program entails and why it is important to you. If you're exercising so hard that you're no longer recovering that means you have entered Zone 1. Zone 1: Basic Endurance (55-75% of max HR)

It’s important to make survivable mistakes. They say that good judgment comes from bad experience and that the huborous that comes with being a foolish 20 somethings pretty much guarantees such an education. Going hungry or freezing your ass off is necessary and invaluable. After a lesson has been emphasized with suffering you’re grantees to never make that mistake again.Training for the New Alpinism is among my favorite books on athletic training. It has great information on subjects from altitude acclimation to "whether Peanut M&M's are in fact nature's most perfect food", but my favorite chapters are endurance conditioning [1] and physiology [2]. In the Fall of 2015, I was 30 pounds overweight and hadn’t stepped foot in a gym in years. I was overworked and compensated for this on weekends with late nights fueled by cheap beer. My idea of working out was going out on a 15-minute jog a few times a week. But realistically, I skipped half of my planned runs and only made it out a few times a month. But of course, there is more! The book is choke-full of gorgeous climbing pictures and personal stories of celebrity climbers. And, you know, reading about how all these people caught their mountain bug; the type of gruelling training they have to put up with for a chance of spending a few weeks in the mountains; learning about the tough situations they face when exposed to the elements and how much ingenuity goes in surviving these - all of that puts the daily grind we - regular mortals spending their lives at the sea level - in a perspective.

Muscular strength is a precondition to muscular endurance. Alpine mountaineers build a little bit of muscle mass and then extract as as much muscular endurance as they can out of it. According to the authors, "You'll do it via very sport-specific movements in workouts using up to hundreds of repetitions." Aerobic Endurance Zones Dried fruits: Apricots and dates are both sources of iron and vitamin C, which are important nutrients at altitude. A minimum muscular strength is necessary to climb a particular mountain. If you have good muscle recruitment then additional strength gains are counterproductive to mountain climbing because increasing strength (beyond muscle recruitment) increases your weight. Carrying extra weight makes it hard to climb mountains. A specialized mountaineer builds no more muscle than he or she needs. One big problem? I didn’t know ANYTHING about Mount Rainier or what kind of undertaking I had committed to. Light exercise speeds recovery when compared to sedentary activity "because aerobic enzymes and hormones…actually improve the rebuilding process of the structures damaged during harder training" but the exercise isn't hard enough to actually damage the structures.The aim is to be as prepared as you can. Consider your nutrition requirements before you leave and optimize your intake during your trip. Energy and Nutrition Requirements Dips are great for general shoulder health and will help with those pesky mantels. Unless you have a shoulder injury, use a full range of shoulder motion: Drop so far down that you feel a good stretch in your pectoral (chest) muscles. You may need assistance on this one but still use full range of motion. When you can do ten reps, add more resistance.