This series looks at training and preparation for mountain and adventure activities. In part 1 we'll focus on the physical aspects of training, but it is important to mention that there will be overlaps in all elements of training mentioned in this series, the physical, mental and tactical.
Training for mountain adventures is still relatively new, unlike more traditional sports such as football and athletics, but when climbers in the 1970s and 1980s began to realise that gains that could be made through systematically training, and not just climbing alone, it led to a leap in standards. Walking may seem less athletic, but might the same be true for this too?
There are many reasons why a walker might also wish to train. Preparing for mountain adventures is like preparing for anything else - the more you put in, the more you are likely to get out. Whether you're bagging Munros, attempting a long distance backpacking journey or taking your first steps into more technical mountaineering, training can help you perform better, achieving goals you may not have felt ready for before. You may not enjoy training for its own sake, or perhaps you're happy with the scale of days you're already enjoying in the hills and feel no need to push distance, ascent or difficulty: nevertheless, a regular training regime can help you stay mobile, preventing injury. Being able to remain active in the hills you love so much is a great reason to train!
It may be true that to get the most gains in a short period of time, the best option for beginners is to focus on the specific activity itself. However, at some point we all hit a plateau in performance.
This may due to fitness, strength and endurance, but may also involve skill factors such as technical ability in using crampons and ice axe, or proprioceptive ability when moving on rough or steep ground. Common limiting performance factors in hillwalking and mountain running are often confidence on narrow ridges, covering scrambling terrain, or mobility on rough ground like scree. Practicing the skills to move over technical ground is crucial when it comes to pushing your comfort zone, and that is perhaps especially true in winter.
How To Achieve Your Goals
The best way to learn how to perform in activities is to observe professionals and people who excel in their sport. Look at confident mountain runners for clues. Professional athletes have support teams and coaches to help them achieve top performance, however there are lots of little things we can all do ourselves to make new gains and help break through training plateaus.
Key is to break the process down to these three areas:
Physical
Tactical
Mental
Before we delve into these areas, a little about my personal experience with training. Eight years ago, I overtrained and pushed my body to a point where it took months to recover. I learned a valuable lesson about training intensively without satisfactory recovery periods: At some point your body will say no - or at least mine did… You may have a super-human body that can handle huge amounts of stress for long durations of time, however the vast majority of us will need to rest and build fitness gradually over many weeks and months. Therefore, a clear strategy for sustainable improvement is so important if you are wanting to improve your performance.
Physical Training
The reason I want to start on overtraining and fatigue is because it is often hugely underestimated. It is always better to turn up to an event or a big journey slightly under trained with lots of energy, rather than over tired from physical training.
Let's look at some fatigue indictors:
Slow to go up the stairs
Not sleeping well
Tired (signs of yawning and itchy eyes) and short tempered
Low appetite
Fatigue signs are very personal and may be different for you, however keeping a training diary (more on this later) will help identify when you are feeling tired and when you may need more rest.
Another reason I decided to start here is that I find people often start to train without considering their current energy levels and fitness routines. If you plan to start training when you are not getting enough sleep, are stressed at work and have very limited time, your fitness journey is likely to be short. Just like attempting to diet, for us to see positive results long term we need to consider other aspects of our life too.
When planning training, always schedule in rest days and recovery weeks. Performance cannot be gained through training alone. Recovery after a training session is when the body adapts and new fitness levels can be achieved.
Stay clear of the middle ground! Training at high intensities regularly will build fatigue. If your body doesn't get time to rest then it will soon cause overtraining or injury. How many times have you set out training and soon got a cold or injury which stops you in your tracks?
80% of training should be at a low intensity level: Nose breathing pace and super comfortable. High intensity should be for very short periods and requires long rests. The final 20% of training can be harder efforts but recovery is required so not to eat into your body's reserves.
Consistency trumps intensity every time! Better to train five times per week at an easy intensity than one extremely hard session. Another example I often see is people setting off too quickly. Training hard 4-5 times per week and then hitting a wall and struggling to continue with the intensity week after week.
I appreciate this is very broad advice and not specific, but why overcomplicate things? The old saying 'train hard and fight easy' will often lead to over training, injury and therefore a poor performance. Athletes taking part in the recent Olympic Games will have trained for years to get to where they are today. Yes they certainly will be training most days, all year round, but they will be extremely careful not to over train and to get plenty of rest - especially a few weeks running up to the event.
What can I do?
Bodyweight
Most people would benefit a lot from regular bodyweight workouts. Keep training simple and try not to overcomplicate things. Lower body training will help build stability and strength. Upper body work such as pull ups and press ups is unlikely to cause injury (if done correctly) unlike weightlifting where much more technique and experience is required. Bodyweight training also requires very little space and no equipment, which can be useful when travelling, waiting around base camp or for anyone with limited access to equipment.
Compound movements
Earn the right to progress from bodyweight onto weights. Take your time to transition and eventually you should be able to lift your maximum.
Use big lifts, pushes and pulls to engage large muscle groups and help build resilience to stress and fatigue. Don't worry about building muscle. Many athletes believe lifting weight will slow down their movement and performance, however watch any Olympic lifting athlete and see just how quickly they can move.
Power, Speed & Strength
Explosive movements help develop power which is often required for short explosive bursts of energy, whether that's working through a crux sequence on a climb or tackling a steep hill. Exercises such as the box jump and snatch will help break through performance plateaus and give you the next gear when you need it.
Mobility (Strength & Flexibility)
Most athletes would benefit from being more mobile. Stretching/yoga is one method, however resistance training can also help develop mobility. Try using resistance bands and small (light) weights to increase the ROM (range of movement).
Runners and hikers should focus on opening up the hips with deep squats and improving lateral movement which is often neglected in the activity.
Specific training
As I mentioned earlier, this is likely to be the most important part of your training plan and the most fun! It's about getting out there and climbing, hiking or running. If I only had a short amount of time to train for a project or event this is where I would spend most of it.
Weighted Carries
Carrying weight for shorter periods of time is a great way of building strength and improving your ability to move over long distances. Most of us don’t have the opportunity to hike regularly for hours to build the amount of mileage required for long treks and events so carrying weight is a good alternative to help build up strength in the lower body.
Cycling
Although not completely specific to hill walking and running, cycling is another great way to build up strong legs for both activities. Strong legs to power up hills and improved cardiovascular system to move quickly without burning out. It’s also accessible for most people and is easy to progress intensity and volume gradually.
Fartlek, Intervals, Steady state
There are numerous methods of training the cardiovascular system. At the beginning of a training programme I like to have lots of variety of modes (exercise types) which helps the body to adapt to lots of speeds and recovery times. The most important part is being able to see the improvement. Schedule performance tests throughout the training plan to help see changes in your performance and if you may need to switch things up to get a different adaptation.
For example if you are a mountain walker and spend all your training time at a steady pace without mixing things up; improvement could be pretty slow if not any. Throw in some weighted hill sprints once per week; some intervals once per week and a run to get much more adaptation to a variety of speeds, distances and intensities.
Progression
Feel like your fitness or technical ability are holding you back from running at your best, or pushing the enelope on harder or longer hill days? Hitting a plateau in your performance is a perfectly normal thing to experience. Now's the time to change things up and progress your training habits. Once accustomed to a schedule your body will stop adapting. This is where strength training can be so useful, because it's easy to increase load, adapt the workout or switch up your training routine.
Running and hiking over technical ground, especially downhill can only be replicated by doing that activity. If this is a weakness, then finding time to practice rocky, hummocky or steep terrain will be an important part of your training plan. More of this will be covered in part two of this series.
When it comes to winter mountaineering, summer scrambling, or alpine aspirations, to progress technically it would be worth considering hiring a mountain guide, a coach or a more experienced friend who can help you develop skills necessary to tackle the routes you aspire to. Skills such as confident movement on scrambling ground, abseiling and rope work can be the difference between attempting a route confidently and having a fantastic day, rather than backing off the route when it feels a bit too spicy.
What to remember:
Consistency is key
Practice small and achieve big
Training + recovery = Fitness
Keep it simple
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