Now Is the Time to Start Training for Spring

ndavidson — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Spring Break is only two months away, which for most people is the first opportunity to get back on trails after a long winter on skis (or inside if you’ve been lazy). This plan, designed to be done three days a week for five weeks, will get your legs and lungs ready for spring.

Mondays: Mini Leg Blaster + Poor Man’s Leg Curl

Most people only think of the uphill component to vertical movement, but it’s actually the downhills that demand the most strength and leave you the most sore the next day. Hiking or running downhill demands eccentric leg strength. The is a complex of bodyweight exercises to hammer your quads:

10 Air Squats
5 Lunges on each leg
5 Jumping lunges on each leg
5 Jump Squats

Performed as quickly as possible one exercise immediately after the other.

Pair the Mini Leg Blasters with —another bodyweight exercise—to add strength and balance by training your butt and hamstrings:

Lay on the floor with your hands by your sides, close enough to a bench to put one foot on it with knees bent. Press your foot on the bench and use your glutes to raise your butt up off the ground until your hips are at their full extension.

Wednesdays: 40-Foot Shuttle Progression

Start with a simple, five-minute, 40-foot shuttle assessment and use your result to follow-up with progressions aimed at increasing your speed at VO2 max.

Complete the assessment:��Set 2 cones, 40 feet apart. Shuttle sprint back and forth between the cones, as fast as possible, for 5 minutes. Each length counts as one rep. Record your final reps.
Calculate your Progression Reps:��Divide your total assessment reps by 5 to get your reps per minute.��Multiply this number by 1.15 and round down. This is the number of reps you’ll need to complete each 60-second interval.

For example:

Assessment Reps: 64

64 reps divided by 5 minutes = 12.8 reps per minute

12.8 X 1.15 = 14.72.

Rounded down = 14.

Each 60-second interval in the training plan, you’ll complete 14 reps.

Fridays: Loaded Step Ups with a 25-pound pack

are a simple, strength and endurance movement that mimics hiking uphill under load. Simply step-up onto a 12-20 inch box or bench (16 inches is ideal), and alternative feet each step. The prescribed reps in the plan below are totals for both feet, so 500 step-ups = 250 on each foot.

For pacing, aim to complete 50 every 2 minutes, minimum.

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The Alpinist Fitness Assessment

eberger — Tue, 18 Aug 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Last November, I began working with two groups of alpinists training for objectives in Patagonia and the Himalaya.��

I designed “event-specific” training plans for each, including initial assessments, and this started me thinking about what a general “Alpinist Fitness Assessment” would look like.

By “alpinist” I’m speaking here in terms of an athlete who climbs high, glaciated peaks—think the Alps, Canadian Rockies, and Tetons.��

Alpine climbs contain a diverse range of fitness demands—mode-specific endurance for uphill hiking��under load, upper, lower and core strength, climbing-specific fitness and proficiency, work capacity for short, intense, events, and stamina for long pushes and long days.

This past spring I designed the “Alpinist Fitness Assessment” (AFA)��as a way to measure these fitness attributes in one setting.��

As originally designed, the AFA takes 3.5 to��5 hours to complete.

Below is a shorter version, which can be completed by most athletes in 2 hours. And in case you’re interested in trying the full version, I've��included that below as well.��

Required Equipment:

Measured 25-meter area for shuttles
Pull up Bar
Dip Station
17-inch��box or step for step ups
18-kilogram��pack for step ups
GPS watch for measuring distance and time, and or a known 5-kilometer��running course and stopwatch to time final run

Alpinist Fitness Assessment,��Short Version

Warm Up:

3 Rounds
25x Step ups (unloaded)
10x Push ups
3/5x Pull ups
10x Situps
Instep Stretch
Lat + Pec Stretch

Assessment:

Max Rep Bodyweight Bar Dips:��Bodyweight bar dips test upper body pushing strength. Rest 3 minutes.
: using a 17-inch��box and a��40-pound pack, for total reps (as many as possible in the time-frame). These will��test lower body strength, and uphill hiking fitness and endurance.��Rest 5 minutes.
:��Bodyweight pull-ups test upper pulling strength.��Rest 3 minutes.
:��A test of anaerobic power.��Rest 10 minutes.
:��30-minute time limit, top five��routes count toward your score. A test of climbing proficiency and fitness.��Rest��10 to��15 minutes.
Run 5 Kilometers for Time:��This will make you finish��with a test of your aerobic base, endurance, stamina and mental fitness.

How to Score:

Step Ups (30 points possible)
Total Reps �� Score
550+ �� 30
525-550 �� 27
500-524 �� 24
475-499 �� 21
450-474 �� 18
425-449 �� 15
400-424 �� 12
375-399 �� 9
350-374 �� 6
325-349 �� 3
300-324 �� 0
��
Dips – Each rep counts as .5 point
Pull-Ups – Each rep counts as .5 point
300m Shuttle
Finish Time (sec) �� Score
< 60 �� 30
60.1-62 �� 27
62.1-64 �� 24
64.1-66 �� 21
66.1-68 �� 18
68.0-70 �� 15
70.1-72 �� 12
72.1-74 �� 9
74.1-76 �� 6
76.1-78 �� 3
78+ �� 0
��
Bouldering V-Sum:��After a 5 minute traverse��warm up, you have 30 minutes to attain as many V-Sum points as possible. Climb at least 5x bouldering routes, and only the top 5 routes count toward the score. For example, an athletes climbs the follow-ing routes in the 30 minute time limit:
V4
V3
V4
V2
V1
V1
V4
V3

His V-Sum would be the sum of the V-score for the top 5 routes he climbed: V4+V4+V4+V3+V3 = Final V-Sum of 18.
��
Run 5 Kilometers for Time (30 points possible)
Finish Time��(hr:min:sec) �� Score
< 18:38 �� 30
20:11-18:38 �� 27
21:44-20:12 �� 24
23:18-21:45 �� 21
24:51-23:19 �� 18
26:24-24:52 �� 15
27:57-26:25 �� 12
29:30-27:58 �� 9
31:04-29:31 �� 6
31:04+ �� 0

Here’s an example of how to score the assessment:

Dips:��15 reps��= 7.5 points
Step-ups:��455 reps = 18 points
Pull-ups:��21 reps��= 10.5 points
300m shuttle: 65 sec = 21 points
Bouldering V-sum:��11��= 11 points
5 km run finish time: 23:22��= 18 points

Total��= 86 Points

Scoring Standards:

For Male Athletes
60 is a poor score
95 is a good score
130 is a great score

For Female Athletes
40 is a poor score
70 is a good score
100 is great score

Alpinist Fitness Assessment,��Long Version

Warm Up:

3 Rounds
25x Step ups (unloaded)
10x Push ups
3/5x Pull ups
10x Situps
Instep Stretch
Lat + Pec Stretch

Assessment:

Max Rep Bodyweight Bar Dips:��Rest 3 minutes.
40 Minute Step Ups with 40-pound pack��for total reps. Rest 10 minutes.
Max Rep Bodyweight Pull ups: Rest 3 minutes.
300 Meter Shuttle, for Time:��(12x 25m).��Rest 10 minutes.
Bouldering V-Sum:��Rest 10 to��15 minutes.
Run 15 Kilometers for Time

How to Score:

Step Ups (30 points possible)
Total Reps �� Score
1100+ �� 30
1050-1099 �� 27
1000-1049 �� 24
950-999 �� 21
900-949 �� 18
850-899 �� 15
800-849 �� 12
750-799 �� 9
790-749 �� 6
650-699 �� 3
600-649 �� 0
��
Dips – Each rep counts as .5 point
Pull ups – Each rep counts as .5 point
300m Shuttle
Finish Time (sec) �� Score
< 60 �� 30
60.1-62 �� 27
62.1-64 �� 24
64.1-66 �� 21
66.1-68 �� 18
68.0-70 �� 15
70.1-72 �� 12
72.1-74 �� 9
74.1-76 �� 6
76.1-78 �� 3
78+ �� 0
��
Bouldering V-Sum () Final score = points
Run 15 Kilometers for Time (30 points possible)��
Finish Time��(hr:min:sec) �� Score
< 1:05:00 �� 30
1:05:01-1:08:00 �� 27
1:08:01-1:11:00 �� 24
1:11:01-1:14:00 �� 21
1:14:01-1:17:00 �� 18
1:18:01-1:21:00 �� 15
1:21:01-1:24:00 �� 12
1:24:01-1:27:00 �� 9
1:27:01-1:30:00 �� 6
1:30:01-1:33:00 �� 3
1:33:01 + �� 0

Scoring Standards:

For Male Athletes
70 is a poor score
105 is a good score
140 is a great score

For Female Athletes
50 is a poor score
80 is a good score
110 is great score

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