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

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by Rebecca Dent, Uphill Athlete High-Performance Dietitian As our resident High-Performance Dietitian, Rebecca Dentis available for phone consultationsabout diet, and she can create a Custom Performance Nutrition Planfor you. Further Reading Sports drink mix: If facilities allow, take a flask to make a high-energy hot drink using honey/maple syrup, maltodextrin powder, and a pinch or two of salt, or simply a hot chocolate. You must cultivate a sense of detachment from your fear. Our goal is enough detachment and enough awareness that you notice the first moment you begin to sense fear. When it comes up in your brain or more often in your gut, repeat to yourself that fear is information, and that you don’t let fear control your emotional state” (388).

This is often referred to as a "conversational pace." You will be able to speak in complete sentences with your training partner, and the pace should feel relaxed and easy. To find the upper end of this zone, start by exercising slowly while breathing through your nose only. As you increase the intensity/speed gradually, note the point at which this nose breathing becomes noisy and labored. This is the upper end of Zone 1. Here we are. First cycle of the program completed. By diving headfirst into this program we were able to get a peek into what it takes to be a high level alpinist. This year we stood at the bottom of a lifelong journey staring up at the 30 more dedicated cycles it will take to develop and took the first step. In this post I will review our experience executing Steve House’s full training program. Here are the major milestones we reached throughout the program: There is a thorough chapter in Training for the New Alpinism on expedition eating and the impact of altitude on physiology and body composition. It also provides good working examples of how and what to eat when at altitude. The largest part of my training focuses on developing my aerobic endurance through a mix of running, uphill hiking and weighted hiking. During an average week, four out of six sessions will involve these disciplines that replicate hiking over hilly terrain. For me, some of this will be outdoors, but a lot of the sessions will have to be completed in London where I don’t have access to hilly terrain. Mihai Stetcu Hiking over hilly terrain is the ideal way to train for mountaineering I was introduced to “Training for the New Alpinism” and the principles within the book completely changed my perspective on training for mountaineering.

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]. These principles were applied to my training, and over nine months, I was able to lose 30 pounds and get into the best shape of my life. When it came time to climb the mountain, I felt confident, and my fitness level was never in doubt.

For an in-depth explanation of the role strength training plays for mountain athletes we recommend Strength Training for the Mountain Athlete. Start with Core as your warm-up.That "10 percent" is for athletes like marathon runners. Alpine mountaineering makes marathon running look like a sprint. VO₂ max matters little to alpine mountaineers whose event durations are measured in days and weeks rather than hours. Training For The New Alpinism is THE training book for mountaineers of all levels and ambitions. It provides a roadmap for you to achieve your own personal mountaineering goals, but “ for those who dare to try, this book can take you as far as you have the will to go” (441). Training for the New Alpinism is a manual that guides you in constructing a simple, progressive training program lasting from six weeks to a year and beyond. The book has been heralded as a road-map to greater alpine climbing success for climbers of all abilities.

Three rules of thumb: Don’t retreat or make any important decision (1) in the dark, (2) with your heart rate over one hundred, or (3) on an empty stomach” (406). What I really enjoy about the book is that there is no single “best” exercise program or technique that applies for everyone, and the author makes sure to highlight this. To present the reader with choice, he features Olympic and seasoned climbers of different nationalities and their different training methods. However, the featured climbers are overwhelming white men, and it only features one woman. It would be more balanced to feature alpinists of different physiques, such as women, and how their bodies adapt to acclimatization and training methods.Each person’s energy expenditure and nutrition requirements on an expedition will differ depending on the individual (e.g., training and conditioning status, gender, body composition, etc.) and the style of your trip (trekking, alpinism, or mountaineering). Elevation and altitude, gradient, and the technical requirements of the climb will also impact your energy needs and the type of food provisions required. Other considerations include whether the trip is self-supported, if your load will be carried, and if your meals will be cooked and provided for you. At the beginning of the chapter the books makes you calculate your training time per week. This time should include all kind of training so aerobic, strength and actual climbing? The Aerobic Threshold (AeT) describes the boundary between Zone 1 and Zone 2. Recall from the introduction that most of your training should take place right below the AeT. Zone 2: No Man's Land (75-80% of max HR)

To gauge what your daily energy requirements may be, use this rough calculation: Research suggests for active individuals performing at altitude, the approximate total daily expenditure equals your basal metabolic rate at sea level times 2.2–2.3 (Westerterp et al., 1992). This will at least give you an idea of where to start when planning your nutritional intake. Expedition Nutrition Strategies Typewriter—with a very wide grip, pull up on the right, traverse your chin along the bar, and lower on left. Make circles going in both directions. Thanks to everyone who sent us messages, questions, comments! All of your interest has kept us engaged in the process and made us do more research and improve in so many ways. We want to engage with everyone and anyone who has completed a cycle of this program! Or answer questions for those of you who are thinking about or working your way through it. To get insight into our mindset throughout the program I recommend going through the posts I’ve linked to above. Now that we are into the next cycle we’ve had many discussions over what we did well, and what we did wrong. I will breakdown our lessons learned by undertaking such an intensive training program.

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Do not push to failure. Look for details in the notes accompanying each exercise photo and description. Don’t expect it to be easy. In Training for the New Alpinism, Steve House, world-class climber and Patagonia ambassador, and Scott Johnston, coach of US national champions and World Cup Nordic skiers, translate training theory into practice to allow you to coach yourself to any mountaineering goal. Applying training practices from other endurance sports, House and Johnston demonstrate that following a carefully designed regimen is as effective for alpinism as it is for any other endurance sport and leads to better performance. They deliver detailed instruction on how to plan and execute training tailored to your individual circumstances. 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. If you want an easily digestible explanation of performance-centered physical training, this is a good book. This is not a book full of training "recipes". There are example routines and logs presented in the book, but these are meant as guides. After reading the book, you'll be able to create your own training programs. The main issues are about the general strength training routine described in the transition period chapter and are the following: