Alpine Rock/Ice Climbing Training Program

Aer 

Aerobic Exercise (Aer)

The prescribed minutes of aerobic exercise are noted in the table. Notice that the prescribed minutes each week for this will go up and down, with a gradual trend upward. The number of minutes will drop a bit as other exercises go up in intensity and duration, or when getting close to the climb you are training for.

Timing:   

Immediately after waking-up, and before breakfast. If the workout will be more than 40min then eating breakfast first is a very good idea.

Intensity:

Low Intensity. You should be able to say “Happy birthday to you” without struggling too much while you are running. Some would call this “jogging”. If you keep track of your heart rate, this is a Zone 1 workout (50-60% of max heart rate (MHR)) with short durations in Zone 2 (60-70% of MHR) when going uphill.

Notes

Running outside on a trail is best. My next choice would be running outside alongside the road. Choose terrain with some moderate hills if available. If running is difficult on your body then cycling outside is a good option. If that’s difficult then swimming would be an option. Avoid treadmills and indoor bikes unless outdoor training is not possible. Indoor training will not train your muscles to adapt to traveling over different surfaces very well, and will not accustom your body to exercising in different temperatures and environments. You should be able to do aerobic exercise in the rain, wind, heat, and even the snow if it is not too dangerous. I find it is usually easiest to wake-up, put on my running shoes, and jog straight out of my door and around the neighborhood rather than driving to a special location. I do this regardless of the weather. The less barriers you have to training, the better. The reason to train before breakfast is to ensure that you are training in a fasted state. Training when you don’t have any food in your stomach can help your body transition to burning fat as fuel, which is a much better source of energy for low output, long duration activities like hiking up a mountain. However, once you are doing aerobic training for 40min or more it is a good idea to bring a snack bar with you just-in-case, or eat some carbs before the run (like eating breakfast first).  

Climb 

Climbing in a climbing gym (Climb)

If you are lucky enough to live in a place where climbing outside is possible for these workouts, then go for it. This will provide more realistic training. For the rest of us, a climbing gym is a great resource for these workouts. If you don’t have access to a climbing gym, then you can use a pair of Metolius Wood Rock Rings attached overhead, and grip them with one hand then the other for 5 to 15 seconds at a time on various edge sizes (start with smaller edges, and as you tire use larger ones). Keep your heels on the ground and lean back while holding the rings so you have perhaps 60% of your body weight on your fingers. To complete the workout you will climb (or “grip”) continuously for the number of minutes listed. If there is a set number listed (2 x would be two sets) then you will take a 10 to 20min break between sets. You should feel pretty fresh for each new set, so if 10 min isn’t enough time between sets, try 20min. See below for more details.

Timing:

In the afternoon or evening. Ideally you will finish at least two hours before bed so the workouts do not negatively impact your sleep.

Intensity:

Low intensity. For climbers who are familiar with rock climbing training, what you are doing is “ARC training”. ARC stands for “Aerobic, Respiration, and Capillary” training. To do this, you want to be able to climb on the wall for at least 10 minutes without putting your feet on the ground. Generally, this means you will need to climb a full two number grades easier than your on-sight level. If you onsight 5.11, this means climbing 5.9. If you onsight 5.9, this means climbing 5.7. If you begin to climb harder than this, not only will you fail to produce the desired training effect, but you could actually destroy gains in capillary and mitochondrial density in the muscle tissue by creating an environment that is too acidic. Focus on building technique and efficiency in your climbing, rather than on progressing up the grades. Note your progress by being able to climb longer, not harder. Choose walls that are vertical or less than vertical to start. You should feel a light pump, but not a deep one. If you feel a deep pump that makes it difficult to perform the movements, then you are on a wall that is too steep or on holds that are too small. Get on something easier.

Notes:

Auto-belays at climbing gyms are a great option for this type of training, where you can climb not only up, but also down the routes. If you have elbow issues, then it is better to only climb up, jump off, then start climbing up again as soon as you are able (the eccentric contractions of downclimbing can aggravate elbows). Traversing is also an excellent option. For these workouts try to wear the same footwear that you will use on your alpine climb (if the gym will allow this). Often this is a light-weight alpine boot like the Scarpa Zodiac Tech, or a pair of approach shoes. Also, for the first ten minutes of your workout, wear an alpine climbing pack weighing around 20lbs (even better- pack your alpine climbing pack exactly the way it will be packed for the climb, and wear this). A weight belt will not place the weight in the same location as a climbing pack, and will thus not provide you with training that is as realistic. DO NOT wear the pack for the entire training time, as you could place too much strain on your fingers and joints over time, and progress toward injury.

Adapting this for routes with ice climbing:

If the route you plan to climb has significant sections of near-vertical ice climbing, then we recommend that you purchase a pair of Escape Climbing Drytool Picks. These will attach to Black Diamond or Petzl ice tools, and allow you to climb on indoor climbing walls. These are much better than schmools or other products that “hook” plastic climbing holds. You can then perform the ARC training using your ice tools with these picks attached. Keep in mind that the position of the tool will push your body away from the wall and make the climbing feel much steeper than it appears. This will likely necessitate that you find climbs that are less steep than you first anticipate.

Core

Core Strength (Core)

Timing:

In the afternoon or evening, at least 1 hour before you go to bed.

Exercises to do:

The “McGill Big Three”. Click the link at left for an instructional video on how to do these. If you already have your own core training routine, it’s OK to stick with it, as long as it includes exercises for your posterior chain (your back) as well as your sides in addition to your abdominals.

Notes:

These exercises are designed to increase the strength and stamina (endurance) of the stabilizing muscles of the core. The core does not only include abdominal muscles, but also muscles along the spine and on the sides of your torso. These exercises will help ensure that you avoid injury as you begin to carry a backpack and increase your training intensity and duration as time goes on. Avoid doing exercise shortly before bed because this can negatively impact your sleep.  

Low/Med/High Resist 

Resistance training (Resist)

Note that the number of sets in each workout are specified in the table 

Low:

15 reps at 60% of your 1 rep max. Rest 4min between sets.

Med:

6 reps at 75% of your 1 rep max. Rest 4 min between sets.

High:

2 to 3 reps at 90% of your one rep max. Rest 4 min between sets.

Timing:   

At least two hours before you go to bed. You should be well fed and well rested before the workout so you can achieve maximal effort. Eat some carbs before the workout if possible, and some carbs and protein afterward.

Exercises to Do:

Warm-up with 5min of aerobic exercise to get your core temperature up. Follow this with controlled movements that bring your joints through a full range of motion. DO NOT do static stretching as part of your warm-up, as this can lead to injury. Here is a link to a good warm-up routine.

• Deadlift :Do this lift first, as it requires the most amount of effort, and produces some of the best results for building strength. You must have perfect form to prevent injury. During the first week of training do not lift more than your body weight as you build your technique. Once you have developed form and technique it is important to begin adding weight, as this exercise is most effective with heavy loads.
• Squat: This will be your second exercise. Follow the advice above under “deadlift”
• Bench Press -or- Dumbell Press
• Lat pull-downs -or- Weighted pull-ups
• Prone Bench Row

Notes:

The purpose of these exercises is two-fold. The first purpose is to cause your muscles to begin to adapt to training by increasing the number of mitochondria and the density of capillaries in the muscle tissue. This will allow you to more efficiently use oxygen, transport waste out of muscle cells, and transport energy into muscle cells. This results in greater muscular endurance, which is of great help during long days in the mountains. The second purpose is to build a base level of strength and mobility, which will reduce the likelihood of injury. Although the upper body is not used much in alpine climbing (other than on very steep technical pitches), increasing upper body fitness will greatly reduce the likelihood of injury when climbing. Because you are only doing one workout a week it is unlikely you will build much muscle, but you should develop more strength in the muscle you already have.  

Hard Climb 

Projecting difficult rock routes (Hard Climb)

For these work-outs you want to choose routes that are two letters above your onsight level. If you onsight 5.10b then you would choose 5.10d, for example. You want the routes to be sufficiently difficult that you have something to learn or some strength to gain by climbing the route.

How to do the exercise:

Choose a climbing venue with climbing that simulates the type of climbing you will do on the objective you are training for (if possible). The climbing should be unquestionably safe, since getting injured is the antithesis of building fitness. Pick three to five routes that are two letter-grades above your onsight level. This could be in a climbing gym, top ropes on crack climbs, or at a sport crag that is safely bolted with clean falls (if you will be leading). Bouldering can also work for this work-out, especially if you enchain two or three boulder routes to create a problem that is the length of a route. For the first workout it is best to stick with top-roping so you can focus on developing technical skill and confidence. Hang on the rope when you need to figure-out a move or when you need to rest. As you gain confidence and adjust to climbing above your onsight level it is good to begin leading routes from bolt-to-bolt (if you are a lead climber). This will help build the mental skill and stamina necessary to remain on the edge of your comfort zone for a prolonged period. Practice falling (safely) at least once per session to put your mind at ease. While you are climbing you want to avoid pumping yourself out. Find rests, look for more efficient ways to do moves, climb faster, or hang on the rope as necessary. After each climb rest for a minimum of 10min before climbing again. If your effort was especially high then rest for 15 to 20min before trying again. Focus on quality, not quantity for this work-out. When you are no longer able to complete difficult moves then it is time to stop. Continuing will not produce gains in strength or skill, but will lead you on a path toward injury. Do not expect to climb many routes during these sessions, or to feel overwhelming fatigue.

Timing:

In the afternoon or evening, ideally at least two hours before bed so the training does not negatively impact your sleep. Make sure you have eaten before the workout so your muscles are not glycogen depleted and your brain has the glucose supply it needs to focus.   

Inter 

Hill or Stair Intervals (Inter)

The prescribed number of sets of intervals is outlined in the table 

Timing:

Anytime of the day will work, but if you have a choice early afternoon is optimal. Avoid doing this within 2hrs of bedtime.

Intensity:

Low intensity followed by high intensity, then back to low.

How to do it:

This is best done on a steep hill outside, but can also be done on stairs or bleachers if you don’t have hills in your area. Stair stepper machines can be used if necessary, but outside training would be my first choice. If you have achilles or knee problems then consider doing intervals on a bicycle instead. To do intervals while running, jog slowly uphill for 2min, followed by sprinting uphill as fast as possible for 20 seconds. One jog plus one sprint equals one set. Recover by continuing to jog uphill as slowly as necessary (walk if needed) for another 2min, then sprint uphill for 20 seconds again. As your fitness improves gradually reduce the rest period (2min) after the sprint. Your ability to do more sets, along with your ability to recover more quickly between sets, is an indicator that the training is working.

Notes:

The purpose of this exercise is to increase your body’s ability to flush lactate out of the leg muscles, thus recovering enough to produce power again. This exercise improves stamina on steep terrain at altitude, such as a climb up the steep glacier beneath the ice pitches on the North Ridge of Mt. Baker. This exercise will also help you recover more quickly at the end of a long, hard day in the mountains.  

Hike 

Uphill hike while carrying a pack (Hike):

The backpack weight and elevation gain for the hike are detailed in the work-out table. The reason that two days of hiking are stacked back-to-back initially is to simulate a climb, where the approach to basecamp involves carrying a heavy pack, while the following day requires carrying a lighter pack to the summit and back to camp. The training plan will decrease the difficulty of the second hike day as the difficulty of the first hike day goes up. This is to reduce the likelihood of overtraining.

Timing:

Start very early in the morning if possible, to accustom your body to being on-the-move early in the day. On alpine climbs it is common to wake long before sunrise. As the duration of your hikes increase the early start will help ensure that you get back before sunset (especially in the winter months when daylight is limited).

Intensity:

Low to Medium. Start these workouts at an easy pace that you feel you could keep-up all day. As you gain an intuitive sense of how fast you can hike for a given duration, kick up the intensity a bit, and then dial it back again to recover as necessary while you are on-the-move. The most important thing is that you complete the workout- not how fast you complete it. So if you are going to sacrifice something, sacrifice intensity and not the distance or elevation gain.

Notes:

For adding weight to your pack I recommend employing two strategies. For five of your training sessions I recommend packing your pack the way you would for a mountaineering trip. This will build your skill in packing your pack, and help you feel what the pack will actually be like on your climb. Going downhill with a full pack will also help you develop balance, strength, and endurance, though it can also be taxing on your joints. For the rest of your training I recommend carrying the majority of the weight as water. You will dump-out the water when you reach the high point of your hike and walk down with a mostly empty pack. This will reduce wear-and-tear on your knees as you descend. You may need to do laps on a hill that is shorter than the intended elevation gain (four laps on a 500ft. hill to equal 2,000ft for example). If you don’t have access to hills in your area then you can use stairs or a stair stepper machine as necessary, but if possible try to plan some trips to do training hikes outside as this will be more motivating and will train stabilizing muscles and descending movements more effectively. I recommend making a list of hikes you would like to do and sorting them by difficulty so that you do the easiest hikes first, then progress on to the more difficult hikes as your training continues. One huge advantage to doing these hikes outside in various weather and terrain is that you learn how to take care of yourself when you are wet, cold, tired, and hungry. Because of differences between individuals it is not possible to learn this from a book. It is a good idea to do two hikes in your mountaineering boots to get used to them and find-out if they will work with your feet. However, unless you are hiking in snow, it is best to do the rest of your training in shoes/boots that are flexible and comfortable (I like trail running shoes) because too much hiking in stiff mountaineering boots on dirt trails can lead to achilles, knee, and foot injuries. Many guides and motivated recreational climbers find this out the hard way.