Personal Pre-Trip Training

It stands to reason that your enjoyment of a climbing trip is significantly influenced by how fit you are on that trip.  You greatly enhance your probability of success, increase your safety margin, decrease your chances of becoming ill or injured, and are not totally wasted at the end of the day if you are in better shape.

Therefore, we at VisionQuest Journeys strongly suggest that you optimize your fitness level. -Brian Prax

Brian Prax has worked as a Physical Therapist for 10 years, with an emphasis in exercise physiology and sports medicine.  He is also a skilled alpinist and a Professional Mountain Guide.  His list of climbing achievements is long, and includes ascents of the Cassin Ridge on Denali, and a solo ascent of Cho Oyu.  Brian wrote and published a mountain biking guide-book to the Jackson Hole area, and is currently writing a training manual for high-altitude expedition climbers.

Brian has changed the way we think about training.  We are absolutely convinced that his custom programs will help climbers and trekkers reach their goals.  Please read his 90-day Pre-Expedition Training Program, and his 30-day Pre-Trek Training Program.  We urge you to not only read them, but to print them and share them with your friends and co-workers.

As another service we'd like to offer to our valued adventure clients, we invite you to a free personal consultation with Brian.   He'll be happy to answer your training questions, and design a custom training program based on your needs and goals.

Success and "Specificity of Training"

by Brian Prax

The first thing to keep in mind is that we live in a busy world, and honestly, if we don’t make training a part of our live-a-day lives, it’s just not going to happen.  So be creative, but make sure you are consistent.  If your body does not receive consistent training stimuli, the tissues will not respond and little, if any, long term training effect will be experienced. You want to eventually be putting in at least 3-4 days per week, 1-2 hours each day.  You should ideally be training 5-6 days per week with at least one full day outing per week to prepare for a large expedition.

What you do to train is also very important.  “Specificity of Training” is the most important concept here.  This refers to how closely your training activity matches your performance activity.  The closer, the better.  This is why you never see marathon runners in the lap pool, or field goal kickers pushing the blocking sled. Think of the activities you will be performing on your climb (hiking with a pack, going up and down steep inclines, possibly technical climbing involving all four limbs, etc…) and train for those.  Do you think you will ever be running without a pack?  Then that may not be your best training option.  You need to be HIKING up hills with a pack on!!  Of course any cardiovascular training you can do is better than none, and sometimes you have to do what’s practical.  Being specific about your training optimally prepares your cardiovascular, pulmonary, muscular, and most importantly, your metabolic systems.  At the same time, it gets your joints and tendons used to the stresses they will be experiencing on the climb, greatly reducing your likelihood of injury.

Here are a few suggestions for training options, but don’t let this list limit you; come up with your own ideas:

• Hike up hills with a pack on (ski, snowboard, bike, roller-blade, or hang glide down if you wish).
  
• Use the stair master at slow speeds with a pack on (Versa Climbers are great too).
  
• Go to the climbing gym and climb with a pack on (and a mask so your friends won’t kid you about it). Do many laps (10 or more in a row) on easy routes. You won’t be crankin’ 5.10 anywhere on Everest.

• Climb the stairs in your apartment or office with a pack on. Good lunch time workout and a great way to gain support from your co-workers.
  
• Add your own…
  

Remember though, as with beginning any new activity, ease into it. Slowly add weight to the pack or increase the distance. If you rush it, you WILL regret it! Also, proper stretching, warm-up and cool-down are mandatory.