Alpine Training
Alpine Base Fitness II
Tags: Alpine Training, big wall, cardiac output, mountaineering
by Steve Bechtel Contrary to popular belief, the level 2 type programs are not “better” than level 1 programs, it’s that they are aimed at more specific fitness adaptations. Like day trading versus just investing in a diversified fund, the needs of most climbers will be best met by simpler (and easier-to-implement) programming, as in…
Alpine Base Fitness I
Tags: Alpine Training, big wall, cardiac output, mountaineering
by Steve Bechtel I’m not known for my alpine climbing accomplishments, nor for building a training company around getting people to the top of peaks, but more and more often, we’re seeing athletes that have ambitions of climbing in the mountains coming to us for training advice. The majority of training programs for alpine climbing…
Work Capacity – Climbing Hard All Day Long (part 2)
Tags: Alpine Training, Endurance, Fitness, Stamina, Work Capacity
By Steve Bechtel “Work is never fun, especially when you’re measuring it in watts per hour.” – The Man In part two of this article, we’ll talk about contrasting work capacity (WC) with your normal strength training (ST), and why you really can’t maximally train both. In WC training, it’s all about tolerating a high,…
Running Away From Redpointing
Tags: Alpine Training, Endurance, Fatigue, Running, Weight Loss
By Steve Bechtel Since the dawn of time, man has been obsessed with finding an easier way to get past hard work. Wonderful things like the wheel, the incline plane, and the internal combustion engine have helped us get past the drudgery and pain of too much tedium and work for too little reward. Much…
Work Capacity – Climbing Hard All Day Long (part 1)
Tags: Alpine Training, Endurance, Fitness, Stamina, Work Capacity
By Steve Bechtel Most of the articles I write are aimed at improving performance in single-pitch rock climbing. Understandably, there are big questions when it comes to converting your single-pitch fitness into longer efforts such as big walls or alpine routes. When it comes to performing at a high level for a long day or…