Uphill Athlete coaches, led by Carolyn Parker, put together 24 free body-weight only strength workouts that are designed to be done at tempo. So your heart rate should be in your zone 1 or 2 throughout. Even for those sheltered-in-place in an urban apartment will be able to maintain most, if not all, of their aerobic conditioning by doing one of these workouts each day, or alternate with a treadmill walk or run and do one of these every second day. The workouts are highly varied to help you fend off boredom. We recommend doing one of them every second…
Author: Steve House
If you have a hangboard and a set of rings, you’re ready to take your rock climbing to the next level! Created in partnership with the Bouldering Project Well before the pandemic started Uphill Athlete’s Josh Wharton and Steve House spent months working on an extensive series of training plans in partnership with the training staff of the Bouldering Project climbing gyms. The Bouldering Project are currently in Seattle, Austin, and Minneapolis, with more locations in the works. We were due to launch training plans to Bouldering Project and Uphill Athlete members, right about now. Well, the gyms are closed,…
The K7 story, in the full telling, is taking three shows to cover. There is more it than one mountain. In full, this is the story of attempting the enchanting and powerful Masherbrum in 2003, discovering (for myself) the Charakusa Valley in a remote corner of the Karakoram Range. Returning to the Charakusa to climb alone, and climbing Hajji Brakk, a solo first-ascent. Then making the first attempts, and discovering the key to the route, on K7 that same season. In this show I tell the story of returning in 2004 with a larger group of friends and climbing partners…
The process of discovering and climbing K7, in 2003-2004, is my most cherished mountain experience. In this presentation I share the first half of that journey, the 2003 expedition which includes a solo first ascent of Hajji Brakk (circa 6,000m) and three attempts on K7 main (6,942m). The 2004 expedition is covered in the April 9, 2020 Zoom Hangout. The full text of the quote Steve read at the start: Message from White Eagle of the Hopi Nation, 03/16/2020: “This moment humanity is going through can now be seen as a portal and as a hole. The decision to fall…
Masherbrum, possibly the most difficult summit in the world to reach, from the north-east. Marko Prezelj Photo
A successful high-altitude expedition depends on many factors. Fitness is the one factor completely under your control, and if you are reading this, you have likely invested significant time preparing for your climb. Congratulations. Now comes the part that training alone cannot teach you: how to manage yourself on the mountain so that all that preparation actually pays off. Among the Uphill Athlete coaching staff, we have over 45 successful Denali ascents, more than twenty expeditions to 8,000-meter peaks, and many more trips to peaks of 7,000 meters and below. That experience has taught us that expedition success comes down…
Our General Strength Training Routine for Mountaineers and Climbers relies on simple to learn, mostly body-weight exercises. The exercise list alternates between upper and lower body movements and is set up to do as a circuit. The need for minimal props means that this routine is highly portable and can be completed almost anywhere. 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. Postpartum? Start here. Here is easier our Core Routine Video The more difficult Scott’s Killer Core Routine General Strength Routine…
A hundred years ago my great-grandfather walked out on my great-grandmother, leaving her with two young children to raise, Jack and Twila. Seventy-five years ago, Jack’s young wife died of cancer, leaving him alone with a 6-month-old son, Don. Don is my father. I was raised by two loving parents and I never thought about loss. Until recently. Loss, both tragic and routine, is something I left largely unexamined until a massive climbing fall in 2010. The resulting life-threatening injuries plunged me into a cold bath of self-examination and upheaval. Changes came rapidly: I stepped back from extreme alpinism, began…
Climbing onsight, meaning leading a pitch or route with no prior knowledge of the details about protection or movements, is de rigueur in alpinism, where you start at the bottom of the mountain and climb to the top and, typically, descend another way. So if you want to climb difficult alpine rock routes, you’d better be good at climbing onsight. Here I provide some onsight climbing tips that will help you hone this essential skill. Adding an intelligently built training plan that includes tools like ARCing, Climbing Marathons, and power and power-endurance training techniques is the best way to progress your onsight climbing…