One of the first things you need to do to begin training is determine your training zones. This handy calculator is the perfect place to start. But first, a very special thanks to Uphill Athlete, Simon, for creating this very cool heart rate calculator tool. Note that we after many decades of training and coaching mountain athletes using heart rate zones as a guide we have settled on this very simple 4-zone system. Defining the Heart Rate Zones By anchoring this system to two important metabolic markers (AeT and AnT/LT), this simple 4-zone system does a good job of personalizing…
Author: Uphill Athlete
Heart-rate-based training is central to building a strong aerobic base. To get the most from any Uphill Athlete training plan or coaching program, you need accurate heart rate data logged in a platform where you and your coach can review it. We use TrainingPeaks for training planning, logging, and analysis. This article walks you through connecting your device to TrainingPeaks so your training data syncs automatically. Do I Need a Chest Strap Heart Rate Monitor? Yes. Wrist-based optical heart rate monitors are not accurate enough for training. The data they produce is unreliable during exercise, particularly at higher intensities, in…
Winter is coming—are you ready for the ski season? Make sure you’re as fit for the skin up as the ride down by following a focused, ski-specific strength and conditioning cycle. In this article on preseason ski training, learn how to:Move from summer activities to ski-oriented trainingIncorporate key core exercisesBuild functional leg strength and muscular enduranceIntroduce higher-intensity Zone 3 workoutsButton it all up with the proper knowledge and gearAs the aspen leaves outside my window begin to change color, and the tips of larches in the mountains start to transition from a lush green to golden yellow, my excitement for…
Although there may be some debate whether strenuous exercise may compromise immunity, it’s important to recognize that training IS stress. Training is also just one of many other stressors that all athletes, from recreational to elite, will face in their daily lives. The key to remember is that although there are many stressors that we don’t have control over, training is the one exception. Athlete immunity goes beyond just training Imagine that you’re playing a game of Jenga. You pull away the plastic pile guide. One by one, you pull out blocks and stack them on top. At some point,…
Training endurance is like building a sandcastle. You need sand, water, the sense not to overdo it, and both the expertise and creativity to build something great. This analogy offers a useful framework for understanding how aerobic volume and intensity interact—and why getting the balance wrong leads to frustration. What Does the Dry Sand Represent? Dry sand represents slow twitch endurance—the aerobic base you build through long, easy training sessions. Slow twitch muscle fibers are the primary drivers of this work. Their endurance increases through two mechanisms: lengthening the duration of the demands placed on them, or reducing the fuel…
30/30 interval training is one of the most effective ways to build high-end speed without excessive metabolic cost. The protocol is simple: 30 seconds at 90 to 95 percent of maximum speed, followed by 30 seconds of recovery, repeated in sets. The short work interval prevents significant lactate accumulation while keeping cardiac demand near VO2 max. The equal rest interval allows muscle myoglobin to recharge its oxygen store, enabling higher power output and better fast-twitch fiber engagement on the next repetition. Athletes consistently report leaving these workouts feeling invigorated rather than destroyed."The protocol was developed by Veronique Billat, a professor…
For endurance athletes, staying healthy while training represents more money in the fitness bank. Imagine that for every day you were sick, you had to dig into your savings and pay your employer two and a half days of income:Five days off would cost you 13 days’ income;Seven days off would cost you 18 days’ income;Two weeks off would cost you 35 days’ income.If sick days cost you money, would that change how you interact with people? How much more cautious would you be about getting sick? “Also known as germophobia, mysophobia is a pathological fear of contamination and germs.” …
A race season that produces your best performances is not built by signing up for everything that looks interesting. It is built by choosing objectives deliberately, sequencing them so that earlier races serve later ones, and leaving enough recovery between efforts that you arrive at your most important events ready to perform rather than surviving on accumulated fatigue. The athletes we coach who have the best seasons are the ones who plan them months in advance, structure their calendars around a clear priority hierarchy, and resist the temptation to race every weekend. This article covers the principles that make a…
After you deliver a baby, it often takes time and effort to bring muscle tone and neuromuscular pathways back online for the pelvic floor. As with any well-structured and progressive training, don’t compare what you can do with what you see others doing. It’s much more important to start from where you are, and progress from there. The goal of the following beginning postpartum core exercises is to get your diaphragm, TA, and pelvic floor muscles working together again. Because of that, you can do this workout multiple times per week. It shouldn’t make you feel sore so much as…
It’s a familiar scenario, especially among the athletes I coach: You’re far from a gym, yet you want to squeeze in a strength workout that will—at a minimum—help you maintain the strength you’ve been building over the previous weeks and months. Whether you’re in Yosemite or at a base camp in the Himalaya, the following no gear strength workout will fill that void. It is designed to be a general strength, full-body workout for a typical uphill athlete, such as a climber, who counts on her strength training as being a catalyst to enhance the effects of her endurance training.…