Episode 2: Inadequate Training Focus Carolyn Parker, Alison Naney and Maya Seckinger – Uphill Athlete Coaches and Coaches in the Female Uphill Athlete Group Training Program talk about managing non-female coaches and modifying training appropriately for women. Just because we are women does not mean that the training should simply be easier. We can be equally as strong, if not stronger, or faster, than our male counterparts. And what is the answer to modifying our training to our vastly different physiological makeup? Find out in the second installment of our Female Uphill Athlete video series, “Inadequate Training Focus”. This program…
Author: Uphill Athlete
Episode 1: The Need to “Prove Yourself” This is the first of three videos featuring the first-round Female Uphill Athlete coaches: Carolyn Parker, Alison Naney and Maya Seckinger. "Women often feel the need to prove ourselves in a mountain environment or when training for competitive events where women are often the minority. Additionally, we may feel a lack of support due to our minority position in a mountain sport." In this first episode of our Female Uphill Athlete Video series, the coaches share their own stories and frustrations on this topic and how we’ve handled situations like these as female…
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…
My Uphill Athlete coach Sam Naney asked me for some thoughts on persevering with training when a big objective gets nixed or thrown into doubt by circumstances beyond our control. That happened to me last year when a silly but serious injury kept me from the culmination of a multi-year plan to attempt a no Os ascent of and ski descent of Cho Oyu in autumn 2019. And I’m now in the same boat now as everybody else, with my major target for the current ski mountaineering season killed off by the Corona virus situation. -By Uphill Athlete Dave RiggsMotivation is…
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,…
I ran the Leadville Marathon in 2016, thinking that it would be good training for climbing. I was happy to finish within the cutoff time. That experience was an inspiring “run across the sky” for me, as the organizers advertised. This year COVID-19 has shut down most travel for climbing and has shut down Leadville. I ran a remote Leadville Marathon anyway, on the day for which it was scheduled, 13 June 2020, in the woods and hills of a small park around a lake near my home in Atlanta, Georgia.My focused training period was relatively short. It started after…
On May 15, 2020, Uphill Athlete Iain Kuo and two companions completed a two-week ski traverse across the length of Wyoming’s greatest mountain wilderness, the Wind River Range, covering more than 115 miles and 32,000 vertical feet of ascent on foot. Along the way they skied from the summit of Gannett Peak, the state high point.by Iain KuoWhen Life Gives You Lemons I was picking my way through breakable crust in the treed foothills near the base of Mount Moran in Grand Teton National Park when we got the news. As every backcountry skier, mountaineer, and wilderness adventurer knows, a full…
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.Basic endurance is like piling dry sand. It can’t be shaped, just piled higher. For every inch of height, it takes a greater volume of dry sand than the inch before. Adding intensity is like adding water. You can increase the angle of repose of the sand, steepening the cone, getting higher with the same volume. Artists (great coaches) can get the saturation just right, creating amazing sculptures. But those sculptures will always be…
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…
Sit down for story-time with Scott Johnston and Sam Naney. These two have a long history together, and in this hangout they will recount the development and evolution of Sam as an athlete, and Scott as a coach. Their dynamic story is full of lessons and applications for any athlete, or coach.https://youtu.be/bNpG1mBE6d4 Sam, #3, competing at US Nationals. Image by Matt Hagen Sam competing in the Alpental skimo race, January 2020. Sam skiing the Silverhorn Couloir near Mazama, Washington. 1:1 Coaching Personalized and direct accountability for your training Find Your Coach