If the internet is to be believed, the best way to build endurance is to train hard, collapse in a pool of sweat, and really feel like you’ve given your all. Ultimately, this must be "real" training, right? Putting it all out there every time? Not exactly. When we reference the 100-plus-year history of endurance training, we see a different story. The use of high intensity exercise is actually rather limited in a properly structured endurance training plan. So when (and how) do wise coaches and smart athletes add high-intensity training to their programs?High-intensity aerobic training (Zone 3 and above)…
Author: Uphill Athlete
Do you have a trip planned in the middle of an upcoming training block? In the following video tutorial, Uphill Athlete co-founder Steve House takes you through how to find places to train while you’re traveling. His go-to tools include Gaia GPS and Strava’s Global Heatmap. Enjoy exploring your new surroundings! You Might Also Be Interested In: No Gear Strength Workout High-Altitude Climbing: 14 Tips for a Successful Expedition
Perhaps you’ve read our articles on fat adaptation—Train to Burn Fat , Burn Fat to Go Fast, and What Enables Endurance—or the “Getting Tested” series (Part 1, Getting Tested and Part 2, Interpreting Your Results). If so, you may feel inspired to take the plunge with a lab test of your own. It’d be a great way to start a new training block—by getting some actual personalized data showing your metabolic response to exercise. But where do you go? How do you choose which metabolic testing lab to visit? Besides an internet search of available places, what information should you arm…
LAB GUIDELINES FOR AEROBIC THRESHOLD TESTING By Uphill Athlete co-founders Steve House and Scott Johnston You’ve decided to get tested! Great. This can provide useful, actionable information about your metabolism and helps set a baseline which if you choose to re-test in the future will demonstrate the effectiveness of the training work you’ll do. We ask that you send this letter the clinician conducting the test prior to your arriving for your test. This text explains what we want to learn from these tests and why. Aerobic Threshold. We are primarily interested in determining your aerobic threshold first (AeT), and…
TrainingPeaks.com is an incredibly powerful tool for planning and monitoring your training. We’ve been using it since 2012 and the longer we use it, the more impressed we have become. At this point we simply can’t imagine training without this tool. It is simply light-years better than using a spreadsheet-as-training-plan. TrainingPeaks was originally developed by professional cyclists and their coaches who needed to analyze not only the effect of each workout, but the cumulative effect of days, weeks, and months of workouts. Even with the simple basic (and free) version of TrainingPeaks, this monitoring is possible. In this video, Steve…
Back when I was doing a lot of shorter trips to Patagonia, really fast down and back, having success, I coined the term “Daddy style.” It’s alpine style but for a family man with two kids, like myself: show up super fit, crush something, and then head home. Make the most of your pre-trip training so that you can make the most of your climbing. It’s a tactic I’ve always deployed for alpine climbing, and in the past two years I’ve applied it to harder rock climbs—to mastering the 5.13 grade. -by Whit Magro I’ve been climbing since I was…
I first heard the term “death by threshold” during a session with famed track coach Alberto Salazar at a seminar a few years ago. It’s a trap people fall into when they do a lot of Zone 3 training—middle-to-higher-intensity training (around Anaerobic or Lactate Threshold)—without the sufficient aerobic base to support it.At first it seems like the regimen is working: you see a rapid improvement in performance, because the adaptations that take place in your glycolytic metabolism are quick to occur. Then after about a month, these steady gains level off. When you hit that plateau, the immediate reaction is…
Aerobic Deficiency is one of the most frequent issues we encounter at Uphill Athlete among athletes seeking coaching and training. While the term might sound alarming, the condition is not dangerous and can be reversed. It describes an underdeveloped aerobic metabolic system, typically found in athletes who have spent months or years prioritizing Zone 3 and higher-intensity workouts at the expense of low-intensity aerobic base training. These individuals often feel strong, fast, and fit in short efforts, but their aerobic foundation is significantly underdeveloped. For athletes who are less active or newer to structured training, some degree of Aerobic Deficiency…
VO2 max is often seen as the gold standard of endurance, but is it really the best predictor of performance? This article challenges the VO2 max myth and reveals why factors like economy and lactate threshold may be more important for athletes aiming to excel.
Developing core strength is important for all mountain athletes. A strong core will guard you against injury and will enable you to more effectively use your arms and legs in your chosen sport. Watch the following video demonstration of Scott’s Killer Core Routine to learn the proper form for each exercise. All athletic movements originate from the core; do not neglect this foundational form of strength. For a deeper dive into the exercises, consult Chapter Seven in Training for the New Alpinism. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKqpbU1Y3bU&feature=youtu.be Scott’s Killer Core Routine: Notes on the Exercises Strict Sit-ups: Straight back. All the way up and…