[matthewsbc]

matthewsbc on November 6, 2019 at 7:05 pm · in reply to: 12 Week Trekking Plan – Scaling higher? #31407

Thanks for the insight Scott!

[matthewsbc]

matthewsbc on November 6, 2019 at 4:46 pm · in reply to: Downhill training… without access to big hills #31391

Great ideas Alison, thanks! Do you have any recommendations for this kind of box workout? Does 30-60 minutes of continuous step-up, step-down, turn-around, repeat – make sense to add into my workout plan? Or possibly as a substitute for the same timeframe stair climber occasionally?

[matthewsbc]

matthewsbc on November 6, 2019 at 2:04 pm · in reply to: How to choose the best option for Steep Uphill workouts #31387

Most of the treadmills I’ve seen max out at 15%, but the ones at the nearby golds go up to 30%. Depending on what you have access to in terms of gyms, it might be worth checking around to see if any have that type. 30% is pretty solid for a treadmill workout, definitely feels way different that 15%.

[matthewsbc]

matthewsbc on November 1, 2019 at 10:50 am · in reply to: Choosing a Training Plan #31036

Hey briguy – Last year we went the first weekend of November, which is a similar weather forecast to mid-March. The water is turned off at higher elevations – north Rim, etc. but typically stays on at phantom, indian gardens, cottonwood, etc. You can check this link to see updates on where water is available: https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/trail-closures.htm#CP_JUMP_1941213

We brought with a filter just in case to use by phantom or IG but didn’t use it. The biggest gap we found was going cottonwood to the north rim then back down to cottonwood before you have water access. We actually found someone at the rim with some extra to top us off, because we would have been out before getting back to cottonwood.

Overall I thought the weather was perfect, which is why we are aiming for March. It was about 32 when we started at 6a from south rim, then down in the box it was maybe 65-70. It got a little cool coming back up in the dark at night but that was part the weather and part caloric deficit! We finished in 16:45 – so done just before 11p. I was pretty sore for a couple weeks after. I’d like to be a little quicker and recover faster with better preparation. That said, last weekend it was like -1 or something at the south rim – so weather can vary!

I’m all about the incline treadmill – you can get crushed doing that and never go beyond 4mph. I used this to train for big hikes in Glacier this past summer and for R2R2R last time. I’m interested in the training plans to get a little more structure around my workouts versus my current method of just having a base to be ready for whatever adventure comes.

-Ben

[matthewsbc]

matthewsbc on October 31, 2019 at 7:10 pm · in reply to: Choosing a Training Plan #31014

Hey all – I have a similar question on choosing the right training plan. I’m heading to the Grand Canyon for rim to rim to rim in March – 19 weeks away. I did it about a year ago with very little training and want to approach the 47 miles and 12k elevation gain differently this time. I have a pretty solid cardio base to start from and am typically ready anytime to go hike a fourteener or do other hiking/mountaineering adventures. But trick is I used to live in Seattle but now I live in Oklahoma – so very little access to vertical gain. I also don’t do a lot of high impact running due to some overuse injury tendencies, but I can crank away on the elliptical, stair machine, incline treadmill, etc. I also train at an indoor climbing gym and have access to that. I was debating if I should go with something like the 16 week general mountaineering plan or if something like the 12 week trekking plan would be more appropriate given what I have access to?

Thanks for the help – I read “training for new alpinism” years ago when I really started in the mountains and it has helped shape my approach for sure.

-Ben