24 Week Expeditionary Mountaineering Training Plan

The #1 best selling training plan since 2016! 

Buy it once and you’ll own it forever. Unlimited updates are included in this plan.

This is an ideal plan for those who have a goal of maximizing their chances of success on a big big peak such as Denali or Everest.

2022 Updates include:

Greatly expanded educational content explaining why you are doing certain workouts.

Muscular Endurance progression explained.

DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) reduction tips.

Explanations as to the modulation in the training load throughout the plan.

Tips and ideas to get the most out of your recovery days.

We update our best-selling training plans regularly and all updates automatically refresh with your plan each time you reapply your plan for a new training cycle.

This plan is based on scientifically sound training practices a decade of coaching mountaineers and forty years of world-wide climbing and mountain guiding experience. The plan starts with a self-administered Aerobic Threshold, either indoors or outdoors, assessment test. From this you will establish the training intensity limit for most of the aerobic base training that will dominate in the overall plan but especially in the first 8 weeks. The first 8 weeks also include a simple, easy-to-apply strength program to help you develop what is called strength reserve, the ability to repeatedly execute strength-dependent movements such as taking a step while wearing a heavy backpack. The next 8 weeks applies more complex strength training methods aimed at maximizing your strength through proven strategies to improve neuromuscular coordination of muscular contractions; you’ll become a lot stronger without adding weight or size during these weeks. Starting in the seventeenth week of the plan we incorporate our proven mountaineering-specific muscular endurance workouts. Complete these, but only after laying the base during the previous weeks of strength training, and you’ll put the frosting on your fitness cake.

The 24th week of this training plan is a taper week designed to be completed the week before you depart for your expedition. This plan could be extended beyond 24 weeks by repeating weeks 12-16 with slight increases in weekly aerobic training volume. This plan has proven successful for climbers all over the world who used it to prepare for climbing objectives including guided and un-guided ascents of Denali, Everest, Cho Oyu, and Makalu.

For specific questions about this training plan email us at coach@uphillathlete.com. 

This training plan will get the job done, or your money back. I guarantee it.

Steve House

IFMGA-certified Mountain Guide, Coach, and Founder of Uphill Athlete