8 Week Mountaineering Training Plan

The Uphill Athlete 8 week Mountaineering Plan is designed for climbers bound for a 1-3 day mountaineering objective. It has been used successfully for climbs of Mt. Rainier, the Grand Teton, Mt. Baker, Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn, Mt. Elbrus and many 4,000-meter and 14,000-foot peaks. This plan assumes that you have no strength training background. This plan is ideal for mountaineers and trekkers who have never engaged in an organized training program or who have not done so for a long time.

This is the original, and the best, 8-week mountaineering training plan. Buy it once and you’ll own it forever. 

Unlimited updates are included in this plan.

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 are automatically loaded into your plan each time you reapply your plan for a new training cycle.
•  

This plan is based on scientifically sound training principles and a combined years of professional endurance coaching experience and decades years of world-wide climbing and mountain guiding experience. 

For those with higher aspirations we strongly recommend using our 16-week Big Mountain Training Plan or our 24 Week Expeditionary Mountaineering Training Plans. 

The plan starts with a self-administered Aerobic Threshold assessment test, using Indoors or Outdoors methods. From this you will establish the training intensity limit for most of the aerobic base training that will dominate your training. The first 8 weeks also include a simple, easy-to-apply strength program. This is designed to develop what is called strength reserve, the ability to repeatedly execute strength-dependent movements such as taking a step while wearing a heavy backpack.

Do not increase the intensity and hope to gain more benefits or to squeeze a 1 hour workout into 30 minutes. There is no shortcut when it comes to training the endurance needed for mountaineering.

For the very complete discussion of the concepts put to work in this plan, please refer to our 464-page book, “Training for the New Alpinism” 

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