Common Training Mistakes For Mountaineers

Inside, we I explore several common training mistakes I regularly see mountaineers, which holds back their strength and fitness for the mountains.

In this episode, you will learn:
 

• A common trap that mountaineers find themselves in (this is particularly true if you come from an endurance sports background)
• A training myth that just does not seem to die for mountaineers (one that we really need to put to bed)
• One common-sense thing you need to avoid (which, unfortunately, many mountaineers are constantly struggling with)
• Why the 'always go hard' approach is a recipe for failure
• How to know if your high-intensity interval training is a positive or a negative in your preparations
• One type of program that is an absolute waste of your time for mountaineers (plus how to identify this type of programming)

​Top Mountaineering Training Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

​Today, we are exploring a number of common mistakes that I see mountaineers making in their training.

I see these mistakes all the time - from people stepping up for their first mountain adventure to lifelong mountaineers with a huge list of successes.

These mistakes can suck away a lot of the effectiveness and efficiency of your training.

None of this means you cannot succeed if you are making them (people succeed every day doing all sorts of crazy things with their training or even doing nothing at all. But if you can avoid these mistakes, you give yourself a much better chance of a safe, enjoyable, and successful mountain adventure.

Let's dive in:

Mistake #1: Only Doing Cardio In Your Training 

A huge portion of mountaineers come from endurance backgrounds. Many are comfortable with running, cycling and hiking for large distances.

Aerobic-based, cardiovascular training is, without a doubt, the most important area of training for a mountaineer. But it should never be the ONLY thing you are doing.

If your week looks like six different days of different cardio sessions (with nothing else in between) you are doing something wrong. 

Mountaineers need diversified training. 

Strength training should be part of every mountaineer's week. Small amounts of mobility and recovery work can be valuable too. There are many pieces that go into a well-rounded training program.

If you are only running, cycling or hiking, and if you want to see the best results for your mountaineering adventures,  you need to reconsider your approach.

Mistake #2: Avoiding Heavier Resistance Training

If you are doing some type of strength training at all, you are ahead of many mountaineers.

But more often than not, mountaineers fall into the trap of lighter resistance, high-repetition 'muscular endurance' work only.

I hear the argument all the time:

"I am weight training, but only with light weights and more reps, because I do not need extra muscle mass on the mountain."

Which is wrong, on so many levels.

High-repetition muscular endurance work is important, but if that is all you do, you are making a major mistake.

Higher load strength work is incredibly beneficial for mountaineering (in ways that are different and complementary to your endurance work).

On top of this, it is perfectly possible to get outrageously strong in ways that are directly relevant for mountaineering, without putting on a single extra kilo of muscle.

(Not all strength comes from bigger muscles - if you want to learn about  this, check out this video: How Mountaineers Can Get Strong (Without Putting On Weight) ​

To get the most out of strength training, and to see the best results on the mountain, a mountaineer should be training both lower resistance, higher repetition endurance work AND higher resistance, lower repetition strength work.

Mistake #3: Ignoring Pain And Injury

Around three-quarters of the mountaineers I talk to every week are carrying some type of long-term injury that they have accepted as normal.

Plantar fasciitis. Knee pain. Lower back pain. Elbow issues. You name it.

It is crazy how many mountaineers simply push through pain.

If you are struggling with pain, you want to be taking steps to support and, potentially, reduce it (and not just ignore it and push through).

This does not mean a random band exercise once in a while. It does not mean a few stretches. And it does not mean falling into the never-ending cycle of chiropractors and weekly sports massage.

It means finding a structured professional plan that treats the issue and its underlying causes.

Something which considers:
​

• Specific loading and progression(which considers and respects the demands your body will go through as a mountaineer)
  
  
• Load management (finding the balance between all the training and climbing you are trying to do)
  
  
• Targeted mobility (for people who might have restrictions that are contributing to the issue)
  ​
• Identifying lifestyle stresses (looking at the broader context of pain, and not just treating it like a biomechanical issue)
  
  

Most mountaineers can overcome overuse injuries if they put in the right effort and follow the right plan.

​Constantly pushing through pain is not a good long-term strategy.

Mistake #4: Never Resting

Your body does not get fitter, stronger or more resilient from training. It gets fitter, stronger and more resilient when you recover from training. The distinction is important.

If you train full on every single day, you are making a mistake (you want to have at least one lower intensity or recovery day in your week).

If you never take a lower workload week (e.g. deload week) you are making a mistake.

You cannot train full on all the time. It is just not sustainable or effective.

Mistake #5: Generic High Intensity Interval Training 

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is controversial in the training for mountaineering world.

Used correctly, it can be fantastic. Misused it can waste your time and give you an illusion of fitness that does not translate to the mountain.

Here are three rules about high intensity interval training for mountaineers: 

1. If the HIIT work you do is not specifically designed for you as an individual mountaineer, it likely isn't worth your time (Crossfit, F45, generic gym classes and random internet HIIT sessions all fall into this)
   
   
2. If you are doing HIIT without a structured long-term plan, it is a mistake (i.e is there a gradual and logical progression plan for what you are doing?)
   ​
3. If you do not understand why you are doing the specific intervals and intensities (or your coach can't explain it to you, and specifically why it is beneficial), then it may not be worth your time.
   
   

HIIT can be powerful for mountaineers. But only when it is designed in a way that considers you are a mountaineer, and the demands of the mountain (and not just an approach which is designed for 'general fitness' or weight loss).

Want a better approach to higher intensity training for mountaineers? Check out this article: Interval Training For Mountaineers 

Mistake #6: Following A Bodybuilding Strength Program

It sounds like common sense, but common sense is not common...

A mountaineer should not be doing strength training designed for bodybuilders.

(I see this all the time.)

How do you know if you are following a bodybuilding program? Well, here are a few signs:

1. It has a large emphasis on isolation exercises (such as bicep curls, tricep extensions or abdominal crunches)
   
   
2. It breaks up your training week into 'back day', 'chest day', 'shoulder day' and 'leg day'
   
   
3. It includes more 4 or more exercises for the same muscle group in the same workout (e.g. squats, lunges, leg press, step-ups and leg extensions all in the same day - that's bodybuilding)
   
   
4. If you end up spending more than 60 minutes training strength at a time (including warm-up and core). - there are some exceptions to this, but most mountaineers do not need extended, marathon strength sessions

If any of these appear in your plan, you probably could be doing better.
​
In all honesty, I could talk about this all day. And there are many, many, many other mistakes I see from mountaineers with their training. But these are the big 6 I wanted to cover today.

If these mistakes sound familiar, it may be worth taking a step back and having a serious think about your training. A different perspective can be hard to reach, but there is always a better way forward.

Yours in adventure,

Rowan 

​Want to get
fit, strong and resilient
for your mountaineering adventures?

Check out
The Online Summit Program