Maintaining Strength In The Mountains (Over A Long Season)

​In this episode, we explore some ideas and strategies around how a mountaineer can maintain their strength (in a practical and effective way) during a long season in the mountains. 

Strength Training For Mountaineers (In Season) 

Today, we are talking about what a mountaineer can do to maintain strength when they have a long season in the mountains.

It is relevant for mountaineering professionals, guides or those who get the opportunity to spend multiple weeks or months climbing each 'in season'.

One issue these mountaineers run into is that they have the opportunity to train their strength consistently 'out of season'. They work hard. They build things up. And at the start of climbing season, they feel great!

But once they come out at the end of the season, they find themselves back to square one with their strength. So they start again from scratch.

And yeah, after a year, it is a recurring cycle, and they never really seem to progress...

At the most basic level, this can be frustrating. And just feel like you are on a never-ending hamster wheel.

On the other end of the scale, this can become a genuine issue.

Because over the course of the season, they might notice that aches, pains and injuries creep up. The issue here is that strength is one of the major protectors against these issues. So, figuring out some way to maintain a bit more strength over the season should be a priority.

And that is what we are talking about today.

Now, to be clear, this isn't really necessary for a mountaineer who is training up for one big expedition. But this is really only relevant for people who are spending multiple months in the mountains each year.

So let's get into it:

Setting Expectations

First up, when we are thinking about maintaining strength, we need to be clear with expectations.

Technically, you could maintain almost all your strength anywhere in the world if it were your top priority.

​But realistically, climbing is the priority. Enjoying yourself is the priority. Working if you are a guide is the priority. Not maintaining perfect strength numbers.

So instead of trying to keep everything at 100%, the goal here is simply to reduce how much strength you lose.

If you normally lose 20% of your strength over a season, and we can get that down to 15%, that is a major win.

It means you finish your season feeling better. It means you start your next off-season from a higher base. And it means you are not mentally smashed from constantly starting from zero.

Nutrition In The Mountains

Nutrition is the foundation for preventing muscle loss.

Most mountaineers undereat in the mountains.

This is because of:

• Logistics issues (getting access to enough food)
• Cold-weather issues (being able to eat the food you have)
• Altitude issues (You burn a huge amount more energy at altitude + your appetite goes down)
  
  

It is practically impossible on a long expedition to match your calorie needs perfectly.

But the closer you get, the less muscle you lose.

I strongly recommend talking to a sports dietitian who understands mountaineers.

Someone who knows the realities of eating in these environments.

You want a clear calorie target for maintaining your body weight. And you want to practice what this looks like at home.

Why at home?

Because no one is going to be spending time counting calories in the mountains, it is just not realistic.

But if you get a good gauge of this at home, you can have a better understanding of how much food you really need (and have a better chance of getting that when in the mountains).

Protein

Protein is the biggest protector against muscle loss, even when you are losing weight.

But it is also the hardest thing to get in the mountains...

So figure out what your protein targets are and look at what your food options will be when on the mountain.
If it just doesn't look realistic that you will hit these numbers, then you probably want to bring a protein supplement with you (e.g. protein powder).

Hygiene

Nothing will strip muscle faster than getting sick.

Gastro issues are a nightmare in the mountains, and even a simple cold kills appetite.

So be strict.

Wash your hands. Make good food choices. Be diligent here.

Training Practicalities

In the mountains, you are not going to want to invest a ton of time into strength. You will not have equipment. You will not have high motivation. And you cannot afford to smash yourself so hard that you cannot climb well the next day.

So you need to be very intentional about what you do.

Training Before You Leave Home

Before you even leave home, do not stop all your heavy strength work eight weeks before you go, as many mountaineers do.

If you are heading into a long season, keep heavier strength work in your training right up until your final taper. It shouldn't be all your strength training, but keeping up a small amount of the heavier stuff is valuable.

Training In The Mountains

Once you are in the mountains, you will be getting plenty of cardio and endurance stimulus from climbing itself. So you don't need to worry about doing more work on these areas.

What tends to drop off is pure strength (the ability to produce high force for a small amount of time).

The good news is that it is much easier to maintain strength than to build it.

Even very small doses of heavy stimulus can maintain strength for an incredibly long time.

So here is what I recommend.

• Create a simple strength routine you can do anywhere with no equipment beyond your pack.
• It should hit the entire body.
• It should be low-skill, low-risk, and able to be made heavy with the available weight.
  
  

You are going to choose five exercises:

1. Bulgarian split squat (for the front of the legs)
2. Single-leg glute bridges (for the back of the legs)
3. Single leg calf raise (for the calves)
4. Push-ups (for the front of the upper body)
5. 3-point row (for the back of the upper body)
   
   

Why these exercises?

All of these can be loaded with your pack. And all of them can be made hard with even ten to twenty kilos of weight. And together, they cover most of your body.

You will then take these exercises and structure them into two small sequences:

Then structure them into two small sequences.

Sequence one:

1. Bulgarian split squat
2. Three-point row
3. Calf raise.
   
   

Sequence two.

1. Single-leg glute bridge.
2. Push-ups.
   
   

Do three to four sets of each sequence.

The first set is a warmup. Light or bodyweight.

The next sets are heavier. Load your pack until the exercise is difficult for four to six reps. If you can do ten or more, it is too easy.

Frequency

At a minimum, one exposure every two weeks. This might not sound like much, but it can maintain a surprising amount of strength.

If you can do it once a week, that can be great. But doing any more is rarely necessary (because climbing is always going to be the priority!)

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That little bit of strength maintenance can drastically reduce how much strength you lose over a long season.

So if you are a mountaineer who is heading out for long seasons year after year, just know, you don't have to accept losing all your strength every time.

With a little bit of work and some simple strategies, you can make a massive difference here.

So I hope that helps!

And if you did need a bit of help with your training and wanted some guidance on how to best build your strength and fitness on and off the mountains, you can check out the Online Summit Program here:

https://www.summitstrength.com.au/mountaineer.html

Yours in adventure,

Rowan 

​Want to get
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