"MUSCLE NERD"

OBJECTIVE: Strength/Strength Endurance

WARM UP:

3 Rounds
10x Burpees
20x Sit ups
30m Overhead Walk

TRAINING:

(1) Work up to 1RM Standing Military Press

(2) 5 Rounds
3x Military Press @ 80%
30m Sled Push

(3) 5 Rounds
3x Sandbag Get up (heavy)
10x Pull up

(4) 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Bench Press @ 75% 1RM
Weighted Sit up

Comments:

I Received the following questions via e-mail from Ray. My Comments/Answers follow each question.

1) QUESTION: Do you apply any peaking strategies for your alpine climbers? As a former "traditional" athlete I spent a lot of time in college trying to peak in my training for track. I understand the logic behind it....you can't stay at your peak ALL the time ALL year round. But for us "average joe's" do you think it is important?

COMMENTS/ANSWER: The short answer is I'm still figuring it out. But here are some thoughts:

You're getting into questions of periodization here further complicated by the fact that in this type of "hybrid" training, not only are we training muscular strength, but also energy systems.

In terms of muscular strength, understand that I am not interested in making my athletes as strong as possible, but only as strong as functional. In other words, putting in the time and effort to dead lift 1,000 pounds, probably isn't going to help a mountaineer get to the summit. We are mostly interested in relative strength, or strength per bodyweight. Here are our strength standards:

Exercise Men Women
Dead Lift 2x BW 1.5x BW
Front Squat 1.5x BW 1.0x BW
Bench Press 1.5x BW 1.0x BW
Power Clean 1.25x BW .75x BW
Strict Pullups 20 10

We tried linear periodization for several months, but quickly found my athletes plateaued, far below these standards. We've since switched to the Maximim Effort method, kinda like Westside Barbell - and have had great success.

Energy system training is more complicated, and sport specific. Mark Twight argues that cardio-vascular fitness is second only to nutrition in ultimate athletic performance. Greg Glassman has shown that great endurance athletes will "gas" when subjected to a multi-modal crossfit circuit.

I would describe mountaineering as a multi-modal, power-endurance event.

What we do in the gym is provide a balanced, overall General Physical Fitness program covering most energy pathways as well as raw relative strength and strength endurance. It is a huge foundation on which the athlete can build more sport-specific fitness.

In terms of "peaking" for mountaineers - 6-8 month out from the climb, focus on long, slow aerobic conditioning, and strength. As the event gets closer, shift to more power lifting in the weightroom, sport-specific strength (like grip training) and volume-enhancing interval training for the CV system.

The goal is to be really light, powerful, and fast on d-day.

Now this is complicated by the realities of some of the climbing these guys are doing. For example, Bean Bowers training in the gym last summer before attempting Latok I with Josh Wharton in July. We worked on his strength, and power endurance circuits, and on his own he was guiding for exum, and climbing as much as he could. But in Pakistan, he had 2-3 weeks of down time before the attempt. So "peaking" can be complicated.

2) Do you train your athletes differently in the gym and have them adjust the sports specific training outside of the gym when they are getting closer to their goals? You've commented on your site that the gym/workouts are just helping build a foundation of strength and fitness and sport specific training will allow your body to adapt to the challenges of your specific sport. Does that mean that you don't alter your gym workouts throughout the year for your athletes?

COMMENTS/ANSWER: The gym is "artificial" training, which can offer several benefits to alpine climbers: (1) Correcting imbalances; (2) Increasing Durability; (3) Mental Toughness; (4) Increasing fitness so time training "outside" can be more sport specific and technical; (5) Building cardio volume; (6) Adding significant strength; (7) Bringing a "professional" approach to their training.

But we have our sport-specific weaknesses - one of which is grip and endurance grip training for rock climbers. I can't compete with the local rock gym for grip training, and I tell my climbers they need to put time in there also. Another is long-slow cardio. We don't have time to do this, and so I urge my athletes to train long/slow outside the gym.

In terms of how the training changes over the year, the answer is yes and no. (Sorry.)

Most of the athletes who come through the door are simply weak. And an attention to strength training has to be frequent and consistent.

The power lifts - clean, power clean, push press, snatch, etc., take practice to perfect and do safely. It's simply not safe to take two months off from these lifts to work on strength and/or cardio, and then come back to them with a vengeance - you'll be asking for a disaster.

And power endurance/metcon training? Ignore this for long, and your athletes won't be able to walk up stairs without breathing hard.

Getting an idea of how complicated it is? All that being said, I do some programming in cycles. In general, focus on strength during the off season (winter). Shift to power endurance in the spring. Shorter metcon events in the summer (in-season unload). Work in power exercises and events throughout.

Finally - "not being at a peak all the time" is something that is debated by some good strength coaches - Louie Simmons being one and Glassman another. More and more coaches are saying that the linear form of periodization, with its focus on cycles and "peaking" isn't effective and can lead to energy.

Other coaches argue that you need to get focused to make gains, and this requires periodization.

Twight describes Gym Jone's approach as conjugate periodization with a cyclic emphasis.

Glassman favors randomness.

I'm, obviously, still learning.

- Rob Shaul

Get up with the 80# bag....

Gotta love the bench press.

Weighted situps + bench presses = hammered shoulders.

Drive hard. Fight for momentum.