Tips for Improving Speed?

[OhioIcer]

I would like to consider myself a fairly fit individual, but for having just moved out here a few months ago I am still very much a flat lander. I work a 9-5 job so getting out on the weekdays is difficult. I climb with a guy who has been mountaineering for about 10 years and he is just ridiculously fast (at least to me) and trying to keep up with him would probably make me bonk out at the summit.... I've got a good pace that I can move at and consistently be ready to deal with a bad situation, but I would like to improve the speedy of that pace so I can keep up and tackle some bigger mountains in alpine style. Does anyone have any tips?

Edited June 8, 2015 by OhioIcer

[Ben Beckerich]

Road bike in the hills..... nothing has ever come close to gving me the lungs and legs in the alpine that the bike has, and that includes the alpine itself (going up almost every weekend).

[billcoe]

I would like to consider myself a fairly fit individual, but for having just moved out here a few months ago I am still very much a flat lander. I work a 9-5 job so getting out on the weekdays is difficult. I climb with a guy who has been mountaineering for about 10 years and he is just ridiculously fast (at least to me) and trying to keep up with him would probably make me bonk out at the summit.... I've got a good pace that I can move at and consistently be ready to deal with a bad situation, but I would like to improve the speedy of that pace so I can keep up and tackle some bigger mountains in alpine style. Does anyone have any tips?

 

Diet is killer important for alpine speed. (After the fact John Frieh had mentioned The Zone Diet, and I think it's very worthwhile read) Also, when I went to Nepal the first time, taking some weight in a pack and speedwalking the one of the nearby hilly urban trails on my lunch hour for the entire hour made a huge difference once you get over there and are puking your guts out hourly and ever 10 seconds your bowels are emptying all while hiking while being higher than Mount Rainer. There's no way you can duplicate altitude, but good diet and working your cardio regularly will certainly help.

 

Dude I use to know back in the day, Roger Smith,. that few strong climbers could keep up with, only ate raw vegetables and swam for exercise. He killed it on the hills. Unfortunately, his bones got brittle.

[layton]

don't dick around - you'll save more time than any training

[JasonG]

Mike's right. And I think there is something to be said for experience. If you are new to the alpine, you are going to move slow over loose exposed terrain until you get comfortable. Maybe it is fitness, but I suspect that it is a combo of inefficient gear fiddling and extra caution. Most of alpine climbing isn't really climbing (at least around here), but moving fast over rough terrain.

[mmeyers]

I moved here after living along the gulf coast for most of my life. So I know being a flat-lander. I thought I was in good shape - hahaha. I also have a 9-5+, and 2 kids, and my wife works, and thusly limited time stuck in town.

 

Your goal is to be able to move at a faster pace, but stay in your aerobic zone so you can extend your duration. You also want to be able to jump into an anaerobic zone to move faster, but you don't want to be in that zone too much or you will be trashed.

 

Being a flatlander most likely means that you haven't trained the climbing muscles in your lower body to endure that. So, that's where you need to start. Training on flat ground doesn't do squat in the mountains, imo.

 

There's lots of info online for gaining endurance. Read up about building your aerobic base. there's lots of good info in the cycling world - this stuff is very well developed for road racing. "training for the new alpinism" has some good info and explanations, but imo the audience for that book is people not doing the 9-5 in the city, so I don't recommend the training plans per se. Whatever you do, the key is to use the muscles you use for climbing.

 

The following is what I think works as a *starting* point. YMMV. It took me years before I started seeing real results:

Without the time to get outside, what has worked best for me is doing step-ups. 1-2 hours at a time, 2-3x/week, with a pack (yes, it's boring, I watched a lot of movies). (OK, sometimes I'd only do 1 hr 1x/wk. It's really boring.) I used a heart rate monitor to help stay in my aerobic zone, ie below mid zone 2 HR. I'd go at the speed that keeps me near the limit of my aerobic zone. After some time (ie, months), I saw my speed improve a little.

 

After 4-6 months or so, I started spending time in high zone 2-3 HR (below anaerobic threshold), and went through a sequence of max HR intervals (Tabata-style) running uphill/stairs to supposedly increase VO2 max. Max HR intervals gets diminishing returns pretty quickly, so only 1-2 weeks at at time. Then I go back to mostly zone 1-2, and some zone 2-3.

 

good luck.

[Bronco]

I think what Mike is saying is have your gear/food/clothing dialed in so you're in constant motion. Fuel while on the move, have important stuff packed where it's easily accessible, be thinking ahead to what's next so you're mentally prepared for the next transition and have the sequence of the next transition thought through. (need to put on my harness first, then crampons, grab an energy gel, flake the rope, etc.) I know from personal experience that I can become dependent on a more experienced partner and wait for his queue before performing certain tasks. This process starts in the planning stages of the climb. It may seem silly but by looking at a route description, you should be able to mentally go through potential transition points. Each person in the group should have a pretty good idea of whats happening next. Communication within the group should also be constant.

 

Also, pack light. Scrutinize each item, you might be surprised if you think about when the last time you needed certain items.

 

You say you consider yourself to be fairly fit. What are you doing for training? Back in the "old days" I considered myself a fairly fit 18 year old and was truly humbled by trying to keep up with a 70 year old logger who I was supposed to be helping pull some cedar blocks out of the woods. There is something innate to moving efficiently through different terrain that can best (only?) be trained by doing it. Try to get out with a heavy pack and get off trail, traveling cross country. You may look like some deranged mountain man but it has been very helpful to prepare me physically for mountaineering, especially since I have a desk job now.

 

[astrov]

Ohiolcer: What training to do you do currently?

[OhioIcer]

Astrov: Currently I am trying to climb as much as possible. During the week I do ride my bike to work as much as possible and play on the hills, but not as often as I'd like due to my location. (Not a big fan of riding up big hills on busy streets). I totally get the not dickin' around thing, in fact that was one of the first things I started working on. I actually read an article on here that said (super paraphrased) get your systems in line, break only when its natural (in terms of a transition from snow to rock or the other way around) belays and just basically when you are forced by the situation to rest. So I have been putting some serious thought/work into my systems and organization. I really just think I need to develop the muscles and aerobic capacities to move faster (within my aerobic range). One of my first big climbs one of my partners bonked out at 11000 feet because he was moving way to fast and carrying too much weight. I have a pace that I am good with and can ride that pace for hours, but it is slower than I would like it to be.

 

Thanks dudes!

[genepires]

i wouldn't concer yourself so much with the training for speed part right now. You sound like you are in adequate shape if you can go at a pace for long periods of time.

Just focus on getting out and having fun....or phun as I like to call it. Type 2 fun.

Pick fun goals within your limits on a regular basis. Have fun even if it is slow. Don't beat yourself up about some clock values. Speed is not what climbing is ALL about. Sometimes that bivy is the best part. Relish the alpine. Don't speed through and miss things.

 

Gradually up the ante and so a little bigger each weekend. Your fitness will improve. You will speed up without trying so hard.

 

Plus what folks above said too.

[ilias]

Weight makes a big difference in pace. Make sure to lighten your load as much as possible. But you probably already know that.

 

Aerobic training is aerobic training. Probably the most time-efficient aerobic training to do on week days is running. Run at a moderate pace that you could keep up for a long time (even if you are only going for a half hour to one hour run).

 

If the issue is specific leg muscles rather than cardio, then just keep going every weekend and they'll build up pretty quick. Make sure to stay active with mountain activities throughout the winter so you don't have to start from scratch every climbing season (back country skiing, snowshoeing, ice climbing, etc).

 

Also, consider doing after work short (but steep if possible) hikes, carrying weight, at nearby mountains. Aim for slightly more weight then you're likely to be carrying on real alpine outings, so that whatever you carry on alpine days feels light compared to what you're used to. Use water jugs or something and dump them out at the top so you don't have to carry the weight on the way down and trash your knees.

Edited June 15, 2015 by ilias

[JasonG]

Well said Gene.

[NDrake]

Run at a moderate pace that you could keep up for a long time (even if you are only going for a half hour to one hour run).

 

If the issue is specific leg muscles rather than cardio, then just keep going every weekend and they'll build up pretty quick. Make sure to stay active with mountain activities throughout the winter so you don't have to start from scratch every climbing season (back country skiing, snowshoeing, ice climbing, etc).

 

You're advising people to run!? I thought you only did that when things were chasing you, or you were trying to beat me back to the trailhead?

 

On that note though, I have noticed the greatest increase in speed from running more frequently and at a lower intensity. As Ilia knows I bought in to the Steve House plan, "abandoning your social life for the new Alpinism". One of the main points was to build your aerobic base going at zone 1, under 75% of your max heart rate. In years past I had been running with much higher heart rates. Over a long time period I have noticed my pace improve with less exertion, a huge bonus in the alpine when you consider this means packing less food.

 

The other thing was starting a strength training program, which I have never done before in my life. Despite years of ski touring, climbing, and yoga I found that I had weak glutes and some core muscles weren't strong (the core program in abandoning your social life is great). After doing some specific things for glute strength I worked on box steps and progressed up to 4 reps at mid thigh height with 90lbs. Now even quite high steps on a scramble with a heavy pack are very easy. With the extra core strength I can maintain straight posture, without bending forward at the hips, and really use those glutes. It's all in the booty.

 

All that aside, the other advice here is spot on and truly more important. Having systems dialed, gear planned, and fast to transition will do more for you. Unless you're terribly slow hiking most partners won't mind, but if you take 25 minutes to get ready for crossing a crevasse you might come up short on future partners.....

[ilias]

Well Nick just cause I don't do something myself doesn't mean I can't recommend it to others! Besides, I've gone on like 5 runs this year, it's a new personal record.

[Ben Beckerich]

I fucking hate running

[OhioIcer]

Thanks everyone! Ben, I fucking hate running too. I have been biking up hills like mad, but I feel like it hasn't hit all the muscles I need!

 

Anyways, thanks alot.

[montypiton]

I've found surprising success with copying efficiency protocols from bicycle racers and kayakers. I was never a "slow" mover - cross-country runner when younger - but I got faster when I shortened my stride and sped up my cadence. Five years ago, I took a long ride in an avalanche and had both ankles rebuilt - had to learn to walk all over again, and am still relearning to run. Yet since shortening my stride and speeding up my cadence, many of my long-time partners are challenged to keep up with me.

-Haireball