bird wrote:#1 I disagree 100%, if the OP adds some (try not to read carefully...some) weight training and adds strength, I believe it will help her get to the top of Whitney (as do many other people, Twight, Shaul, etc)
#2 Again, I disagree, what makes a machine less intimidating? A good trainer can certainly make a broomstick, body bar, or empty barbell pretty non-intimidating.
#3 An advertisement? I have nothing to gain by recommending CF...I just find it very beneficial. Are you advertising bodyrecomposition.com? Which by the way has some great stuff in it. I see they are proponents of 5x5 for weightlifting, which is used by CF, and the site refers to Greg Everett, who has a long history with CF.
Anyways, CF is more than high intensity interval training, and HIIT is pertinent (as one part of a program), especially when training time is limited http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 123639.htm or http://www.naturalnews.com/028851_inter ... rcise.html as just a few examples. I am not saying this is the only way to train...but a great addition to an all around program.
#1: WHY? There actually needs to be a solid explanation. Can any of those names you mentioned provide real reasons why weight training will help? (I'm saying this assuming the person is already doing hiking or something similar for cardio training).
#2: That's just how people are. I think we'll just agree to disagree.
#3: Nope, just promoting education (for me too). No doubt HIIT has benefits, but they are basically being compared to "jogging" intensity. Doing sustained training and 80-95% heartrate can illicit better improvements in cardiovascular endurance (but not strength) than intervals.
If you want to tell the OP to do interval training up steep hills, then I'm all for it. 5 min of face pace hiking, 3 min rest, do over and over. That will improve cardiovascular fitness and glycogen storage. But when I initially read about weights and crossfit I'm not getting that sort of training idea...