MoapaPk wrote:Wow, how did people ever climb mountains before crossfit and specialized exercise equipment?

Well, the people who we have all read about, they climbed ALL THE TIME. I hear this over and over. If my primary occupation was climbing, or I didn't have many other responsibilities, I could just climb and forget about training. But I can't/don't. So I train so I don't suffer(as bad) when I do climb. It's fairly simple. But you know....the Huber brothers train, Viesturs trains 4 days a week when he's not climbing, the Pou, brothers train, Ueli Steck....list goes on. If you don't have to train, then fine....congrats! Not sure why Crossfit and specialized equip was specifically mentioned.....but trail running and just hiking with a pack work too.....but not if you're in the plains of Minnesota and need to specifically target uphill with heavy weight.

One flight of stairs, a set of bleachers, one hill with a 10' rise (run up and down while wearing climbing boots), is all he needs. OK, maybe he should lift a 10 lb weight in each hand for every other flight. It's not like he is going to K2. The guides will likely keep the pace reasonable. No matter what machine he uses, if he gets to a point of being able to burn 500 Cal in 30 minutes, he's golden.

Altitude effect... harder to predict.

Although i click a mouse for a living, I am not worried about altitude. I have done at least a couple dozen trips over 10k ft, so I have that component down.

Just need to work on the stepping up gig with the heavy pack.

BigMitch wrote:Although i click a mouse for a living, I am not worried about altitude. I have done at least a couple dozen trips over 10k ft, so I have that component down.

Just need to work on the stepping up gig with the heavy pack.

I thought that too.....until one day. It can hit you with increased load/stress from carrying larger loads for a longer duration without proper hydration/eating. Sometimes, it just hits you period. I never had an issue until this summer.....voila, the right combo hit me and I was squatting in the bushes for 2 days! Chills, muscle cramps, headache.....blech. No one is immune.

With nearly 6 months to go, I started my Williamson training today.

I took a light pack (50 lbs), put on my heaviest boots (Actis Espe), and did 4 sets of (30 minute hikes on the elevated treadmill followed by 100 reps of steeping up and down from a 12 inch high plank (about 15 minutes using a lap counter)).

I will gradually increase the time to 5 hours, increase the pack weight to 70 lbs, and increase the step height to 18 inches. This will enable me to approach the climb from a position of strength.

WS: You must have really strong legs doing 100 reps up a 2 foot box with 125 lbs! I am in awe! You inspired me! Thank you.

I have the nutrition/hydration gig down too. It is no big deal in summer events, but becomes a significant issue during winter ultras at temps well below zero, where you can't eat or drink enough. From those experiences, I concluded that all black moods are due to lack of nutrition. A big greasy cheeseburger and fries every 12 hours hits the "reset" button every time.

I don't think I ever train with a heavy pack or boots on. Not the 5 or 8 times that I've climbed Williamson and surrounding areas. I don't think your pack is going to be substantially over 50lbs. The steps being kicked by your guide will be small steps. The way you approach this, I think you are going to break trail and carry your guide up. Good on ya.

BigMitch wrote:With nearly 6 months to go, I started my Williamson training today.

I took a light pack (50 lbs), put on my heaviest boots (Actis Espe), and did 4 sets of (30 minute hikes on the elevated treadmill followed by 100 reps of steeping up and down from a 12 inch high plank (about 15 minutes using a lap counter)).

I will gradually increase the time to 5 hours, increase the pack weight to 70 lbs, and increase the step height to 18 inches. This will enable me to approach the climb from a position of strength.

WS: You must have really strong legs doing 100 reps up a 2 foot box with 125 lbs! I am in awe! You inspired me! Thank you.

I have the nutrition/hydration gig down too. It is no big deal in summer events, but becomes a significant issue during winter ultras at temps well below zero, where you can't eat or drink enough. From those experiences, I concluded that all black moods are due to lack of nutrition. A big greasy cheeseburger and fries every 12 hours hits the "reset" button every time.

Thanks....I've def busted my butt for it even though leg strength tends to be a natural thing for me. Took me a few months to work up to that weight/rep combo.....I def didn't start out of the gate with it. The bummer was I was really fit and blew out my foot at the end of May and ended up having to rest it for most of the summer except for the occaisional trip. Lost alot of my fitness because of it. I got it back quickly, but I'm still not back to where I was. I've always had great leg power, but my stamina has been an issue if I don't watch it. Good luck on your training/climb.

BigMitch wrote:
On my stepper, to max out the upward resistance on the pedal, you need to set on highest weight and lowest intensity.

As you increase intensity, you decrease the upward pressure on the pedal, which makes you step faster.

So at 300 lb (max setting) with my body weight at the lowest intensity, I get the max resistance.

As I add a heavy pack, the resistance goes down. Not good, since one also needs to weight load the skeleton.

Back to the drawing board. I would like to thank everyone for their input.

I'm a little bit confused by this. Your stepper needs to only provide enough resistance to allow you elevate your body momentarily - as long as the step doesn't simply bottom out without you ever moving up I'd think it work fine. Intensity then just translates to how fast the pedal falls back down under your weight - your pace. I paid 35 bucks on craigs list for my stepper and I thought it was great training. I'm 190 and I had 55lb pack on it.

kevin trieu wrote:The way you approach this, I think you are going to break trail and carry your guide up. Good on ya.

On my OP, I stated that I don't train "light." A guy can never be too strong . . .

brrrdog wrote:

BigMitch wrote: I paid 35 bucks on craigs list for my stepper and I thought it was great training. I'm 190 and I had 55lb pack on it.

Thank you for the encouragement to do more testing on this. I want to revisit the stepper with some of the interval sessions offered up by EB & Co. I paid $100 for my stepper on Craigslist a couple of weeks ago and it is too nice to get rid of. Like Nordic tracks, people can't give those machines away.

As long as the steps aren't instantly smashing to the bottom under your weight I think it should be fine. Maybe post a model or link?

My stepper is a Bodyguard Quantum LS2, circa 1999. It is rated to 350 lbs, but I found that it maxed out at 300 lbs. I am 182 lbs.

The steps don't instantly smash down.

For what it's worth, I just finished Ed Vieturs' book "No shortcuts to the top", and in it he mentioned his training regimen and how he changed it in his 40's. He said that with sport specific targeted weight movements, cross-fit style workouts, and stair stepper workouts combined with his normal running, he got in the BEST SHAPE OF HIS LIFE. This was when he was training for his last 8,000m peak, Annapurna. He specifically noted how people poo-poo gym-training by saying "climbing is the best training", but here is a man who was in "the best shape of my life", in his 40's.....who used to be a guide on Rainier! He was in better shape after that gym training program, than when he guided full time! Not my words....his. He stressed that there are many aspects of mountaineering fitness that you just can't hit by walking uphill with a pack. He stated that with so many other aspects of life such as work and kids, it's just not practical for people to use climbing as the ONLY training for climbing....unless you're a bum. So have at it BigMitch....it works.

WyomingSummits wrote:For what it's worth, I just finished Ed Vieturs' book "No shortcuts to the top", and in it he mentioned his training regimen and how he changed it in his 40's. He said that with sport specific targeted weight movements, cross-fit style workouts, and stair stepper workouts combined with his normal running, he got in the BEST SHAPE OF HIS LIFE. This was when he was training for his last 8,000m peak, Annapurna.

So he (Ed V) had climbed all the other 8000m peaks without that sort of training... and no supplemental oxygen either? I'm sure BigMitch is in for a hard workout on Williamson; but as I said before, he isn't climbing K2.

I've given that book away, but I seem to recall that a key in Ed V's fitness program (for Annapurna) was: a personal trainer.

I don't poo-poo gym training; I just think people get overly concerned with the details. I use an elliptical trainer at a gym when I can't get out (fortunately, I have some tough peaks very close by). When I am hobbled at home, I jog up and down my one flight of stairs. Sometimes I go to the concrete stairs on the grounds of the high school up the street, and jog up and down them in my heavy boots. I've had a lot of medical issues, and have learned that sometimes, you have to be creative. A set of 600 chair squats present a serious challenge that can be met with minimal equipment.

One bad thing about mechanical stair-climbers: they are incredibly boring. If you are using a stair-climber with any significant intensity (say burning 500 kcal in 35 minutes), you can't really watch a TV or read.

im like you OP, I don't live near any peaks or any kind of elevation for that matter, sounds like you are going to be training your ass off for this climb,if it makes you happy and more confident good for you, for the most part I train on stair master and 30 degree incline and wear my trangos with 2.5 pounds added to each ankle, I do incline first for 1 hour,then straight to stair master for an hour with a pack weight of 45 pounds, I also throw in some biking sometimes, but do not train as long as you, I usually train for 6-8 weeks like this before a climb, and it has worked well, yes that training gets boring so get out your mp3, now how altitude will hit you is a different issue.