Climbers and runners may be familiar with the idea of training, but hillwalkers, backpackers and mountaineers can also benefit from a regular training regime, says MCI and Strength & Conditioning Coach Tom Horrocks. Whether your goal is improved performance for a big objective, or simply injury prevention, in this series Tom looks at all aspects of training for mountain sports.

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In part two of our series on training and preparation for mountain and adventure activities we'll focus on the technical and tactical side of training, but it is important to mention that there will be overlaps in all elements of training mentioned in this series.

From keeping a record of your activity and rating the intensity of your sessions, to analysing where your weaknesses may be, the value of the information and tactics underlying a successful training regime should not be underestimated. Here are some tips to help you stay consistent with your training and implement technical skills into your preparation.

Start a Training Diary 

When starting a workout be clear whether you're aiming for intensity or volume

A training diary can be as simple or in depth as you like. It's about finding what information is going to be important to you. A fitness diary has many benefits, which include learning more about your own habits and motivations. It will allow you to log training data, helping to build progression and assisting you in preventing over-training and fatigue.

Information is the most powerful tool for any athlete and should be a high priority for anyone wanting to improve their performance. Many of us already have some form of health tracking app or watch logging data on our movements, from step counting to heart rate and sleep quality. These are all useful tools to help us stay healthy. But which ones are essential in helping us become better athletes?

Here are some things which are essential to log.

What have you trained today - including planned rest days?

Simply writing down what you have done every day starts to show signs and management of your energy levels and how fit you are. This is the most basic form of training diary. I recommend you fill it in every evening before bed. If you have planned activities in your training calendar it can also be the first thing you look at in the morning, helping you to stay consistent and motivated. 

Calendar

Alongside your training diary you can have a calendar showing what sessions are scheduled for you to complete as well as planned races,  events or even upcoming hill or climbing trips. Looked at in retrospect, a training programme or calendar will show you what you had planned to do, whereas a training diary will show what you actually did. Using an online tool you could incorporate calendar and diary in one. However it is clearer if you keep the two separate.

How To Spot Red Flags in Your Training Diary

• 7 or more days of consecutive training without a rest day (unless scheduled and planned)
• 3 or more consecutive days of intensive training (unless pre-planned)
• Prolonged periods without training (if it is not planned rest, then days without training are days not improving)
• Periods of days or weeks when training drops significantly or increases significantly. Big changes in your habits will impact your energy levels. Manage them to work for you with planning rest periods.

Optional things to include in your training diary

Some form of feedback or rating system to look back on and assess performance is helpful for training plans. This can be as simple or as complex as you like. Here are some ideas for rating how your training session felt.

How did you feel during the training session today? Use a basic rating system such as 1-10 (1 = felt terrible and 10 = amazing). This rating system is also referred to as RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion).

What was the intensity like? Again, use a simple rating system. Remember that intensity-measuring tools like heart rate, training zones logged on a watch or online training tool will only give you an estimate figure. The technology has not been programmed specifically for you, it has been pre-programmed with a rough guide to what your data may be, based on a few basic metrics such as age and weight. Like your BMI this can lead to some irrelevant results when it comes to fitness and performance.

How long did you train for? You can then multiply the duration (volume) by the rating of intensity to give you an estimated level of fatigue. For example, 30 minutes exercise at an intensity rating of 6 (RPE) = 180. After a full week of training, you can add all the scores together giving you an overall TSS (Training Stress Score) for that week; You can then compare TSS scores weekly or monthly. We are now lucky to be able to access training apps and online tools to do this for us. Just make sure that the training tool you use is specific to your needs.

Heart Rate Training Zones

Zone 1 - Recovery

Zone 2 – Aerobic

Zone 3 – Tempo

Zone 4 – Lactate Threshold

Zone 5 – Anaerobic

HR training zones are another way to measure the intensity for a workout. So too are pace/speed, power output and weight/resistance.

Intensity vs volume

The main rule to bear in mind is that if you're training high intensity, then the volume of training should be decreased. Conversely if you're training high volume then the intensity should be decreased. When you start a workout have a very clear idea in your mind whether you are aiming for intensity or volume.

Why not use pre-programmed health apps?

When you purchase a smart watch or phone, it will be pre-programmed to give you quite wooly data. I am no technical wizard and cannot speak for every tech piece on the market, however have you ever been a bit unsure about the number of steps your watch thinks you have completed? I certainly am a little sceptical…

Rather than random undirected exercise workouts, consider what will really help you improve

If the basic data is unreliable then you might also question the extrapolation to the number of calories and the heart rate zones. Things like this are mostly pre-programmed for generic settings, based off age and weight. Until you programme your specific data into that application by doing heart rate threshold tests, for example, then your watch or phone simply cannot give you accurate tailored information. Without that, the tech should be treated only as a rough guide, not gospel.

The best way to get specific data for you is to do a performance test either yourself or at a facility like a sports university or specialist venue. This can be well worth doing if you want more accurate results with your training zones.

There are lots of tests you can perform without specialist equipment, but they won't be as accurate as paid services and should be carried out regularly to keep up to date and provide more useful data. At the most basic DIY level you can make a note of your heart rate threshold (average heart rate) when doing, for example, a 30-minute run or cycle ride at maximum effort. Just remember to repeat the test at regular intervals to keep track of progress (or lack of it).

Other things which are useful to log in a training diary

• How many hours of sleep did you get?
• Quality of sleep?
• How was the training session: Did you feel good/ bad? Did you perform well or not?
• How stressed did you feel? If you have a stressful job or have recently moved house, changed job. This can have an impact on your energy levels and performance. Planning easier days around these life hurdles can help you manage your energy levels.
• You get the idea…

Each question needs to be important to you and your goals. The answers provided over time will help develop an understanding of your body like never before and will make training planning much easier.

What are technical skills?

Endurance, strength, speed, power, accuracy, coordination, agility, flexibility, balance.

Skills to help you succeed

A large part of tactical preparation is planning time to improve skills. Physical training alone is not enough for our Olympic team to get gold medals, they must also hone their skills to perform at their sport.

It's the same, at least in principle if not results, for mountaineers or hill runners. As part of a training plan, we can also include time for improving skills. But we must choose these skills carefully depending on our chosen activity. For example, the 100m sprint arguably requires less skill than golf, hill running, or rock climbing.

Knowing your strengths and finding your weaknesses

As a teenager I competed as a squash player in regional events. During one match I was outclassed and knew it. After my opponent had finished with me, he quietly gave me some advice which I took on board, having been happy with the amount of time I had been able to keep him on the court!

He pointed out that my backhand was weak when having to hit the ball overhead. He had managed to identify a weakness in my game during just one match which I had never noticed during weeks, months and years of intensive playing.

I quickly practised this skill and managed to improve that element of my game, making me a better player.

How to find your weaknesses

Finding your weaknesses is the best way to determine what to train, and therefore being able to improve your performance.

Here are some options:

Ask yourself some questions to help identify weaknesses. Such as "Why did you fail to achieve your goal? Why did you lose? Why did you not perform as you would have hoped?

Ask a training partner, coach, or instructor. Getting help from professionals will help speed up this process or ask a long-term training friend what they think.

Give yourself several tests which target skills and fitness required for your chosen sport and activity. One example is the T test, a classic gymnasium test where you set out cones in the shape of a T and time yourself to touch each cone and come back. The T test is a great way to show agility and speed of movement, and often used for racket sports.

Most of the time I find people already know what they struggle to do or where they need to improve. However, they don't always know how to improve it.

If you find yourself often saying the same things about your performance, then it's time to do some serious investigating and highlight that weakness, just like my overhead backhand shot.

Things often said during sports and activities:

• I lost momentum
• I didn't have the strength
• I couldn't do that move
• I wasn't fast enough
• I wasn't prepared
• I wasn't confident enough
• I have not trained enough this year

The good news is that these are all things we can improve at, if we identify what it is that's holding us back.

What to remember

• Include technical skills in your training plan
• Work out the technical skills necessary for your activity
• Ask yourself and friends questions to help identify weaknesses
• Approach every workout with an aim in mind; e.g. Intensity or volume?

To apply technical and tactical elements to a mountain and adventure training plan requires some time to assess current abilities and reflect on past performances.

This is unlikely to revolutionise your performance overnight, however by spending time to determine what will really help you improve, rather than performing random un-directed exercise workouts, you can be confident that progress will be made in a focused direction.

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About Tom Horrocks

Tom is a Mountaineering Climbing Instructor and a Strength & Conditioning Coach

"I developed an interest in fitness from a young age; competing and later coaching Squash, Tennis, Football and Kayaking" he says.

"In 2016 my interest peaked while working as a guide in Nepal leading groups to Everest base camp, Island Peak and later on to Ama Dablam - it was here that I discovered fitness training for mountain sports, finding that the knowledge and experience of training specifically for mountaineering was underdeveloped and difficult to access. Upon qualifying as a personal trainer I began combining my skills and expertise in climbing instruction, coaching and fitness programming to design training plans for clients participating in global adventure challenges, from mountain running to high altitude expeditions, under my own business: Adventure Fitness Consultants.

"Alongside being a keen climber I am very active in the outdoors and enjoy fell running, wild swimming, skiing and alpine mountaineering. When I am unable to get into the mountains however, I like to challenge myself in the gym and continue progressing my fitness for the next adventure."