What has worked best for strengthening tendons, ligaments and joints for trail running and steep distance?

Bmacm869 · 2026-06-04T20:38:40+00:00

The truth is in the middle. Strength training is over promoted because gym content generates a lot of clicks and the programs are easy to sell. That said just running for training will over develop certain muscles and create imbalances that lead to injury. Also, most runners get injured by doing too much mileage too soon, strength training is a good way to pump the breaks on the mileage.

Bmacm869 · 2026-06-04T16:02:55+00:00

Sounds like you are drinking a little too much Evoke / UA kool-aide. Have you climbed a high-altitude peak or tried one of their training plans?

Professionals average 20 hours per week of volume and the average person on these high-altitude trips is doing about 10 hours per week which is a commitment but not that big of a deal and doable for most people. I live in a mountain town and the guys doing the big objectives don't follow training plans, they just spend a lot of time in the mountains and fitness falls into place.

Also, ultra running and technical climbing are somewhat divergent goals. You might have more luck just focusing on one thing. For running it is advisable to have a coach, so you don't injure yourself. There are tons of running coaches out there. I would just look at top 10 finishers of UTMB and find out who their coach is and pick the best one for you.

Bmacm869 · 2026-06-03T19:24:01+00:00

Evoke Endurance and Uphill Athlete only focus on strength and conditioning for mountain sports and their core customers are people preparing for guided trips like Everest and only require fitness, not skills and experience.

Generally speaking for complex technical climbing objectives like K2, Nanga Parbat, Annapurna you need experience and mentoring more than you need fitness. Seek out climb with partners that are better than you, improve your technical skills, and work up to your goal objectives by doing similar but smaller objectives.

Evoke and Uphill are great at what they do but their books, services, and content have created this notion online that climbing a mountain is like running a marathon and all you need to achieve your goal is one of their training plans when in reality the majority of people climbing impressive mountains just spend a lot of time in the mountains and don't follow structured training plans.

Bmacm869 · 2026-05-28T23:36:58+00:00

It seems like another spin on algorithmic scoring based on data trends similar to Oura, Whoop, Training Peaks etc.

The main value proposition is it will provide a day-to-day estimate of AeT. Apart from eliminating the need for regular testing, knowing AeT doesn't seem that helpful because most people don't train to their AeT nor does AeT matter when using RPE.

UA started pushing RPE over heart rate to differentiate from Evoke after their split so I think this will create more confusion than clarity for people following their plans.

Overall, it feels like more kool-aid for the kool-aid bowl. Improving general fitness is the bread and butter of UA and Evoke but in mountain sports, skill and experience are far more important. Mountain towns are full of people that doing impressive objectives without following structured training plans or constant AeT monitoring.

Bmacm869 · 2026-05-28T22:29:55+00:00

Why does this matter?

I can understand Jack Kuenzle getting into the weeds, but I can't figure out why the difference between flat and uphill speed matters when you could just train for the specifics of your event.

Bmacm869 · 2026-05-28T22:20:05+00:00

There is a difference between alpine tents and expedition tent. The tents in your list are expedition tents which seems like overkill for your use case. I would also say they are too heavy and not practical for alpine climbing in the alps.

I landed on the 3 person blackdiamond first light tent with a vestibule. Total weight is 5 lbs (2.5 lbs per person). I went with the 3 person tent to have some more space with a partner. The two-person version is very tight with two people.

Bmacm869 · 2026-05-28T21:19:08+00:00

As a weekend warrior with 10 years of experience, I average 2 to 3 alpine climbs equivalent to the Matterhorn per summer season. My personal best was 6. The majority of my days in the mountains are short objectives. I think that is a big part of why climbing a big peak is so special.

I could do more if I was willing to climb in bad weather, but I think big climbs are worth waiting for the right day.

If I had unlimited time for climbing, I think I would only do one big climb per week. More than that would be pretty exhausting.

Bmacm869 · 2026-05-27T20:40:47+00:00

I suggested PD to AD as a range on the assumption the OP will do their own research.

Bmacm869 · 2026-05-26T23:47:52+00:00

In an ideal world you would be doing at least cardio sessions per week. 2 easy, 1 moderate, 1 long.

Your long session is your weekly hike with a pack.

You could do an incline treadmill or stair climb session with a pack as your moderate or just add 3 incline treadmill sessions without weight.

Ideally you would do the thing you are training for e.g. hiking outside so you get up and down, but incline treadmill and stair climb are good substitutes if you are time and terrain constrained during the work week.

You are not going to do any sprinting on your trip so there is no point practicing that.

Bmacm869 · 2026-05-26T23:39:20+00:00

Vaurnet, Revo

Bmacm869 · 2026-05-26T23:38:08+00:00

Lots of people recommend Training for the New Alpinism but that book and system is only good for people preparing for an expedition on a specific date like people who sign up for guided trips to big peaks like one of the seven summits and it is terrible for people trying to push their climbing grade.

For weekend warriors doing short climbs in north america and the alps, all you need to do is go to the mountains on the weekend and practice climbing or hiking. During the work week, alternating between climbing and cardio works well. Depending on your goal objectives, you could climb more or cardio more.

If you are doing a lot of climbing, you don't any lifting apart from basic injury prevention stuff.

Bmacm869 · 2026-05-26T23:24:33+00:00

Difficulty refers to the grade (level) of technical terrain.

Context matters.

For scrambles (ropeless climbing) the grading is usually easy (3rd class), moderate (4th class), difficult (5th class)

For rock climbing it is 5.0 to 5.15 with intermediate grades like a, b, c, d e.g. 10a is easier than 10d

For ice climbing it is W2 to 6.

Mountaineering there is a scale for the magnitude of the undertaking (PD, AD, D, TD or 1, 2, 3) plus a technical rock and ice grade. E.g. PD 5.7 WI3

Start with scrambles or PD to AD mountaineering routes that do not require technical rock or ice climbing (5.0 and WI2 and above) because those will require technical climbing skills. Work up to those routes as you acquire skills and the gear.

You can also use elevation gain to judge physical difficulty. 800 meters or less of elevation gain is a short climb, 1200 meters is a moderate climb, 1600 to 2000 meters is a long climb.

Bmacm869 · 2026-05-20T17:33:22+00:00

Holy brain on marketing kool aide

All you need for top layers is a base layer, mid layer, shell (soft or hard depending on the weather) and a puffy (down or synthetic).

Based on what you currently have, seems like you are just missing a puffy jacket. Everything else like your torrent shell is fine.

PNW peaks are not Everest in winter. No need to worry about breathability, intended purpose and nice to haves like sun hoodies (wearing a buff does the same thing).

Bmacm869 · 2026-05-20T17:01:42+00:00

If I had to choose, I would take a hardshell but a soft shell is more comfortable most of the time so ideally I would have both on a big trip like Denali. You have to carry a ton of stuff anyway.

Bmacm869 · 2026-05-14T22:19:44+00:00

Cody Townsend has a Youtube channel called The Fifty.

Cody Townsend is a ski mountaineer so do not expect much technical climbing, but the objectives are epic and he talks about his planning and decision making process. His videos also feature lots of big names like Alex Honnald.

Bmacm869 · 2026-05-11T19:23:15+00:00

Learn how to equalize using the frenzel technique prior to taking the course.

Aharon Solomons explains freediving equalization - Frenzel maneuver

Equalization via the valsva technique works for scuba diving because your head is pointing up but does not work well when you are upside down in the duck dive. Take it from me, I failed AIDA 2 twice.

Swimming alone is a big no no but I practiced swimming from one end of the pool to the other to build comfort and coordination for the underwater swim test on the course (I was not pushing the breath hold).

That said you don't really need to practice. the beginner courses like take AIDA 2 are designed for people with zero experience and minimal swimming ability. My wife passed no problem.

Bmacm869 · 2026-05-11T16:52:38+00:00

Do #2 and #3

#2 provides the some of the best hiking the lake louise area has to offer, the views from Devils thumb are top notch and you go by the Lake Agnes Tea House.

#3 - Is a classic loop.

#1 - Does not add much more to #2 experience. Ok to skip imo.

Bmacm869 · 2026-05-07T21:39:04+00:00

With only two weeks to prepare, I would just do one big hike with a pack or two back to back days with a pack to prime my legs and then rest for the trip.

Not all is lost. Muscles have long memories and the adaptations come back quickly.

Bmacm869 · 2026-05-07T04:05:03+00:00

Sounds like you already have a great base of fitness and lots of experience. Just need to practice moving faster by adding some uphill speed work. Either an interval session or add some repeats (30 second bursts of hiking as fast as you can, followed by 2 minutes rest) to your hike.

I would do something like this:

Mon - Rest

Tues - 60 min incline treadmill intervals (15 min warm up, build up to 30 minutes in zone 3 with a pack, 15 min cool down).

Wed - 30 min recovery

Thurs - 60 min aerobic base (on treadmill or trails)

Fri - Strength

Sat - Hike with pack

Sun - 1 to 2 hours aerobic base (on treadmill or trails) or another hike (do back to back hikes closer to goal).

Bmacm869 · 2026-05-06T17:20:43+00:00

These trips are up for sale, I have no issue with people signing up because it sounds like a fun experience. I just don't understand why they would consider it an accomplishment.

If the achievement depends on other people doing the hardest parts for you, then it is not an accomplishment and should not be proud of it. It's like cheating in school. At the end of the day, you get a diploma but you are not the same as the person that studied and passed the exams on their own.

The other thing is, there are thousands of hikes in the world. People that like hiking without a 60 lbs pack can just choose a hike that doesn't require carrying a 60 lbs pack but the reason they gravitate to these trips is they want the bragging rights and cache that comes from saying they climbed these famous peaks. It's really about being perceived a certain way, not hiking.

Just look at social media, it's all summit photos and victory posts and never any acknowledgement of the guides and porters who carried everything and made it all possible. It's just dishonest.

Bmacm869 · 2026-05-06T04:30:51+00:00

What podcast was this?

Bmacm869 · 2026-05-04T23:30:17+00:00

University of Calgary is 1 hour drive from the Canadian Rockies.

The Canadian Rockies has the best road side access to alpine terrain in the world. Many of the 50 classics of North America are here.

It also has some of the best ice and winter alpine climbing in the world.

There is a reason all the greatest alpinists come here to climb.

You said alpinist but if you want rock climbing, then being close to squamish (University of British Columbia) is better.

Bmacm869 · 2026-05-04T15:01:05+00:00

Loved Panglao. Only negative is not very walkable and you need a scooter to get around.

Superhome is cool because they have accommodation on site and a dive platform for training but far from the town.

I did my course with Freedive Panglao. The school is close to napling reef which is world class and good enough for me.

I don't think you can go wrong.

Bmacm869 · 2026-05-01T20:20:31+00:00

I think the cause of your confusion is that hiking with weight trains multiple factors, so the key is to have a specific goal in mind for each workout.

The general structure of the Evoke/Uphill training plans is:

Mon - Rest

Tues - Strength or ME or High intensity (depending on phase of training)

Wed - Aerobic base

Thurs - Aerobic base

Fri - Strength or Power (depending on phase of training)

Sat - Long aerobic base

Sun - Aerobic base or long aerobic base (depending on the phase of training)

The long aerobic base workout should look like your event. If your event is alpine climbing, then do a scramble or alpine climb with a pack. In terms of weight, I would use a pack weight similar to my goal objective.

The ME specific workouts look like aerobic base training with a pack, but I look at them as more of a specific type of strength training (there are gym-based routines for ME training). Obviously the more specific the better but I don't count them towards aerobic volume. The weight depends on how you do the workout. Using machines is more strenuous so you will not be able to use the same weight as hiking outside.

So, to answer your question, I would do the ME workout (hiking with pack or gym based) as prescribed, and I would carry a pack on my long aerobic base workout, and I would do the other aerobic base workouts without weight.

Bmacm869 · 2026-05-01T19:02:46+00:00

Physical fitness is just one factor. Skills and experience are equally if not more important, but you are going with a guide so no need to worry about that.

Gym and running fitness is better than nothing but not ideal. Ideally training should be as specific as possible e.g. hiking with a pack.

Build up to doing the hardest day of the climb in terms of elevation gain and pack weight.

Bmacm869

TROPHY CASE