FIT, STRONG &
HEALTHY:
EXPEDITION
GRADE
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THERE’S FIT. THERE’S STRONG. THERE’S HEALTHY. THEN THERES FIT, STRONG, HEALTHY AT AN EXPEDITION LEVEL. EVERYBODY’S SEEN OR HEARD OF TRIATHLETES GIVING OUT AT ALTITUDE, SOLDIERS CRUMBLING WHEN AWAY FROM SUPPORT & CROSSFIT STARS WHO COULDN’T GET TO CAMP 1 AND USUALLY THAT’S BECAUSE THEY WERE TOO OVER-ADAPTED IN ONE FACET THAT LEFT WEAKNESSES IN OTHERS.
EXPEDITIONS REQUIRE A GOOD DEGREE OF FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY ACROSS THE BOARD SIMPLY BECAUSE EXPEDITIONS DEMAND SO MUCH WORK TO DO. ‘FIT, STRONG, HEALTHY’ AT EVEREST BASECAMP – WHERE ALL YOUR GEAR WAS TRANSPORTED IN, THERE’S A MEDICAL FACILITY CLOSE BY AND THE ROUTE DOESN’T REQUIRE TECHNICAL SKILLS – CAN BE NO MORE THAN AVERAGE, BUT FOR REAL EXPEDITIONS HAVE THE WORK LOAD SPREAD EVENLY ACROSS MONTHS ON END THINGS NEED TO BE TO A HIGHER LEVEL.
EXPEDITIONS ARE WHERE YOU GET TO SEE THE SUM OF YOUR GENERAL CONDITION. WHEN ALL THE PERFORMANCE SPIKES HAVE BEEN LEVELLED OFF BY WEEKS OF APPROACH, FORAYS UP HIGH, DEALING WITH WEATHER & STAYING ON YOUR GAME, YOUR UNDERLYING FITNESS, STRENGTH & HEALTH SHOWS ITSELF RIGHT AT THE TIME YOU NEED IT TO PERFORM. THIS IS WHERE THE ENDURING CLIMBERS BREAK AWAY FROM THE HERD, BY HAVING A SOLID RESERVE NOT COMPROMISED BY BEING OVER-SPECIFIC IN ANY ONE ATTRIBUTE THAT KEEPS THE WHOLE SYSTEM FIRING AWAY RELIABLY.
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FIT
A GOOD RESTING HEART RATE, MARATHON TIME AND COMBINE-STYLE PERFORMANCE ARE USEFUL BUT SHALLOW INDICATORS. ‘EXPEDITION PERFORMANCE’ ISN’T MEASURED IN CLEAR METRICS LIKE FINISH TIMES OR REPS, IT’S MEASURED IN A SERIES OF FUNCTIONS, FOR WHICH THE CLIMBER NEEDS TO BE FIT-FOR-PURPOSE. EXPEDITION FITNESS IS THE OVERLAP OF MULTIPLE ATTRIBUTES SPECIFIC TO PERFORMING WELL FOR LONG PERIODS OF CLIMBING AND COVERS WEIGHT-TO-STRENGTH RATIO, MUSCULAR ENDURANCE, JOINT RANGE OF MOVEMENT, FLEXIBILITY, MOVEMENT PRECISION & CONTROL, ENDURANCE HEART RATE, RECOVERY RATE, CO-ORDINATION, POSTERIOR CHAIN INTEGRITY AND TECHNIQUE EXECUTION.
GETTING EXPEDITION-FIT IS A MATTER OF STRESSING AND ADAPTING TO THE ELEMENTS AN EXPEDITON WILL THROW AT YOU AND THAT HAPPENS OVER TIME. CLIMBERS WITH HIGH LEVELS OF EXPEDITION FITNESS ARE NOTED FOR THEIR CAPACITY TO KEEP PERFORMING WELL VERY EFFICIANTLY, WITH THIS EFFICIENCY COMING FROM THE COMBINED FUNCTION OF THE LIST ABOVE WITH NO ONE ATTRIBUTE AT THE EXPENSE OF THE OTHERS.
THE EFFICIENT CLIMBER HAS TUNED THEIR SYSTEM TO RUN OPTIMALLY AT ABOUT 65% CAPACITY CONSISTENTLY. THE IDEAS ABOUT ‘FAST’ AND ‘SPEED’ ARE ACROSS WEEKS, NOT SPIKES AND DIPS, WITH CONSISTENCY BEING VITAL TO PLANNING OUT HOW EFFORT IS EXPEDNDED ACROSS A DAY. AT ANY GIVEN INTERVAL THE VERY FIT CLIMBER DOESN’T APPEAR FAST, BUT VIEWED OVER THE SPAN OF AN ASCENT THAT CONSISTENCY ACCOUNTS FOR THE RATE OF SPEED WHICH IS WHERE FITNESS IS SEEN.
HOW TO GET IT
CONSISTENT BASE LEVEL CONDITIONING OVER TIME. TRAIN YOUR GENERAL CONDITION LIKE MOBILITY, TIME-ON-FEET, TIME UNDER LOAD & COMPLEX FULL BODY MOVEMENTS AT A MEANINGFUL BUT SUSTAINABLE LEVEL.
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STRONG
ABSOLUTE STRENGTH FOR SINGLE EFFORTS LIKE THE DEADLIFT IS EFFECTIVELY IRRELEVANT ON EXPEDITION. AS PART OF A GREATER SPECTRUM OF STRENGTH SOMETHING LIKE THIS PLAYS A VERY MINOR PART, BUT FOR EXPEDITIONS ORGANIC STRENGTH – THE STRENGTH OF AN ORGANISM TO SURVIVE – IS WHAT MATTERS.
ORGANIC STRENGTH IS YOUR ABILITY TO EXERT YOUR CAPACITY TO OVERCOME PROBLEMS: HARD MOVES, DIFFICULT CONDITIONS, EXTENDED EFFORTS, RESILIENCE AGAINST THE BODY BREAKING DOWN, MENTAL FORTITUDE. PHYSICAL STRENGTH FOR AN EXPEDITION RELATES TO YOU BEING ABLE TO APPLY YOURSELF TO THE TOP 10-15% OF DEMANDS WHICH MEANS THE MUSCULAR SKELETAL INTEGRITY TO LEVERAGE AND THE MENTAL/EMOTIONAL INTEGRITY TO FOCUS IT. THE DIFFERENCE FROM ‘GYM STRENGTH’ IS THAT IT’S PROBABLY REPETITIVE IN NATURE, LASTING HOURS RATHER THAN SECONDS, & FAILURE DOESN’T MEAN GO SIT DOWN FOR A COFFEE. ON EXPEDITION, YOUR MAXIMAL EFFORTS ARE USUALLY THE EASIER OPTIONS.
EXPEDITION GRADE STRENGTH ISN’T OPTIMALLY DEVELOPED IN A GYM BECAUSE THINGS NEED TO BE MORE ORGANIC, ie LESS ISOLATED. IF THE BASICS OF STRENGTH ARE LACCKING THEN YES, SOME ISOLATION TO GET UP TO SPEED WILL HELP INITIALLY, BUT THE IDEA OF FOLLOWING A GYM STRENGTH PROGRAM TO GET EXPEDITION RESULTS IS UNINFORMED. EXPEDITION STRENGTH DEVELOPMENT NEEDS STRESS APPLIED TO THE SYSTEM ACROSS A WIDE SPECTRUM OF ANGLES EXERTED OVER A LARGER AREA THAN ANY GYM WILL PROVIDE. PULL UPS ON A BAR, SQUATS IN A RACK & GHD EXTENSIONS IN SETS ARE POOR SUBSTITUTES FOR AN OLD PACK FULL OF GRAVEL AND THE CORNER OF A PARK WILL ACHEIVE FAR BETTER. TO BE RELEVANT TO CLIMBING REPS NEED TO BE IN THE DOZENS, ACROSS A SHIFTING VARIETY OF ANGLES & ACCOUNTING FOR A BODY IN SUB-OPTIMAL POSITION. WHAT YOU ARE TRAINING HERE ISN’T THE ABILITY TO DO THE LIFT, YOU ARE TRAINING THE ABILITY KEEP MOVING.
HOW TO GET IT
REGULAR MAXIMAL EFFORTS THAT MIMIC THE PEAK STRESSES OF EXPEDITION CLIMBING. MAXIMUM LOAD CARRIES, MAXIMUM OUTPUTS, MAXIMUM PULLING MOVEMENTS, MOVEMENTS AGAINST MAXIMUM FORCE, SUSTAINED FOR INTERVALS OF TIME RELEVANT TO CLIMBING. DONE HARD ENOUGH THAT ONCE A WEEK IS ENOUGH.
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HEALTHY
PROLONGED TIME AWAY FROM EASY EVACUATION, MEDICAL STATIONS & QUICK DESCENTS AMPLIFIES THE NEED FOR GOOD BASELINE HEALTH BY LEVELS OF MAGNITUDE. BEING HEALTHY BY EXPEDITION STANDARDS MEANS HAVING AN ORGANIC CONDITION IN OPTIMAL FORM TO HANDLE THE WEEKS OF EXPEDITION FOOD, THE ADAPTIONS TO ALTITUDE AND THE DAILY RECOVERY FROM THE WORK. THE FINELY TUNED FERRARI THAT NEEDS TO SUBSIST ON A CAREFUL BALANCE OF SUPPLEMENTS, OR CAN’T SLEEP ON HARD GROUND, OR SHUTS DOWN FROM THE DAY TO DAY EXPEDITION GRIND DOESN’T HAVE EXPEDITION-GRADE GOOD HEALTH.
SOLID EXPEDITION HEALTH COMES FROM FORTIFYING THE SYSTEM WITH GOOD LIFESTYLE PRACTICES OVER ACCUMULATED TIME; MORNING RUNS, CUTTING BOOZE, LOOSING 5kg, PROBIOTIC FOODS AND YOGA FOR A MONTH BEFORE WON’T AMASS MUCH ORGANIC BENEFIT THAT LASTS LONG INTO AN EIGHT WEEK TRIP; THESE ARE THINGS THAT NEED TO FORM YOUR BASIC LIFESTYLE TO SEE THE ADVANTAGES OF.
GOOD EXPEDITION HEALTH ACCOUNTS FOR THE VAST MAJORITY OF A CLIMBERS EXPEDITION PERFORMANCE. THIS IS THE THING THAT SEES HEALTHY CLIMBERS STILL FEELING GOOD AT WEEK 6 LONG AFTER THE ATROPHY FROM ALTITUDE. STRESS & WORK HAS SET IN. EXPEDITION HEALTH IS WHAT FORTFIES YOU AGAINST THE NIGGLES OF NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES, MUSCULAR SKELETAL STRAIN & THINGS LIKE SUNBURN & DRY AIR. GOOD EXPEDITION HEALTH IS WHAT GETS YOU RECOVERING BETWEEN BOUTS UP HIGH OR HEAVY CARRIES TO CAMPS, AND THE HEALTHIER YOU ARE THE LESS YOU NEED TO RELY ON EXPEDITION FOOD TO MAKE UP FOR THE NUTRIENTS YOUR BODY IS SPENDING.
HOW TO GET IT
EAT, REST & ENGAGE YOUR TIME WITH AS MUCH QUALITY AS POSSIBLE, CONSISTENTLY. THE BAD & LAZY CHOICES WILL BE BOUGHT OUT GLARINGLY BY AN EXPEDITION IN THE FORMS OF LACK LUSTRE MOTIVATION, COMPROMISED ACCLIMATION, SLOWED RECOVERY & PERFORMANCE NIGGLES.
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COMBINED
THE FIT, STRONG & HEALTHY CLIMBER GETS RESULTS ON EXPEDITION NOT JUST BECAUSE OF CAPACITY BUT BECAUSE THEY CAN BE PLANNED AROUND. KNOWING A CLIMBER IS WELL CONDITIONED OVER LOTS OF ACCUMULATED TIME TO THE TASKS AT HAND MEANS BEING ABLE TO EXECUTE STRATEGIES WITH A HIGHER DEGREE OF CONFIDENCE. KNWOING THE CLIMBER CAN CARRY 20kg 15km UP A GLACIER BECAUSE THEY’VE DONE SIMILAR CONSISTENTLY BEFORE SETS UP AN ASCENT WELL AND GETS THE TIMELINE ESTABLISHED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. LIKEWISE KNOWING A CLIMBER CAN PULL BASIC MIXED MOVES FOR HOURS ON END GIVES PLANNING FOR THE LATER PART OF THE ASCENT SOMETHING TANGIBLE TO ANCHOR WITH.
ALL UP, A BALANCED LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE ACROSS ALL THESE VECTORS IS FAR MORE EXPEDITION-FUNCTIONAL THAN BEING SKEWED TOWARDS ANY ONE. HIGH STRENGTH IS GREAT, SO LONG AS YOU CAN GET THERE. ENDLESS ENDURANCE IS GREAT, SO LONG AS YOU CAN HANDLE THE BUMP AND GRIND OF THE WORKLOAD. VIBRANT HEALTH IS GREAT, SO LONG AS YOU CAN STILL SHOULDER THE LOADS FOR THE HOURS NEEDED.
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TRAINING
FROM FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITION’S PERSPECTIVE IT’S EASY TO SEE WHO IS IN GOOD HIGH ALTITUDE CONDITION FROM EARLY IN A TRIP. THOSE WHO ARE WELL CONDITIONED ACROSS THE BOARD HAVE LESS ISSUES WITH THE DAILY GRIND OF EXPEDITIONS BECAUSE THEY HAVE MULTIPLE SYSTEMS FIRING AWAY TO MAKE THE WHOLE THING EASIER ON THEMSELVES, RATHER THAN HIGH SPECIALIZED CLIMBERS WHO ARE MUCH MORE STOP-START IN THEIR EFFORTS AND THEREFORE HARDER TO MANAGE.
IN GENERAL, A GOOD, FUNCTIONAL, WELL-ROUNDED CONDITION IN ALL ASPECTS OF HIGH ALTITUDE ALPINE CLIMBING TAKES AT LEAST 9 MONTHS OF CONSISTENT, FOCUSED TRAINING TO ACHEIVE. THIS LOOKS LIKE TRAINING ON 5-6 DAYS A WEEK WITH REGULAR BIGGER EFFORTS TO KEEP THINGS ALL ON TRACK AND SPOT WEAKNESSES SO THEY CAN BE ADDRESSED. THINGS NEED TO GRADUALLY INCREASE IN EFFORT, BUT ONLY AT A RATE WHERE THE SAME AMOUNT OF REST IS NEEDED. BY THIS SIMPLE METRIC YOU ARE TRAINING YOUR RECOVERY AND HEALTH CONDITION DUE TO FINDING OUT SOON ENOUGH WHAT YOU NEED SLEEP & FOOD-WISE TO KEEP ON SCHEDULE. SEVERAL WELL-FOUNDED PROVIDERS HAVE PROGRAMS THAT PREPARE CLIMBERS FOR THIS SORT OF THING, AND THOUGH NONE SPECIFICALLY ADDRESS THE UNIQUE FACTORS OF THE K2 NORTH RIDGE, THEY COME CLOSE ENOUGH TO ESTIMATE THE REST YOURSELF. THERE’S NO SECRET THAT YOUR PAYMENT WILL REVEAL TO YOU, BUT MOST DECENT PROGRAMS WILL NAVIGATE THE MIX OF ENDURANCE & STRENGTH OUTPUT WITH A STRATEGY THAT GETS RESULTS.
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9 MONTHS OF DEDICATED PREPARATION GIVES A CLIMBER A CERTAIN SHINE WHEN THEY ARRIVE FOR A TRIP THAT IS POSITIVE FOR THE WHOLE TEAM. THE TEAM MEMBER WHO IS CONFIDENT THEY HAVE PREPARED THE BEST THEY CAN BECOMES AN ASSET BECAUSE THEY ARE A KNOWN QUANTITY, NOT ACTING FROM A POSITION OF GUESSES AND HOPES. THE CLIMBER WHO CAN REALISTICLY QUANTIFY THEIR ABILITY HAS BETTER JUDGEMENT. IN THE END, YOU ARE A UNIT IN A PROCESS THAT HAS MANY VARIABLES NEEDING TO BE PLANNED OUT AND PUT INTO ACTION, SO MAKING YOURSELF HIGHLY FUNCTIONAL MATTERS MORE THAN BEING HIGHLY SPECIALIZED. THE CLIMBER WHO DOES WELL ON HARD OBJECTIVES FAR FROM ASSISTANCE IS THE ONE WHO GETS THEMSELVES THERE WITH A STRONG RESERVE FOR WHATEVER CAN HAPPEN.
