RMI Expeditions Blog
Posted by: Adam Knoff, Leah Fisher
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
On The Map
This looks so cool! Rob Meffe, we hope you are having fun and we can’t wait to hear all about it. Go Bob the Builder!
Posted by: Sharon and Charlotte on 7/31/2013 at 1:10 am
Go team Junell! Can’t wait for next update.
Posted by: Beverly Jones on 7/30/2013 at 11:57 am
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall calls from the summit of Kilimanjaro!
On The Map
What a way to celebrate your 40th birthday (with your Dad)! Miss you Don and Chris! lu
Posted by: Teri on 7/31/2013 at 10:21 am
Wonderful you all made it! So exciting—congratulations! Sounds like the weather was incredible making for some beautiful photos.
Posted by: Mary Beth Denefe on 7/31/2013 at 9:34 am
Posted by: Solveig Waterfall, Zeb Blais
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
Congratulations Dan & Dean!
Posted by: Denise on 7/31/2013 at 1:23 am
Congrats John and Dean! Looking forward to lots of pictures.
Posted by: Catherine on 7/30/2013 at 10:15 pm
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Fatima, enjoy the rest after the long trek. You all look great in the RMI pics. Safe trip home, love peter
Posted by: Peter on 7/30/2013 at 3:02 am
Posted by: Brent Okita, Pete Van Deventer
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
Congratulations Team Miller!! We Are so excited and proud!!!
Posted by: Bonnie, Curry and Jamie on 7/30/2013 at 9:51 am
Good job Nick - at least you made an attempt - next for you is Everest
Posted by: Captain H on 7/29/2013 at 2:39 pm
Posted by: JJ Justman
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
go team Triad!!!
Posted by: joan on 7/30/2013 at 9:50 am
Go Team Texas! And have fun with JJ
Posted by: Elsie on 7/30/2013 at 8:18 am
On The Map
You are more woman than I ever dreamed of. You go girl! Thanks for sharing your adventures. . <3
Posted by: Kim Beaney on 7/31/2013 at 7:35 am
Good luck Kalin and Emily! May the weather hold! Love, Helen, Adam and Pinocchio!
Posted by: Helen on 7/29/2013 at 9:45 pm
Posted by:
Categories: Mountaineering Fitness & Training
Mountaineering is thought of as a "slow and steady" sport. Indeed, the climbing pace when nearing the summit is amazingly slow given the effort required by the high altitude, especially in comparison to moving at the same speed at lower elevations. As a result, climbers often overlook the necessity of incorporating speed and intensity into their training routine and instead focus on long, slow aerobic-oriented workouts. This is a mistake. Interval training is an important component of conditioning for mountaineering as it raises your anaerobic threshold, effectively giving you "more gears" when climbing at altitude.
Aerobic vs. Anaerobic
Generally speaking, aerobic activity is the zone of physical activity where the body is able to provide adequate oxygen to the cells to keep them fueled, reducing the rate of fatigue. Anaerobic exercise is when the physical effort is high enough that the body cannot provide enough oxygen to the cells, causing them to use other energy stores to make up the difference and causing a much higher rate of fatigue. Think of taking a casual walk through the park (aerobic) vs. sprinting up multiple flights of stairs (anaerobic) - which can you sustain for longer? As athletes and climbers, our goal is to raise our anaerobic threshold - the level of effort where our bodies transition between aerobic and anaerobic activity. A higher anaerobic threshold allows us to climb at increased effort levels (like climbing at altitude) without entering an anaerobic zone and tiring quickly. Some sources say that climbing in your anaerobic zone will deplete your energy stores as much as 16x more quickly than staying within your aerobic zone! Raising your anaerobic threshold provides huge gains to your fitness when you head into the mountains.
Interval Training: Raising Your Anaerobic Threshold
Interval Training is one of the most effective way to raise your anaerobic threshold. Interval training consists of short, intense bursts of physical effort. Learn more about general interval training here. The best types of intervals for improving your anaerobic threshold are extended efforts at just below your maximal effort level (or maximum heart rate if you train with a heart rate monitor) repeated several times with an equal amount of rest between intervals. The exact intervals you complete depends on your fitness level and chosen activity. Discuss an appropriate interval plan with a trainer or fitness specialist. General intervals targeting your anaerobic threshold include:
• 5 x 3 mins with 3 mins rest
• 4 x 800m with 3 mins rest
You can do intervals while running, hiking, biking, on a rowing machine, or any sort of aerobic exercise equipment, but the most effective for mountaineering will be footborne since ours is a footborne activity. Be sure to properly warm-up and cool down before and after every session. Like all training activities, anaerobic interval training is best incorporated into a broader training routine, be sure to continue to include aerobic, strength and core, flexibility, and balance and agility training. It is best to begin your interval training once you have a strong aerobic base and a period of high training volume so that your body is ready for the increased load. As with all training, plan your intervals to gradually ramp up in intensity and duration so that your body is able to absorb the training load and you remain injury free. In order to truly go "slow and steady" in the mountains, we need to first go short and fast!
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Questions? Comments? Share your thoughts here on the RMI Blog!
Well, years ago when I started to slow as a climber, I looked for a way to improve. I started training for and running marathons. The RMI article in right on the money about increasing the aerobic endurance by pushing the anaerobic and by doing so still increasing the aerobic. I found I was able to keep up with guys half my age and short roped guys younger than me so they could keep up. So, if you want to be good at altitude, one of the many keys is get in shape, both aerobically and anaerobically.
Posted by: Glenn Anderson on 4/3/2023 at 8:18 pm
Daniel -
Thanks for the clarification. The article is not meant to say that anaerobic threshold training is more important than aerobic threshold training. We devote a lot of articles to aerobic threshold training. The article is meant to highlight the importance of also doing some interval training to supplement aerobic base training, especially as the event draws near. Increasing the anaerobic threshold, as well as the aerobic threshold are both important, as climbers frequently do near their anaerobic threshold during short bouts of hard climbing at altitude. We see it frequently on places like the fixed lines of Denali. Interval training is a complement to a strong aerobic base training regime.
- The RMI Team
Posted by: RMI Expeditions on 2/27/2020 at 4:09 pm
Posted by: JJ Justman
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
I’m running a blog featuring daily voice dispatches from Rob. Check it out and leave comments! http://kilimanjaro.junell.net
Posted by: Ryan on 7/31/2013 at 9:58 am
Good luck John and Nat! Be safe and have fun from everyone at Ethosource!
Posted by: Veronica Millard on 7/29/2013 at 7:24 am
Hey Eric, congratulations and way to go! You and your family never cease to amaze me with your multi-talentm. Very impressed, very inspiring!
Kimi and your team at MS
Posted by: Kimi Sato on 8/7/2013 at 8:02 am
Go Lew. I see your toe sticking out of that tent. Make sure you eat your veggies. Guess your singing “Climb the Highest Mountain”.
Posted by: Uncle Jake on 8/1/2013 at 8:28 am
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