RMI Expeditions Blog

Fit to Climb: Week 6 Schedule

DAY	WORKOUT	TOTAL TIME	DIFFICULTY
1	Rainier Dozen / Easy Hiking ( 30 min)	42 min.	Medium
2	Rainier Dozen / Stair Interval Training (50 min)	62 min.	Hard
3	Rainier Dozen / Rest	12 min.	Recovery
4	Rainier Dozen / Strength Circuit Training x 3	46 min.	Hard
5	Rainier Dozen / Rest	12 min.	Recovery
6	Rainier Dozen / Cross Training (1 hr)	72 min.	Hard
7	Rainier Dozen / Hike (3 hrs)	192 min.	Medium
	Total	6 hrs 18 mins

BRIEFING Last week we bumped up the length of three workouts and you may still be a little bit tired. This week, all workouts keep the same length and intensity. DESCRIPTIONS OF WORKOUTS Day 1: Rainier Dozen + Easy Hiking (30 Minutes) Perform the Rainier Dozen, and follow it up with approximately 30 minutes of easy hiking. Feel free to mix things up occasionally with a different activity, such as running, biking or swimming. Day 2: Rainier Dozen + Stair Interval Training (50 Minutes) Warm up for about 10 minutes, and then climb up and down a set of stairs, at a consistent pace, for about 30 to 40 minutes. Cool down with some stretching. Day 3: Rainier Dozen / Rest Begin your day with the Rainier Dozen. Feel free to add another 30 to 60 minutes of light exercise if you up for it (a brisk walk is a great option). Listen to your body. If you feel tired, rest. It would be good to take a complete rest day instead. Day 4: Strength Circuit Training x 3 Repeat the strength circuit training workout introduced in Week 3. After warming up, perform three sets of the following exercises: • Steam Engine • Push Up • Three Quarter Squat • Russian Twists • Lunge • Steam Engine Laying down • Mountain Climber • 8 Point Bodybuilder Spend 40 seconds performing the exercise and take 20 seconds between exercises to rest and switch to the next one. Take a full minute of rest between each set. Take ten minutes to cool down by stretching after you’re done. Day 5: Rainier Dozen / Rest Begin your day with the Rainier Dozen. Feel free to add another 30 to 60 minutes of light exercise if you up for it (a brisk walk is a great option). Listen to your body. If you feel tired, rest. It would be good to take a complete rest day instead. Day 6: Rainier Dozen + Cross Training (1 Hour) Warm up with the Rainier Dozen and then spend an hour in some moderately vigorous activity as cross training. Listen to your body, and have fun with it. Day 7: 3 Hour Hike Warm up with the Rainier Dozen. Hike for about 3 hours, covering 5 - 6 miles in distance. Hike at an even pace. SUMMARY As you work hard at your workouts, pay close attention to how you feel during your workouts and be diligent about self-care and recovery. This self-awareness can help you know what parts of the fitness triangle (aerobic, anaerobic and strength) might need a little extra work. It might also help you realize that you’re pushing too hard and need to dial it back a little. You do have leeway as you train. If, for any reason, you feel exhausted or you feel like you're slipping back, it's often best to take an extra rest day or two. Taking more rest is not a negative. This is not to encourage a lack of discipline, but to respect and honor the intuition and self-knowledge that we all have when it comes to understanding when enough is enough. A simple rule in this regard that is often used in elite athletic coaching circles is that "If you have to choose one, it's always better to undertrain than to overtrain." - John Colver Have a question? See the Fit To Climb FAQ for explanations of specific exercises and general pointers to help you through the Fit To Climb Program. John Colver is a longtime climber, former mountain guide, and certified personal trainer with the American Council of Exercise. Colver introduced outdoor fitness classes to athletic clubs throughout the greater Puget Sound region before creating his adventX brand. Currently, adventX leads training programs in Seattle and Colver presents clinics on outdoor fitness at companies such as Microsoft, Boeing, the American Lung Association, and REI. Colver lives in Seattle, and is working on his second book, Fit to Climb - a 16 week Mount Rainier Fitness Program.

Hey there, this is Adam Knoff and JJ Justman- Team Mexico. We're happy to say that we had a successful climb of Pico de Orizaba today with beautiful weather. But we did it the old-fashioned way, we earned it. It was not an easy climb. Seven hours just climbing up the mountain and four hours coming down so eleven hours round trip of constant movement. We're all very relieved to be back at Senor Reyes' compound where we will be having dinner and relaxing for the evening before flying out tomorrow. All is well and we're happy to be coming home to our loved ones. This is Adam and JJ signing off. Adios. RMI Guide Adam Knoff

On The Map

Hello everyone, this is JJ and Adam with the Mexico Volcanoes team. We had a great day of rest yesterday in Puebla, but we're back to business. We are currently sitting in Tlachichuca at Dr. Reyes' facility. We're busy organizing gear and getting ready for our 4-wheel drive adventure up to the hut on Orizaba. We had a good day getting in here, everyone's rested up and feeling good. The weather is absolutely beautiful and we believe that is going to continue. So knock on wood and cross your fingers, wish the team good luck, but hopefully by tomorrow, we will be on our way down from the summit of Orizaba. Take care everyone and we will touch base tomorrow hopefully from the summit. RMI Guide JJ Justman

On The Map

RMI Guide, Robby Young, recently completed the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) Ski Guide Course, held in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains under the tutelage of IFMGA guide Erik Liedecker and Sierra ski guide, Peter Leh. Over the duration of the 12-day course, a wide array of skills was covered including uphill and downhill ski guiding techniques, technical rope skills, snowpack evaluation, winter camping, backcountry rescue, and risk management in alpine terrain. Despite Utah’s challenging snowpack and over two feet of fresh snow that fell during the course, Robby and his colleagues were able to put these skills and techniques to use in Utah’s easy-to-access alpine world. While skill development was the primary focus of the course, the famous Utah powder skiing made for a very enjoyable educational experience!

We began our summit day on the "princess" mountain of Ixtaccihuatl with an early alpine start. We left the climbers' hut at 2 am with our headlamps on and darkness all around us. We soon realized this mountain wasn't going to be a " warm up" for the taller Orizaba to come. After a strenuous climb covering a huge linear distance, we reached the top six hours after starting out from high camp. I was really impressed with everyone's efforts. This climb was a great confidence builder for the group, especially those who broke personal altitude records. During the hike down everyone seemed to be congratulated by the forming of nice foot blisters but all pain was forgotten in Puebla after a few cervezas and a great meal. RMI Guide Adam Knoff

Climber Michael D. posted a great account of his recent RMI Expedition Skills Seminar - Winter on Mt. Rainier last month. It's a great read and good insight into the challenge of climbing Mt. Rainier in the winter! Read his story here See Michael's pictures from the trip here!

Hey everyone, this is JJ Justman with the Mexico Volcanoes climbing team. We are looking up at Ixta right now and the reason why is we are safely down from of successful summit of Ixta. The team did great today. Definitely a little tired but we had a beautiful day climbing to the top of Ixta. So wanted to give a shout out to all our family and friends. We're loading up the van and we're gonna have a little bit of R&R in Puebla for the next day and a half. Well deserved. But again, the team did absolutely outstanding. We'll touch base when we are in Puebla but everyone is safe and sound. Having some cokes and gonna get some fresh quesadillas on the way. But hope everyone's doing well back at home and we will talk with all of you very soon. Ciao from Mexico. RMI Guide JJ Justman

On The Map

Hello everyone, this is Team Mexico. JJ Justman and Adam Knoff as guides. We are at high camp on the mountain of Ixtaccihuatl. This is our first real mountaineering challenge of the trip and we are sitting comfortably at 14,500 feet. We are taking a different route than the normal route that other teams generally take because the mountain this year is so dry. We have a great view of the upper mountain from where we are sitting and have a new route picked out that keeps us on ridge lines to keep us safe from rockfalls. We're very excited for tomorrow's summit bid and will keep you posted on how that all unfolds. Stay tuned for more action tomorrow. Hasta manana. RMI Guide Adam Knoff

On The Map

AAIRE Avalanche Level 2 with Wallowa Alpine Huts There has not been any recent snow accumulation in the last week leading up to my course. I am hoping to see characteristics of an intercontinental snowpack, only time will tell. The drive into the Wallowa Mountains in Eastern Oregon is flat with Oregon’s “Little Switzerland” rising out of the horizon. The temperature is in the single digits and the sky is clear. Re-crystallized snow, I think to myself, could mean good ski touring. Through out the course the weather stayed cold and clear, which allowed our group to tour in several different areas digging snow pits and discussing travel techniques from a guide’s perspective. For me the most compelling aspect was comparing our morning observations, forecast and trip plan with what was actually happening in the field area. Our instructors, Lee and Mike stressed the need to hone our snow test skills to perform instability tests with accuracy and detail. I leave the course with one phrase embedded in my subconscious, “does this slope have the propensity to propagate?” All I can do is continue digging and looking at snow, at least there is no shortage of that as a mountain guide. RMI Guide Mike King

Hello everyone! The Mexico Team is officially at the lower hut on Ixta. The morning started out in style with a terrific buffet breakfast at La Mission Hotel and Spa. I love sitting in that restaurant sipping coffee overlooking a waterfall. After we had our fill we did a last minute grocery shop and then we made our way to the mountain. It is always flattering when the team says tonight was the best dinner yet. Carne asada, fresh sautéed veggies, black beans on top of cheese on fresh corn tortillas. The team is doing great and we are prepared to head on up to high camp tomorrow. RMI Guide JJ Justman

On The Map