Strength training for adventure. Getting strong and staying strong for those times when it gets very very real
( and I don't think I'm overstating this...).
Previously:
Part 1:
Here I am after a long hard winter; about 30,000 feet of climbing with packs between 30 and 70 pounds and the strength training I have done so far. Notice the thickness of the neck and the roundness of the thighs. Those deadlifts are already having a pretty strong effect; I would at this point certainly guess I've jammed on at least 10 pounds.
On the deadlifts I am at session three 21 days in topping out at 175 pounds ( a day delayed allowing the hands to recover from. the climbing practice on Friday). The fast way of figuring this out is just "two times whatever is to the side of the first big plate added to 135 pounds".
As mentioned this is well below what a beginner can readily train up to but is getting significant...it is approaching my bodyweight.
So form is getting crucial. Luckily, I am getting better with this. Two important areas for this one:
As you bring the weight toward your knees you should be basically almost scraping the front of your shins. I think of it almost as though I were using the bar to shave the fronts of my legs.
Necessarily your knees are somewhat in front of your feet at the beginning but as the load comes on it is important to push into the heels and work to get the knees forming a ninety degree angle by the time the weight passes the knees. As I understand it knees aren't for weight bearing so much as weight transference; you want to make sure the hips are taking on most of the load. That "shaving" part helps with this.
Also a few supplementary thoughts become important...
This thing doesn't seem significant but it has proven hugely important. You basically stand on it and rock backwards to stretch the calves. If you lengthen throughout the spine while doing this you can stretch the entire back side of the body a.k.a "the posterior chain".
From my experience this begins all the way from the soles of the feet and after several weeks of heavy lifting without stretching through the feet and calves you can have issues with plantar fascitis or achilles tendonitis which are nagging nuisances (less of a problem if you have a good foot arch which I don't.)
This is less of an issue with powerlifting where it is of great importance to "stay tight". And in fact, powerlifters in general do not place a lot of emphasis on stretching except to be certain to finish a working session by moving through the full range of motion of a muscle with some load after "doing partials" where they are lifting through only part of the range of motion of a set of muscles while going extremely heavy.
The climbing is coming along. I can now work my way up and down the wall several times without falling off. At least mostly.
After talking an outfitter friend I understand that the object here will be to get the work load up to 3-4 times a week but it will take some time. In general I have to balance off the mountaineering and traveller's need to carry heavy loads with the climbers need to haul up big walls without a lot of thought.
Where this strength matters...
The Sawtooth Mount Bierstadt, Front Range of the Rockies Colorado and I'm just about to turn the corner
As always, please forgive me if I focus a bit more on the struggle at times than the beauty. I only do this
so that your journey is a safe and pleasant one should you happen to try this for yourself.
May you be happy.