Muscular Endurance for Mountain Athletes

[Josh Gray]

Agree - and I've found it to be the case. In my experience, I can get a very good, very localized ME workout through the gym-based workout and still have the energy to go on an hourish run in the afternoon. You can also control all the variables to dial in the workout really well. (Variables being the number of reps, number of sets, rest between sets, etc.) If I do a pack workout, it tends to be overall longer and the general fatigue is much higher. Don't want to do a run in the evening.

For what it's worth, I think the pack workouts (and associated fatigue) are critical to do before a hunt. (Or uphill intervals when training for races rather than hunts.) But for a limited period of time, like 8 or 10 weeks, rather than year-round. The gym-based workouts allow you to do regulated ME workouts during a base phase (12-16 weeks like 6 months out from the event) while maintaining a pretty high volume of aerobic training. When the time comes to jump into the event-specific ME workouts (pack carries for hunt or uphill intervals for races), you do so with a good base level of ME so you can really crank those workouts. Training to train, so to speak.

For what it's worth - not that anyone cares - I did find that the gym-based ME workouts neglected my calves, so when I jumped into the pack or intervals my calves ended up fatiguing much more quickly than quads/hamstrings/hips. So I started jump-roping as a warmup, which really helped. It's also supposed to help strengthen the achilles tendon, so I see it as part of my newly-old-man routine to keep my achilles firmly attached to my heel - way too many people pop their achilles and that gives me the shivers...

I “popped” my achilles about 14 years ago and was a terrible experience. I too added calves at the end of my gym ME sessions earlier this year using MTI’s Tabata calve raises.

20” rapid calve raises, 10” hold at the top x2
Rest 30-45” and repeat.

 

[mtwarden]

The two hills I'm using has me on my toes (calves fully engaged) probably 25-35% of the route; thankfully not 25-35% straight—nicely sprinkled out instead.

I was purposely trying to avoid something so steep that you're on your toes the entire way—you'd have calves like Conan , but a lot less work on the quads/hamstrings.

 

[P Carter]

The two hills I'm using has me on my toes (calves fully engaged) probably 25-35% of the route; thankfully not 25-35% straight—nicely sprinkled out instead.

I was purposely trying to avoid something so steep that you're on your toes the entire way—you'd have calves like Conan , but a lot less work on the quads/hamstrings.

Truth!

I have one route that is up a steep-but-not-ridiculous trail, down the other side and back up. That side is ridiculous - ~2,000 feet in a mile. The second pull engages the calves the entire way up; my eyes are watering by the time I get back up to the top.

Coincidentally, last year I got a "modern" suit and had to get it tailored because my calves were larger in circumference than my knees; the lower legs wouldn't fit over my calves. Apparently that isn't all that common. Conan probably has that problem all the time.