Mountaineer fitness assessment | Outdoors Online

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Last November I started working with two groups of mountaineers training for goals in Patagonia and the Himalayas.

I designed ‘event specific’ training plans for each one, including initial assessments, and it got me thinking about what a general ‘alpine fitness assessment’ would look like.

By “mountaineer” I mean here an athlete who climbs high glacial peaks – think of the Alps, the Canadian Rockies and the Tetons.

Alpine climbs contain a wide range of fitness demands: mode-specific endurance for hiking uphill under load, upper, lower and central strength, form and skill specific to climbing, ability to work for short events, intense and endurance for long and long days pushes.

Last spring, I designed the “Mountaineers Fitness Assessment” (AFA) as a way to measure these fitness attributes in a single framework.

As originally designed, the AFA takes 3.5 to 5 hours to complete.

Below is a shorter version, which can be completed by most athletes in 2 hours. And in case you want to try the full version, I’ve included that below as well.

Equipment required:

• Measured area of ​​25 meters for shuttles
• Drawbar
• Immersion station
• 17-inch box or step for step-ups
• 18 kg pack for step-ups
• GPS watch to measure distance and time, and / or a known 5 kilometer race course and stopwatch to time the final race

Mountaineer Fitness Assessment, Short Version

Warm up:

• 3 rounds
• 25x Step ups (unloaded)
• 10x pumps
• 3 / 5x pull-ups
• 10x sit-ups
• Instep stretch
• Lat + Pec Stretch

Evaluation:

1. Max Rep Bodyweight Bar Dips: Bodyweight bar dips test the pushing force of the upper body. Rest for 3 minutes.
2. 20 minute step-ups: using a 17-inch box and a 40-pound pack, for a total of reps (as many as possible in the allotted time). These will test lower body strength, as well as the fitness and endurance of the uphill hike. Rest for 5 minutes.
3. Max Rep Bodyweight Pull-ups: Bodyweight pull-ups test superior pulling force. Rest for 3 minutes.
4. Shuttle 300 meters, for the weather: An anaerobic power test. Rest 10 minutes.
5. Block V-Sum: 30 minutes time limit, the best five routes count for your score. A climbing skill and fitness test. Rest 10 to 15 minutes.
6. Run 5 kilometers to save time: This will finish you off with a test of your aerobic base, endurance, endurance and mental fitness.

How to mark:

1. Step Ups (30 points possible)

   Total Reps Score
   550+ 30
   525-550 27
   500-524 24
   475-499 21
   450-474 18
   425-449 15
   400-424 12
   375-399 9
   350-374 6
   325-349 3
   300-324 0

2. Dips – Each repetition counts as 0.5 point
3. Pull-Ups – Each repetition counts as 0.5 point
4. 300m Shuttle

   Arrival time (sec) Score
   60.1-62 27
   62.1-64 24
   64.1-66 21
   66.1-68 18
   68.0-70 15
   70.1-72 12
   72.1-74 9
   74.1-76 6
   76.1-78 3
   78+ 0

5. Block V-Sum: After a 5-minute warm-up, you have 30 minutes to achieve as many V-Sum points as possible. Climb at least 5 bouldering routes, and only the top 5 routes count towards the score. For example, an athlete climbs the following routes within the 30 minute time limit:

   V4
   V3
   V4
   V2
   V1
   V1
   V4
   V3

   His V-Sum would be the sum of the V-score for the 5 best routes he has climbed: V4 + V4 + V4 + V3 + V3 = final V-Sum of 18.

6. Run 5 kilometers to save time (30 points possible)

   End time (h: min: sec) Score
   20: 11-18: 38 27
   21: 44-20: 12 24
   23: 18-21: 45 21
   24: 51-23: 19 18
   26: 24-24: 52 15
   27: 57-26: 25 12
   29: 30-27: 58 9
   31: 04-29: 31 6
   31: 04+ 0

Here is an example of how to score the evaluation:

Dips: 15 repetitions = 7.5 points
Step-ups: 455 repetitions = 18 points
Pull-ups: 21 repetitions = 10.5 points
Shuttle 300m: 65 sec = 21 points
Sum V in block: 11 = 11 points
Finish time of the 5 km race: 23:22 = 18 points

Total = 86 points

Rating standards:

For male athletes
60 is a bad score
95 is a good score
130 is a good score

For female athletes
40 is a bad score
70 is a good score
100 is a good score

Mountaineer Fitness Assessment, Long Version

Warm up:

3 rounds
25x Step ups (unloaded)
10x pumps
3 / 5x pull-ups
10x sit-ups
Instep stretch
Lat + Pec Stretch

Evaluation:

1. Max Rep Bodyweight Bar Dips: Rest 3 minutes.
2. 40 minutes of acceleration with a 40-pound pack for a total of reps. Rest 10 minutes.
3. Max Rep Bodyweight Pull ups: Rest 3 minutes.
4. Shuttle 300 meters, for the weather: (12x 25m). Rest 10 minutes.
5. Block V-Sum: Rest 10 to 15 minutes.
6. Run 15 kilometers to save time

How to mark:

1. Step Ups (30 points possible)

   Total Reps Score
   1100+ 30
   1050-1099 27
   1000-1049 24
   950-999 21
   900-949 18
   850-899 15
   800-849 12
   750-799 9
   790-749 6
   650-699 3
   600-649 0

2. Dips – Each repetition counts as 0.5 point
3. Pull ups – Each repetition counts as 0.5 point
4. 300m Shuttle

   Arrival time (sec) Score
   60.1-62 27
   62.1-64 24
   64.1-66 21
   66.1-68 18
   68.0-70 15
   70.1-72 12
   72.1-74 9
   74.1-76 6
   76.1-78 3
   78+ 0

5. V-Sum Block (click here for the explanation) Final score = points
6. Run 15 kilometers to save time (30 points possible)

   End time (h: min: sec) Score
   1: 05: 01-1: 08: 00 27
   1: 08: 01-1: 11: 00 24
   1: 11: 01-1: 14: 00 21
   1: 14: 01-1: 17: 00 18
   1: 18: 01-1: 21: 00 15
   1: 21: 01-1: 24: 00 12
   1: 24: 01-1: 27: 00 9
   1: 27: 01-1: 30: 00 6
   1: 30: 01-1: 33: 00 3
   1:33:01 + 0

Rating standards:

For male athletes
70 is a bad score
105 is a good score
140 is a good score

For female athletes
50 is a bad score
80 is a good score
110 is a good score