As we start the new year, I have a few suggestions for resolutions that you might want to adopt this year:
- Strive for quality in your activities. It does no good to lift big weights if you’re out of control, or climb ice by thrashing and dangling. Strive for excellence and control.
- Train your smaller muscles. Work the shoulder stabilizers, ankle stabilizers, and your pushing muscles (if you’re a climber).
- Don’t look for shortcuts. There is no simple way to succeed at altitude (or elsewhere). Understanding your mind and body is the key, and nobody (including me) can do that for you.
- In your training, emphasize things you’re not good at, especially if it has to do with your mind. If you get bored after 15 minutes on the elliptical trainer, you need to train your mind. Can’t go for a run/ski/walk without your iPod? You need to train your mind.
- Re-evaluate your training approach regularly. If you’re doing the same old routine, maybe it’s time to change. What works for a novice isn’t necessarily appropriate for a veteran, and vice versa.
In Chapter 12 of The Altitude Experience, I have a bunch of suggestions for training that apply even to low altitude activities.