What should you be able to do fitnesswise before you attempt to climb a mountain?

I get this question a lot.

Everyone's looking for a test.

Should you be able to run a 5K before you climb Pikes Peak?

Should you be able to ascend 1,000 feet an hour before attempting Rainier?

Friends, here's the truth.

There's no fitness test you need to pass before you climb your mountain.

You should never let the fact that you're not meeting some imaginary benchmark stop you.

However, because I know a lot of you are motivated by goals, in this episode, I'm going to give you five benchmarks you can use for different objectives.

We'll start with an easy day hike and work our way up to high-altitude mountaineering and ultrahiking.

Ready? Let's do this!

Linked Resources

In this episode, you’ll learn …

• How having rigid fitness goals and benchmarks can hurt you, and how to make sure they help you.

• Five examples of SMART fitness goals for all fitness levels, from beginners to high-altitude mountaineers.

• The concept of the infinite 1%. Why the person who is struggling to walk 60 minutes a day is way closer to elite mountaineering status than the one who is still on the couch.

• How to set mountaineering workout goals in places that are flat, near sea level, hot, or otherwise not ideal for training.

• How to train for a really epic trip like the Grand Canyon R2R2R that you can’t possible approximate in one training hike.

• Tips for heavy pack carries and other classic mountaineering workouts.

• The smartphone apps I use to plan and track hiking training.