[Maya Seckinger]

Hello Ander,

1.) The 12 week program is not just prep-it is a shortened version of the 16 and 24 week plan. It is made for people IF they only have 12 weeks to train for a goal it is not a short cut. The more time you have to train the better. The first 4 weeks of the 12 week plan are the base period of -so if you only want to focus on base training I would repeat this adding in volume as I suggested above until you reach the plan limit. The later parts of the plan will get you stronger and faster for the mountains.

If you want a longer training period I would recommend the 24 week plan. It gives you more ways to extend the plan and gives you a bigger base period. You could do the first 12 weeks of it if you want. BUT…if you want a straightforward plan without having to think too much about adjustments I would still recommend the 12 week plan given your timeline.

2.) None of these plans have 20hr weeks. The last week of the 12 week plan before taper I think is around 12hrs but that is not just base building that adds other specific training as well. If you are new to training I would say it is unusual to train more than 14hrs in a week and even that I would consider to be a pretty big week. Of course it depends on your goals and background with training/sports but 12hrs is probably the biggest weeks you will be seeing.

I hope that helps!

Maya