Grand Teton Training Plan – 16 weeks

$65

16 weeks

Intermediate

This training plan was developed by Evoke Endurance and Scott Johnston, the author of the best selling books Training for the New Alpinism and Training for the Uphill Athlete and has been tested by hundreds of Grand Teton climbers.

You will not need any special equipment other than a minimally equipped gym. To get the most from this program we recommend that you use a heart rate monitor. That help you control the intensity of the aerobic workouts.

While the most common routes on the Grand Teton do not require a high level of climbing skill they all require a high level of fitness if you are to enjoy your climb and not turn it into a death march epic. This plan addresses the fitness requirements. It does not cover climbing skills. We strongly recommend that you at the very least acquaint yourself with basic climbing skills such as rappelling and belaying.

Similar plans have been developed by the coaches at Evoke Endurance, having worked with hundreds of individuals as they prepared for their own challenging climbs. It contains detailed notes to help you maximize results regardless of your situation. This plan is suitable and recommended for anyone preparing to climb the Grand Teton, however, no training plan will work if you are not consistent.

This 16 week plan includes workouts for 6 days a week, but we fully expect that most climbers will not complete all workouts. The plan is meant to be flexible. We recommend that everyone try to train 4 days a week in most weeks and a minimum of 3 days in any week. You should complete a variety of workouts each week and include both strength and aerobic days – ideally 2 days of each and you should leave at least a day in between strength workouts. As the plan progresses, longer and more challenging aerobic sessions are included, and you should always do at least one of these each week. Climbing the Grand Teton is an endurance event. Everything else you are doing contributes to improvement in your endurance. If you cannot complete at least 3 days in any week, you should not progress to the next week, but rather repeat the current week choosing the workouts you haven’t done.

If you would like help modifying the plan for your specific situation, you can schedule a phone consultation with one of our coaches. They will help to customize a plan that works for you.

The first axiom of training is: There is no such thing as being too fit or too prepared. We have included many notes sprinkled in the calendar throughout the plan to help you succeed.  The notes are based on our experience over the last 3 decades helping individuals like you train for mountaineering.

Because you own this plan forever and can re-apply it as many times as you like, you will also receive any future updates when we next revise it. The plan is designed with workouts 6 days a week so that you can choose the days/workouts you complete – the stats below are based on all 6 days so your time commitment will be less than shown.

The cost of this plan is $65. You will need to download the free basic Training Peaks app in order to use the plan. You do NOT need to pay for a premium account. Your plan will appear in Training Peaks and you can track your progress and keep notes there. You do not need to use any tracking device like a smart watch to record your workouts as suggested below in the “How it works” section. Tracking can be done manually as well. Tracking your progress will help you to stay accountable and see your progress as you move through the plan.