Brad Snider Mountain Blog

Alpine Ascents International has a great personal training regimen for Denali. I am still a couple of years out from climbing The Mountain, but I am ensuring that I keep myself in shape. Right now my workout routine consists of weekly variations of the following:

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Day 1:
(Full Body Workout Day)
2-1/2 mile run
Weights / Upper Body: 4 sets of 5-10 reps
Legs / Abs: 4 sets of 10-15 reps

Day 2:
(Full Body Workout Day)
2-1/2 mile run
Weights / Upper Body: 4 sets of 5-10 reps
Legs / Abs: 4 sets of 10-15 reps

Day 3:
(Full Body Workout Day)
2-mile sprint intervals
Weights / Upper Body: 3 sets of 5-10 reps
Legs / Abs: 3 sets of 10-15 reps

Day 4:
(Rest Day)
Do Nothing!
Keep breathing, eat a lot, sleep a lot, be as lazy as can be.

Day 5:
(Leg Workout Day)
2-mile run
Leg Presses: 3 sets of 10 reps
Leg Curls: 3 sets of 10 reps
Lunges (weighted): 3 sets of 10 reps
Squats (weighted): 3 sets of 10 reps
Crunches: 1 set of 100 reps

Day 6:
(Upper Body Workout Day)
3+ mile run
Bench Press: 3 sets of 8-10 reps
Curls: 3 sets of 10 reps
Pull-Ups: 3 sets of as many as possible
Chest / Shoulder Machines: 3 sets of 10
Abs: including sit-ups, crunches, others: 3 sets

Day 7:
(Activity Day)
Hiking. Sometimes substituted with rock-climbing, biking or some other activity.

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Sadly I do not stick to this routine as vigilantly as I should, but at least having a routine and someone to work out helps motivate me to work out more often. So while not perfect, I am staying in shape. I have learned from others who climbed Denali that yes, it is important to stay fit, but perhaps more important is the climber’s level of endurance to stick it out for potentially 3 weeks in one of the world’s toughest settings. That is something that is very difficult to train for without long trips to the mountains, something I am not able to do. But, staying in shape for the time being is at least one step toward preparation for The Mountain.

My friend Patrick made it to the summit of Denali on June 20th, along with our guides from the AAI Alaska Trip, Coley and Forest. Here are a couple pictures from the summit of Patrick and the view:

Congratulations, guys!

Link to the American Alpine Institute: aai.cc.

Hi, my name is Brad, and I am addicted to mountains. I am not attempting to quit any time soon, even though this addiction may be growing unhealthy. It’s not like I get out very often, but the momentary relief from the rat race reality is worth the wait. Since the vast majority of my time is spent not in the mountains, but in front of a computer, I have in the meantime decided to document my exploits. A virtual reality escape to the mountains is not anywhere near the real thing–I always miss the thin air squeezing my lungs, the feel of granite beneath my fingertips, the snow crunching with each footstep–but alas, this will have to do for now.

To maintain my sanity and drive to explore, I have a short list of mountains that I would like to someday climb. Most of the mountains I have climbed or hiked so far have been in Colorado, so I have become partial to the idea of climbing the 100 highest mountains in that state. That will be an ongoing project for some time to come.

There are others on the list, but right now, Denali (AKA “Mount McKinley”) is my primary goal. I was just recently climbing in Alaska, receiving the initial training I will need for glacier travel and crevasse rescue, and Mount Rainier will be my next step in training for ‘The Great One’.

My old web site, dailyvillain.com, has fallen by the wayside to be replaced by bradsnider.com. I plan to use this blog to track my progress in preparation for Denali and any future climbs beyond that, so that hopefully I can provide others useful and entertaining information based on my experiences. While I’m at it, I need to put in a plug for summitpost.org, the perfect website for armchair mountaineers like myself. It is always good to know there are other mountain nerds and addicts out there.

I am not alone.