The Outdoor Athlete

I used the book to train for the Grand Canyon hike, down the S Kaibab Trail and up the Bright Angel Trail (on separate days). I found this book referenced in an article about training for a Grand Canyon hike. The book covers many different sports and activities.This book was very informative. Although I knew most of what was presented, as I have been active all my life and trained for many 10K runs, half marathons, hikes, and century bike rides; I still learned a lot. Very well presented and organized, without being condescending.I ordered the Kindle version, so as to reduce paper consumption and storage space. However, this version does not have page numbers included. The book has a lot of references to other pages in the book, so it was a significant inconvenience to say the least. I worked around that by finding the referenced pages by going to the chapter where the material would most likely be doing a text search in the Kindle. Once I found the referenced pages I bookmarked the reference in the Kindle with a descriptive name. In the course of doing this, I also documented the subject, chapter and page in separate columns of a spreadsheet, which I could then sort by column. The bookmarks and spreadsheet were a big help for easier reference during my training.I would have given this book a 5, except for the Kindle format. Get the paperback format.

This book is a great guide to getting ready for your outdoor adventure but be aware it makes some assumptions I wasn't expecting. I am training to do the Tour Du Mont Blanc in 8 days this summer, both the backpacking training and the high altitude trek training assume one has a gym available to them. Most of the strength training exercises require gym equipment, it would have been preferable to have more exercises utilizing dumbbells and body weight. The other assumption is that you have access to mountains with 3000 ft gains and high altitudes. The whole reason for getting the book was due to my living in a valley. I hike every weekend but only have access to mountains with about 1500-2000 ft elevation gains and the altitude here in the valley is only about 1200 ft. I do have an incline trainer to do the recommended hill work and will continue my hikes with the recommended pack weight and distance, but certainly can not come close to what the book recommends. Some alternative options would have been nice to have, but overall I will get some guidelines from the book and find it a useful tool.

I was looking for a comprehensive training guide for my outdoor sporting activities including road biking, mountain biking, hiking, back country skiing and downhill skiing. I've never really training with a structured scientific approach and I needed to improve my performance.The first section contains the basics of fitness training and diet. The next section contains information on training for specific sports. Each section contains a sample training plan depending on your stage/level of training.The back of the book contains a list of various types of weight training exercises and stretches. Each one has instructions and diagrams on how to do it. They are also cross-referenced in a table for what sports they are best used for.This book is a great resource for understanding more about the basics of training for sports. It is well written and easy to read. I have built a better training program and have gotten results with it.

I had rented the DVD that Courtenay and her husband had made several years ago about training to climb Mt Rainier. When I found out they had written a book, I was very excited about getting it. Don't get me wrong, the book is packed with tons of useful information! They definitely know what they are talking about. But, for a lay reader looking to get in shape for the climb, I found it cumbersome to put together a work out program with this book. I actually felt a little discouraged because it took me so long to sift through the dense text to find the nuggets of training wisdom that I needed. Also, the exercise models they used look out of place - they don't look like people who climb mountains. Hard to explain, but you'll know what I mean when you see it.

I bought this book for training for mountaineering and ice climbing. It has planned out schedules for all 3 mountains I wanted to do and will be doing: North Ridge on Baker, Rainier and Denali... who could ask for more! It is like hiring your own coach; they lay out what you need to do each day of each week leading up to the day of your climb. In earlier sections they go into detail about cardio and strength training and give you examples of exercises. I have also watched their video on training for Rainier and the book in my opinion is much better. It is well worth every penny!

If you want to climb Mt. Rainier then you should buy this book. I followed the training plan and summited Mt. Rainier - simple as that (plus all the training). Many outdoor sports training plans are discussed - trail running, cross-country skiing, etc. This book discusses in detail the amount and type of training that you must complete to be successful. My friends ask me what to do to summit - I tell them to buy this book and follow the plan.

I am new to outdoor sports and this book has helped me train for hiking in New Hampshire. I have noticed that I can just climb mountains without being out of breath or exhausted so the training program has been quite helpful. It has also given my exercise regiment a guide to follow with some nutritional suggestions.

I have referenced this book many times while I am training for a mountain climb. It gives you great sport specific exercises for training for any outdoor activity and allows you to put together a plan to meet you training goals. The exercise examples and the training templates are the best part. It's also gives you some different exercises to try at the gym to keep your workout from getting too monotonous.

It takes a while to get into and understand this book - it is a very good attempt to provide an evidence based comprehensive training manual for a wide range of outdoor sports - at first I thought the training programmes were confusing but then I started to understand the layout and sims of the book . I am now using it as a base for hiking to EBV .

Thorough book, probably too comics red to follow to the letter, but lots of useful information and great to build a programme for a specific goal (Everest Base Camp in my case)

I like this book. It gives me the detailed approach to preparing and working myself to a standard of exercise and activity outdoors. Can use as a cross trainer for indoor exercise as well.Recommend this for exercise enthusiasts looking to expand their knowledge and experience of physical health.

Too much weight-oriented. Besides, not everybody has hills to train whenever they like (in my vase, it takes almost one hour by car).

excellent resource! I love it!