Top Mountain Endurance Nutrition Strategies for Peak Performance
One of the most important things you can do to survive a long day in the mountains is to keep your body energized so you can perform well today and recover for another big day tomorrow. It turns out that coffee and donuts may not be the best way to start the day, although many big climbs have been completed with coffee and donuts, including the famous 1910 Denali Sourdough Expedition! Since we are not as tough as those miners at the turn of the century, we have to use whatever gives us an advantage.
You’ll spend a lot of time training for the climb, practicing your gear and clothing choices, and adjusting everything to make it all work, but don’t forget to practice food and fuel. Climbing a big mountain requires low to moderate aerobic output over an extended period of time—it’s not a short, high-intensity workout. You’ll often be moving for 8 hours day after day, and a day at the top of a big mountain can often be over 12 hours of work! How you fuel and hydrate on a day like this will have a huge impact on your performance and recovery the next day. If you’re joining us on our adventure, we’ll do our best to provide good, healthy meals, but I’m going to focus this post on snacks and drink mixes you can bring to help fuel you during the day and keep you going for the next day Regain your strength. it’s over.
Fat Adaptation Endurance
No matter how lean you are, you have enough calories stored as fat to last you several days in the mountains. Improving your fat-burning capacity during exercise is an important part of training for long-distance adventures, giving your body access to a huge source of energy. There is growing evidence that fat burning benefits endurance athletes. You can improve fat adaptation by making some basic changes to your diet and incorporating long endurance days into your training routine to help your body learn to burn fat for fuel more efficiently. Anyone who has spent a long day in the mountains, needing to stop for a GU or gummy bear every 45 minutes, knows what it’s like to rely entirely on simple sugars for fuel. Our bodies can only continue to run on glycogen as their primary fuel for a short period of time before we need to resupply it, whereas the fat supply is nearly unlimited. There is a great article about fat burning training On the Uphill Athlete website I was able to find a lot of training and nutrition information there. I also use a lot of Hammer Nutrition products and refer to some of their high-quality articles on fueling and endurance training, including this one on Top 10 Mistakes Endurance Athletes Make.
*Updated 2024* If you’ve been watching endurance athletes smash previous records (including the 2024 Tour de France), you’ll realize that the science of fueling has evolved. Ten years ago, we recommended “fasted training” days to improve our ability to burn fat. This is no longer recommended, but refueling during training and climbing is an important part of your training plan. Practice refueling just like you would practice layering and other systems in the mountains, and you’ll know how to handle long days and keep going.
Bill’s Favorite Energy and Fuel Mix
I have two different drink mixes for when I have long days in the mountains. One provides longer-lasting energy and promotes fat utilization, while the other provides complex carbohydrates and electrolytes that are very easy to digest. I’m a believer in these drink mixes and use them regularly, but they might not be right for you. As with the gear or anything else you use on your adventures, you should try these mixes on your training days and know that you like them!
The mixed drink I rely on for any big day in the mountains (more than three hours) is the latte flavor hammer permanent Mixed drinks. On summit day I fill a bottle with hot water and a few scoops of Perpetuem and enjoy a hot drink at each stop! I mixed this drink very thickly and bottled it in a 16oz water bottle Use bottles to keep warm during the day. I don’t really expect this blend to get a ton of hydration, meaning I won’t drink it when I’m thirsty, but it does provide some hydration and a good amount of energy. The Perpetuem drink mix provides a combination of protein, fat, and carbohydrates that I really feel provides good, consistent energy that is easy to digest even at high altitudes.
Another blend I use is another blend from Hammer Nutrition called Notice. It’s a carbohydrate blend that’s easier to digest, but doesn’t rely on simple sugars that can cause a roller coaster ride. I feel like the HEED blend does a great job of providing consistent energy throughout the day, and it tastes great, so it’s easy to keep drinking it. I mixed the HEED drink mix into two One liter platypus bottleI can put it in the inside pocket of my down jacket or parka on cold mornings.
You should find what works best for you and use your training days to develop your fuel and nutrition strategy. I know everyone is different and you may not be able to stand my favorite drink combinations, but when you’re climbing a big mountain, you should know what’s best for you.
Best Recovery Drink
On long-distance expeditions we often climb for 3-4 days straight, putting in a lot of effort each day and recovering as much as possible each night. Drinking a good recovery drink when you arrive at camp at the end of the day is a great way to ensure you’re immediately giving your body what it needs to start the recovery process. Replenishing carbohydrates and protein right away (within 30-45 minutes) is a great way to ensure your body absorbs the energy it needs to rebuild and recover for the day ahead. There is another Hammer product that I like to use called recovery agent I do this as soon as possible when I arrive at camp or at the end of a long day, and I think it helps me feel better day after day.
I found what works for me through trial and error, research, and talking to people who know more about these things than I do. I try not to use adventure as an excuse to eat sweets and junk food, but it’s important to replenish carbs. I try to eat real food, including nuts and dried fruits while at camp, eat less on the trail, and train my body to burn fat more efficiently. I have personally witnessed the power of a pack of GU resurrecting a man who had clearly just been exhausted. Keep in mind that at higher altitudes, foods such as nuts, dried fruits, and meats can be difficult to digest, so you’ll need to get creative and prepare plenty of easily digestible fuel. Find the foods that work best for you and use your training time to figure out what works best and what you like to eat regularly. Train your body to burn fat as part of a training program, and you’ll see the benefits when you’re not “crazy.”
I recommend several products in this post, not because I am sponsored by Hammer or receive a kickback, but because I have found these products work well for me and I want to help our fellow climbers on their expeditions Get every advantage. On a trip, I almost feel guilty when I drink my “secret sauce” concoction and the climbers I’m with wonder what I’m drinking. Find what works for you and treat your body like a machine that needs quality fuel and I’m sure you’ll feel the difference on your climbs during the day and improved recovery. When you feel better and stronger, it just makes the adventure more enjoyable!
