Mountain Climbing

"Mountain Men: The Ghosts of K2"

 

Mountain Climbing

by Vir



The climb begins with a simple, innocent step
Fair weather and ample company make the early days enjoyable
Words "fun" and "participation" float whimsically through the air at base camp
Your pack is light and the pace is brisk in those early days
You feel progressively stronger every time you lift your foot;
 
But in the days to come a few friends will drop off
They have decided mountain climbing is not for them
After all, they see other kids frolicking in the meadow below
They are having more fun
The days are starting to become a bit more boring and monotonous;
 
The remaining climbers reach the next camp barely out of breath
All are having a great time
A few stragglers from earlier expeditions make for a jovial camp
Together you sit around the crackling fire and tell stories until the early hours of tomorrow;
 
Morning breaks and the once light-hearted mood has now been replaced by a harsh reality
Feeling their heavier packs several say, "I'll rest here another day or two . . . but I'll catch up later”
"Okay," you reply back naively, not realizing this is your parting exchange;

The terrain has become more rocky now
And dark clouds loom ominously on the horizon
"Better get out that jacket," you think to yourself, it looks like rain
Not long after that a soft but subtle rain begins falling across your face;
 
You race to set up your tent at the next camp, never realizing more climbers have dropped off
This night will be your toughest yet
Whipping winds and pounding rains punish your Gore-Tex home 
No one ever told you the climb would be this difficult;
 
The sun fails to rise high in the sky the next morning
Only more wind and rain
Several climbers are attempting to wait out the storm inside their tents
Others are already retiring down the mountain
Not you
You shoulder the heavier pack and zip your jacket clear up to your neck;
 

The higher elevation has begun turning rain to snow and the drifts are getting deeper and deeper 

With each step your legs grow more tired
Leaning on your trekking poles is just as much a physiological crutch as it is a physical one
Your arrival at the next camp fails to solicit a boisterous response
The grizzled veterans there share only subtle nods of the head and solemn handshakes
"Welcome, brother" they say;
 
The next morning you rally your strength for an assault on summit camp
A few other climbers agree to make the push with you
But make no mistake, this is an individual journey
You alone will determine the success or failure of this expedition;
 
Battling worsening conditions you continue to put one foot in front of the other
Nonetheless you periodically doubt yourself
Only on the rarest occasions do you exhibit a cat-like quickness 
Nonetheless, these bursts of energy are few and far between
This is a slow slog, nothing more;
 
Just when you think all hope is lost you see the faint outline of a small campsite up ahead
However, there are no fires, food supplies, or posh amenities at this stop
Only a spartan way of life
All that is missing now is the boiled pig's blood;
 

Huddled in a small tent you tell the other climbers that you plan to summit at daybreak

"You're crazy...quit, you've had a great run," they exclaim in unison
But surrender is not an option, not when you know others have conquered the peak
More importantly, this climb has come to define you as person, both mentally and physically
At first light you are already a few steps into your final ascent
You alone are responsible for reaching the summit.

What Are You Training For?

People who see me lifting at the gym or running on the track often ask, "What are you training for?"  Setting aside their poor English for a moment, I usually just shrug my shoulders and casually respond, “nothing special.”  However, this response is not all-in-all accurate.

The simple truth is I train to test my soul, venturing inward to see if I am willing to accept that day’s challenge.  “Can I add one more kilo to this or that particular lift?”  “Can I shave a few tenths of a second off this or that repeat?”  Irrespective of my day-to-day results, this test, this internal challenge, this search for perfection is what keeps me coming back for more.  I must accept and battle that challenge each and every workout.

Now, I realize most people can’t handle this answer, especially at six in the morning, and the unfortunate reality is that we are all living in a society that is growing ever softer by the day, both mentally and physically.  Nonetheless, select communities give me reason to hope, and I am striving to embody the change I want to see in this world, nothing more, nothing less.

The road to improvement is obstructed by the mightiest of gauntlets so keep testing yourself, folks.  Don't get slow.

 



Leave a Rep

Kirk Karwoski is a powerlifting legend whose highlight reel of competition lifts includes squatting 1,000 pounds, yes, you read that correctly, 1,000 pounds, for a double, yes, you read that correctly, too, a double.  What's even more impressive about Karwoski's feat – not that it needed to be any more impressive – is that he walked it out, squatted it to a depth where his hip crease was below his knee, and walked it back in.  No monolift, "at parallel" here folks, just brutal absolute strength.  I mention this accomplishment only to serve as a backdrop for those readers who have never heard of "Captain Kirk."

In keeping with the interviews of other great athletes, Karwoski's discussion below with Mark Rippetoe is filled with little gems, tiny tidbits of advice that can help a lifter at almost any level. One gem, in particular, has stuck with me for the last several weeks: "leave a rep."  Like all good advice, it is simple to say but difficult to practice.  Nonetheless, I have found it an incredibly helpful concept to remember when squatting.  Some days, most often on Mondays and Fridays, I come to the gym fresh off a rest day and ready to eat nails.  Sets of five across in the back squat be damned, it's game time.  Conversely, on Wednesdays, I come to the gym a little tired from Tuesday's double and not looking forward to my three sets of five.

Irrespective of these day-to-day feelings, a linear progression-based program is difficult to execute, primarily because the small adds continually require the athlete to be a little stronger than they were the previous workout.  The compounding interest that simply defeats you.  However, by sticking to the rep scheme and resisting the urge to go for  a final set of six, seven, eight, nine, or even ten reps on the final set of five, you buy yourself some much needed insurance, either for those days when are feeling your best or for those final workouts before the deload.

Squatting and deadlifting are incredibly powerful training tools, but their impact on the central nervous system must be respected. Whether squatting to a daily maximum or pursuing a linear progression scheme, do yourself a favor and leave a rep (or in the former case, routinely stop before the squats start becoming a grind).

 

 

Grab your pencil and notebook, class, school is in session.