Training For Hard/Steep Approaches

Got some huge projects next year that require a crazy amount of hiking in steep terrain, around 2 hours. I anticipate that I will be doing this hike extremely frequently next summer, so I was wondering what the best way to train for this would be indoors? Stair masters? Running? I am currently doing some running and swimming, but think I will switch up running with stairmasters as it seems like the move relevant way. 

I just put a full pack on and use either the stairmaster or treadmill at 15% and have at it. Helps a ton to make those missions more fun/tolerable if you have the discipline to do it and gradually increase volume. 

I would replace the stair master with actual stairs if you can.  Either a tall building or stadium stairs would be better, and use a pack w weight.  If that is not doable I would opt for treadmill at 15% as stated above.

I highly recommend Steve House and Scott Johnson’s Training for the New Alpinism. Pretty technical on the exercise science, but you can skip that.

They make an important point that strength training produces surprising results in time to exhaustion (I.e., endurance). So you probably want to include that in addition to running  

Well worth the price and reasonably easy to modify for your own circumstances plus don’t need a gym  

This thread has some extensive discussion of the concepts found in TFTNA/TFTUA: https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/108760240/new-alpinism

Good podcast listens here:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0zcgCgYtrVokizlC29Kg46?si=C3ZGV7GAQImDPwhlXQ1WMw

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2KntFgdVv6uurWb3q5CwLb?si=v2hV1z2iSuWwXi3g5yQCtw

As above, read the relevant parts of TFTNA, do the strength and conditioning, and progress slowly (mind those knees). Perhaps add a load in a backpack once you have a few weeks in the exercise bank. 

Things I've done in very rough order of effectiveness/specificity:

1. Walking/running up steep hills

2. Walking/running up steps/stairs

3. Box steps 

4. Stairmaster

5. Treadmill on a high incline

6. Cycling up hills

7. Running on the flat/gentle hills

There will be others. 

Edit: Kenton Cool appears to use a rowing machine a lot, but he lives in a bumpy part of England so also gets plenty of running and cycling up hills. 

Being consistent is the most important factor, so choose exercises you're more likely to stick with. These are usually the most satisfying (not exactly fun!) and which have the fewest barriers: if you live in a city a stairmaster in the gym 5 days a week is better than driving to a hill and walking up it once a fortnight. 

It's worth reading about tactics for improving exercise adherence. You'll already have an idea what works for you: might be goal setting (eye on the prize), recording what you do, exercising with a buddy and so on. Worth considering what's going to help you get it done if you don't already have Steve House's self-efficacy for exercise. 

Smoking a fatty before your approach helps a shit ton 

Goes without saying, but stash as much as you can out there. 

I did marathon training and ran a marathon the same month I made an attempt on a wall with just such a long steep approach. I felt like the running did not help me all that much, but I probably would not have made it to the base with my gear without that training. This year I’m planning to train on steeper hills than what I was running on last year and with a pack too.