CORNERSTONE
Strength & Conditioning Program
Crush the uphill
Cruise the downhill
The idea of hiking is to enjoy the journey, right?
Not just the uphill or the downhill, but the whole thing.
Cornerstone is a complete strength and conditioning program that will make hiking seem effortless. It gives you clear direction on how to train yourself day to day and encourages you to learn what works for your body week to week, month to month.
- Optional
- Intermediate +
- 365 days
- 299 USD
Cornerstone is the closest representation of what I do for training year round. Consider it your annual training blueprint.
Strength Phase
Phase 1 is all about building strength and bulletproofing your joints – in particular the ankles, knees and hips.
Not only that, with the upper body programming you’ll develop the strength in your torso necessary to shoulder heavy loads for long days in the mountains.
Conditioning phase
Phase 2 is focused on conditioning the legs and the lungs for the hardest and steepest of inclines.
This is a muscular and cardiovascular endurance phase that should ideally be performed 5-8 weeks before you’re starting your goal adventure.
All sessions can be performed without stepping into a gym, meaning you can get your workouts done at home or outside – saving yourself time and money.
Become your own coach
No one has a higher vested interest in your success and achieving your goals than you do.
Cornerstone is more than your typical training program. It includes a coaching document to record your stats & in depth overviews of each phase.
You will gain the knowledge and confidence to assess and review what you’ve done, how your body responds & what to do next.
The more you get to know your body in training, the more comfortable you’ll be out there.
The Specifics
Cornerstone program
Delivered in the Chase Mountains app
Structured training sessions
In-depth instructional videos with key cues
Progression and regression options
Start anytime, self-paced
+ Coaching document & overview
Record your data to keep track of results & see opportunities for improvement.
Structure your training for optimal results
Build in progressive overload
In-depth coaching videos about each phase
Strength
Build downhill specific strength – with exercises that you won’t see anywhere else
Build strength in your torso – so your back and torso can manage any amount of packweight you need to carry
Improve flexibility & range of motion – by learning to stretch & mobilise your body correctly
Injury proof your joints – improve your flexibility & range of motion, particularly in the hips!
+ Conditioning
Condition your legs & lower back – with sessions design to build hiking specific endurance
Improve your cardio & uphill breathing – without running or using gym based cardio equipment
Improve your downhill conditioning – so your knees are more than capable on the downhill.
Q&A
Who is this for?
It’s for those hikers who take a keen interest in knowing their own body.
It’s as useful to beginner hikers as it is to those who are looking to take on bigger summits and perhaps even get into mountaineering. More demanding, hiker risk adventures require a higher level of focus and commitment to physical training –
cornerstone is an offering that fills that spot for those who really want to do more.
I’ve taken the most important exercises for hikers and scaled them so that anyone can improve no matter where they’re starting from.
If you are completely new to training or haven’t trained consistently for some time, you may want to start with the Elements program first – it will ease you into training, and you’ll build a good base level to then expand on.
What equipment do I need?
There is no necessary equipment.
I recommend:
– a bodymate wedge (These are a knee pain secret weapon and they are essentially for healthy squats).
– resistance bands
There is more information on these in the app.
Optional:
– dumbbells
Having access to a gym may make some sessions easier, but it is not absolutely necessary. All my programs are designed to be done anywhere and I include different options depending on what you have access to.
How many days am I training?
5 – 6 days
Ultimately you choose how many sessions you want to do based on your current fitness and goals.
How long are the sessions?
It varies depending on the session and how many reps/sets you want to do. Generally 25mins – 45mins with the hike/aerobic sessions over 60 mins.
How is it delivered?
Cornerstone is purchased on this website and the training is delivered on the Chase Mountains app, available on the App store & Google Play.
Upon purchase, if you have previously signed up to the Chase Mountains app, it will be available in there within 5-10 minutes.
If you haven’t signed up to the app, you will receive instructions via the purchase confirmation and email.
The coaching document is via Google Sheets.
Is this the same as Hike Strong?
No. Cornerstone covers both strength & conditioning and has the added self coaching element, whereas Hike Strong is focused on strength only – using primarily bodyweight.
If you have done Hike Strong, Cornerstone is a great next step.
Choosing between Hike Strong and Cornerstone…
Cornerstone is designed for those that have a keen interest in developing their training as there is some autonomy. You’ll be tracking your stats and making decisions on how to progress your training based on how your body responds.
Hike Strong will tell you how many reps/sets to complete and is a more structured program. It is ideal for highly focused strength training, especially if you have a trip coming up.
It pairs well with Uphill Endurance.
Does this include coaching?
No, personal coaching is not included.
The coaching document is for self coaching. In the overview videos I go into detail about how you can structure your training, what to consider, recording your stats, choosing progressions and scheduling in progressive overload.
I really want to give you the knowledge to enable you to make decisions based on your own assessment.
If a form of coaching does become available in the future, having the data recorded will be very beneficial.
How long do I have access for?
My intention is to create a new Cornerstone program each year, so that we can continually evolve and incorporate new learnings.
So, you’ll have access to Cornerstone 23′ in the app for the lifetime of the program (a minimum of 1 year from your purchase date).
In saying that, once you download the coaching document, you’ll have a copy of the program forever.
Should I do this or Uphill Endurance?
Short answer: If you don’t want to think too much and want to be told exactly how many miles to hike each week choose Uphill Endurance.
Longer answer:
If you are in performance mode i.e have a trip coming up or you really want to spend focused time on improving your endurance choose Uphill Endurance. It will tell you exactly what miles and kilometres to do and is a more intensive 8-12 week program.
Consider Cornerstone as a long term every day program that will steadily improve your performance. You will have more autonomy and will need to make your own decisions around the cardio and the hiking component.