Mt Whitney Zone Forums Trip Reports Cactus to Clouds – October 24 2015

Not sure what type of training you've been doing, but if you've been using a lot of high intensity training, you might actually want to scale back and give your aerobic system some work. I used to split my time between relaxed hikes, strenuous runs, and weighted hikes (up to 100 lbs on my back at the height of my fitness). I was at my fastest, but it took it's toll on the body with a lot of aches and pain. I got into two biking accidents, and one climbing accident back to back that put me out for quite some time and I haven't gotten back to where I was.

The point is that while I couldn't do strenuous weighted activities or runs, I could still hike and climb. I missed the strenuous stuff and was trying to find ways to keep my endurance up. I found this book when I was out of commission:

http://www.mountainproject.com/v/new-alpinism/108760240

I think it's worth every penny. There's a long discussion about it and people's results in the forum above. The authors are professional athletes and coaches. Steve House and his partner did the Infinite Spur on Mt. Foraker in 25 hours while the previous fastest ascent was 7 days.

If you've reached a plateau, give the book a read. I think it'll be worth your while. It's very easy to read and informative. It talks about everything from your physical training to nutrition to the effects of altitude. Following the principals in there has kept me in shape while not beating my body up.

EDIT:
Here's a trip report from a guy who used the book with great results:

http://www.summitpost.org/the-long-way-up-the-owen-spalding/958810

"Preparation:

Training for the New Alpinism. There’s no alternative and no reason to read anything else. This book turned me into a monster compared to what I was before."