Tell us about yourself, what's your background?
I’m Stuart, I'm 32 years old and from Aberdeen (Scotland). I'm a personal trainer, online coach and mountain enthusiast that helps get people fit and ready for hillwalking, climbing and expeditions
How long have you been a personal trainer and why did you choose that career?
I've been a personal trainer and coach now for over a year but started my qualification about 5 months before the pandemic started. I managed to gain my Fitness Instructor qualification before the first lockdown but the pandemic slowed everything down in regards to finishing up my Personal Trainer qualification. I sat my practical exam the day the gyms re-opened and applied for PT jobs at local gyms straight away.
Becoming a PT is something I've thought about doing for many years but was never brave enough to take that leap. I worked in hospitality for over 12 years - as fun as it was, my mental and physical health was really taking a hit towards the latter part of my time in the trade. In the end, I worked at a local brewery and was severely unhappy day to day and I knew something had to change. I sat down and had a look back through things I liked to do most. Turns out that was training, working out and getting out into the hills. I'd always trained myself to be better in the hills and outdoors. That's when I got to work building the foundations for my business "Trek & Climb Fitness" and securing my place for a personal training qualification.
Tell us about Trek and Climb Fitness, what's it all about?
Trek & Climb Fitness is an Online Coaching and Personal Training service to help people get fitter and stronger for the hills. My mission is to help adventure seekers, climbers and mountaineers get into the fittest shape possible. Whether it's a Scottish Munro or high altitude climb in the Himalayas. I create personalised workouts and training plans to help get you where you need to be, all within an app. Training for an expedition is a big undertaking, so having someone there guide you along the way and tell you what to do is hugely beneficial.
What are your Clients typical goals when they come to you?
My clientele typically come to me to build their fitness to enjoy their days out on the hills or have an upcoming trip / expedition that they need to train for. Hillwalking and trekking in your local areas can be tough and sometimes challenging to travel to, specifically training to be fitter for the days on the hills is vital. Hills and mountains will always be challenging depending on your fitness level, but if you strive to improve, they can only get easier. You don't want to spend your days on the hills consistently out of breath and contemplating turning back - we head out to the hills to relax, enjoy ourselves and reconnect with nature.
I also have clients who would like to be healthier and fitter in general - not everyone loves to climb!
Can you give us a few tips/essential exercises that you'd recommend for those new to the outdoors?
There are plenty of exercises you can do to help with hill fitness and any exercise is better than none at all. The best exercise is hillwalking itself (That's a given), when you want to get better at a specific task, do that task repeatedly. But, like I said previously, if you don't live close to the hills, it can be hard to do that on a regular basis. You can train specifically for the hills at home or in the gym. The same applies if you're new to hillwalking and maybe feel that it's a bit of a jump in fitness levels to just go out there and tackle a mountain.
For cardio:
- Incline Treadmill Walks - increasing the incline on the treadmill mimics walking up a hill so pick a speed and incline that is suitable for you and get walking. Try not to hold on and lean back on the treadmill. This is a common comfort for gym goers but are no handles to hold onto on the hills!
- Backpack Walks - If you're heading into the hills for a full day, you'll likely be carrying a backpack. So why not pop your backpack on when you go for a walk around town? Fill it with old clothes and maybe a light weight (small dumbbell or a 2L bottle of water) so it resembles a full pack. This makes the walk harder, which will improve your fitness and get your body used to holding the weight of your backpack on your back.
- Running - This can be a bit of a jump for some people but start off easy. I always suggest to clients to try out the "Couch to 5k" app. It's great and I've used it myself to build up my running again. You'll gain a lot of cardiovascular fitness from running which will transfer over really well onto the hills.
For strength - It's important to remember that even though we use our legs to walk, we still use other muscle groups when hillwalking. Strength training can help prevent injury, improve bone health and delay muscle fatigue on the hills.
Box Step Ups (Legs) - These are a great exercise to really mimic walking up steep steps on the hills. Find a box or step at home that's around knee height and place one foot up onto it. Lean forward and drive yourself up using the leg that's on the box, return the other leg back down to the ground and keep one foot up on top of the box. Repeat for 10 reps on each leg. Do as many sets as you feel comfortable with but this exercise will build strong quads to power you up the hill.
- Using a small step can make a huge difference to your mountain climbers. We need to keep our bums tucked in and body in a straight line, which can be hard to do when you're hands are on the ground and you're trying to drive your knees up. The step gives us some extra space to do so. In the full plank position (straight body and arms fully extended), drive one knee straight up as high as you can get it in between your arms. Return your foot back down and do the same with the other leg. Focus on keeping the core tight throughout this exercise.
Suspension Rows (Back) - Having a strong back will give you a better posture for long days on the hills (Better posture = less stiffness and pain the day after). Using a TRX Suspension Trainer (Or something similar), hold onto the handles and step back. Leaning back with your arms fully extended and body in a straight line, row your body up towards the handles. Keep those arms tight into the body. To make this exercise easier you can just walk your feet back a few inches. To make it harder, go the opposite way and move your feet further away from your body.
How can people get started and train with you?
It takes less than three minutes to fill out a coaching application and is the best way so I can find out a little bit more about what you are training for. I will add some links below to my social media pages and also a link directly to my coaching application. Online coaching means you can work with me wherever you stay in the world and you're not tied into any contracts. It works on a monthly roll on basis which means you can keep it going for as long as you feel necessary.
So what's next for Trek and Climb Fitness?
This year, I'm focusing on building my business. I have a few ultra marathons planned and hopefully I can secure a place for Mont Blanc next year. I'll also be trying to bag more munros this year as it's still something I'm working my way through and if things go to plan, maybe back to Nepal for another high altitude expedition in the years to follow.
Links:
Website - https://www.trekandclimbfitness.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/trekclimbfitness/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/trekandclimbfitness/
Coaching Application - https://stuart551216.typeform.com/to/YUJzOixx