When we train mountain athletes at Summit Strength & Fitness, we often emphasize performance. Climbing harder, hiking farther, running stronger, skiing better, or simply feeling more capable outside illustrates that training. But sometimes, you get to experience how training in the gym is actually training for real life. Sometimes in ways you never could have planned.
On a recent vacation to Spain with my husband, I found myself repeatedly thinking, Thank-You Summit! Not because I was preparing for some epic expedition or chasing a personal record. But because travel has a funny way of turning everyday activities into unexpected physical challenges. And Spain gave me plenty of them.
Climbing Skills Applied to Training for Real Life
Let’s start with the one we still laugh about.
While staying in Bilbao, my husband and I locked ourselves out of our Airbnb room on the 3rd floor. What was our solution? Scaling the building and climbing through the window.
Not exactly the kind of “real-life application” you put on a training plan. But there we were, using climbing movement, body awareness, strength, balance, and problem-solving to get safe and sound in bed for the night. And now, we have a pretty ridiculous vacation story.
When Getting Lost Turns Into an Endurance Workout
Barcelona provided a completely different test. We lost our way while trying to reach Park Güell. What should have been a relatively straightforward outing turned into an additional hour of hiking uphill in 98 degree weather through the city. By the time we realized just how much elevation we had gained, it had essentially become an unplanned endurance workout.
Luckily, I was prepared for it.
The strength and endurance work we do at Summit isn’t just about being able to complete a workout on a particular day. It’s about building the capacity to keep moving when your legs are tired, the terrain changes, and the day doesn’t go exactly according to plan. Thats training for real life.
And while I wouldn’t necessarily recommend getting lost as a training strategy, I can say that being physically prepared made the experience much more enjoyable.
Training for Real Life Means Strength Outside of the Gym
Then there was the suitcase without wheels. If you’ve traveled internationally, you know that a “large suitcase” can quickly become a piece of functional fitness equipment.
Between airports, buses, sidewalks, stairs, cobblestones, and whatever other obstacles happen to be between you and your next destination, traveling with luggage can be more demanding than you’d predict. Once again, I found myself grateful for the strength training we do at Summit. While it feels like just another workout at the time, it is actually training for real life scenarios.
Like being able to lift, carry, and maneuver a heavy suitcase without feeling completely wrecked made the less glamorous parts of traveling much easier. Because strength isn’t just about what you can lift in a gym. It’s about what you can carry through life.
And Then We Got to Climb
This was the part of the trip I was able to plan. I had the opportunity to boulder at Zona d’Escalada de la Foixarda. If you’ve never been, this is a free and super rad climbing area in Barcelona. After spending so much time exploring the city on foot, it was pretty awesome to switch gears for an afternoon.
The strength, mobility, body awareness and endurance. The ability to problem-solve a movement and trust your body to execute it. That’s what we work toward at Summit. Not just getting stronger for the sake of getting stronger, but building a body that is capable of doing the things you love.
Functional Training for Real Life Movement
At Summit Strength & Fitness, we specialize in training mountain athletes. Rock climbers, hikers, trail runners, skiers, snowboarders, and anyone who wants to be stronger and more capable in the outdoors.
But the thing I was reminded of on this trip is that the benefits of that training extend far beyond the obvious.
I didn’t train specifically for climbing a building in Bilbao. Or so that I could accidentally turn a walk to Park Güell into an uphill endurance session. I also didn’t train so I could haul a giant suitcase through Spain. But all the training at Summit prepared me for those moments anyway.
Training for Real Life is the Real Goal.
Training at Summit has prepared me not only for the unexpected moments that real life throws at me but has made the experiences I choose to have even more enjoyable.
When your body is strong, capable, and prepared, you get to spend less time worrying about whether you can do something and more time enjoying the fact that you are doing it.
Whether that’s climbing a route, hiking a mountain, carrying your gear, chasing your kids, shredding fresh pow, exploring a new city, or occasionally scaling a building to get back into your room. Train for the life you want to live. And most importantly, go live it.