outdoor athlete - Summit Strength & Fitness | Madison's Training Community

coach kubi walking his bike up the trails at quary ridge in madison wisconsin

The Ultimate Guide to Seasonal Training for Mountain Athletes

Athletic performance isn’t built overnight. It’s the product of structured, intentional training applied consistently over time. Yet one of the most common mistakes athletes and fitness enthusiasts make is approaching training as if every month, every week, and every day should look the same. That “always on” mentality often leads to plateaus, nagging injuries, or…

5 Important Lessons Learned from Hiking in the Rockys

This time 2 years ago I took a hiking trip to Rocky Mountain National Park with my dad and his girlfriend. We were together for a week straight. The longest time that we had all been together in such close proximity. Together that week, we hiked 52 miles, climbed a total of 13,000 feet in…

Bodyweight Movement prevails in the Time of Need

Bodyweight movement doesn’t get the credit it truly deserves. Too often, it's dismissed as too easy or only for beginners, simply because it doesn't involve lifting heavy weights or using fancy equipment. Many people wrongly assume that if you're not dripping sweat under a barbell, you're not making real progress. But this couldn’t be further…

The fitz roy mountain range in patagonia

Physique vs. Skill: Training Lessons from the MTNS

When I started training, my motivation came from wanting to change how I looked. Like so many others, I walked into the gym with the hope of chiseling out a body that matched the images I’d seen on fitness accounts and magazine covers. Lean, toned, maybe even "shredded"—whatever that meant at the time. Little did…

Eamon climbing a boulder outside at devils lake state park

How to Optimize your Climbing with Other Workouts

As climbers were often trying to optimize. Am I climbing enough? Do I hang board too much or maybe too little? If I just get my foot perfect here on this feature and then hit the side pull with my right index finger on this crystal and… You get the picture. One optimization that's often…

Dynamic bouldering on the steep climbing wall at summit strength and fitness

Climbing is a Fitness Tool as powerful as any

There is much to be said about climbing as a pursuit and hobby. There is much joy to be found in the progression and learning to be found within it, as well as the community and great places it leads people. However, did you ever think that climbing is a fitness tool? Let’s…

Woman holding a trout caught fly fishing

Climbing and Fly Fishing; A Wonderful Connection

At first glance, rock climbing and fly fishing couldn’t seem more different. One is vertical, adrenaline-fueled, and physically intense. The other tends to be quiet, rhythmic, and meditative, but for those who’ve spent time doing both, the similarities run deeper than you would expect. What ties these two seemingly opposite pursuits together is a shared…

as outdoor athletes we abandon the gym and get out to mountain bike

Abandon the gym— embrace the freedom of the great outdoors!

If you have been to a summit before, you know the gym is just a tool. We encourage using the gym to better prepare for the sport/activity/hobby of choice outdoors. Maybe you are an alpine skier. You will meet your gym quota days in November with squats and lunges to be prepared…

Welcome aboard: A Warm Way to Welcome a New Colleague

Let us introduce and Welcome Erica, our new Social Events Coordinator at Summit (as of March of 2024)! Erica is the one behind the camera, the social events, & the added stoke at Summit! Erica brings a vibrancy to our community and has revamped our social skills. She is helping us develop more opportunities to…

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