Strength Work with Conor at Sydney's High-Altitude Gym
- Mia Farrow
- Mar 10
- 4 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
"If your dreams don't scare you, they are not big enough!" Muhammad Ali
At 46, training and preparation demand significantly more effort than they did in my early 20s and 30s. I now have five schedules to coordinate and keep five people in harmony, rather than just focusing on myself.
My recovery looked different with small children around - when they were very little I had no time to recover and my sleep was nonexistent and injuries were common. Lucky that has changed every since my kids started school and I pride myself on 8-9 hours of sleep. Bed time is 8:30-9pm, and it's nonnegotiable. :) Sleep is my #1 form of recovery along with healthy food. My nutrition looks different these days as well, as I dip into mid 40's. with the ongoing impact of hormones at this point in my life.
Additionally, the length of exercise sessions (especially extreme endurance activities) can significantly stress the body, with inflammation being quite common. Being mindful of that and learning more about strategies to offset inflammation has been key.
Reaching my 7th year of strength training has been a JOURNEY full of highs, lows, and unforeseen challenges that life has thrown my way. But I have enjoyed every challenging minute of it and look forward to many more!
2024 - 25. GOAL AND PREP WITH CONOR
Goal: Solo Speed Ascent on the longest route on Aconcagua ~ 110 km
Approach: 40 wks, 2 hours 2x per week, with sauna sessions for endurance
ACONCAGUA "THE STONE SENTINEL" - HIGHEST MOUNTAIN OUTSIDE OF ASIA
Aconcagua 6962m, in Argentina, is the 2nd highest of the 7 Summits, behind Mt Everest.
The main routes on Aconcagua are:
Normal route via Horcones Gate and via Basecamp Mulas, short and steep
360 Route via Vacas Gate and via Basecamp Argentina, the longest
Polish glacier, the technical route
Elevation profile in the pictures below.
THE ROCKY BEGINNING OF 2024
In February 2024, I contracted COVID for a week, just days before my planned trip to New Zealand to climb Mt Aspiring. Besides COVID, I was dealing with a lingering ankle and foot injury from the UTK 50 at the end of 2022, as well as an episode of the Influenza B virus a few months earlier.
Postponing the Mt Aspiring trip wasn't feasible (getting refunds is difficult with so many logistical elements involved), so I decided to go and make the most of it.
The scenery on New Zealand's South Island was breathtaking and uplifting. Although I wasn't fully prepared for the ice-climbing and steep rock-climbing with a 20 kg pack, we successfully reached Colin Todd hut.
It was my first time rappelling down to the Bonar glacier and crossing a crevasse-filled glacier on foot, which was a unique experience.
MARCH MADNESS
I began preparing for Aconcagua360 in March, ten months ahead of my big high-altitude goal.
I met with Conor, my personal trainer, and after a 60-minute assessment, we started training twice a week. At that time, I could hardly run a mile as my ankle was still recovering.
ARPIL MAY JUNE - BUILDING THE FOUNDATION
It was all about plyos - hop, jump, single leg work, squat, hinge, pull, press, and push.
What else could an adventure endurance runner ask for? :)
The running volume remained low as I focused on developing my aerobic base, healing my ankle and working on overall strength capacity.
Here's the thing:
In order order to be powerful, you need to be strong first.
In order to be strong, you need a good form. And the form required slowing down and breaking things into smaller steps. Breathing. Staying focused. Staying patient.
JULY AUGUST
The plyometrics continued. Single leg work continue - with increased BB / DB weight.
We also incorporated more compound movements and heavier lifts.
In terms of running, this was my high-intensity block, which included track sessions for speed work, tempo intervals, and both an easy and a long trail running session.
SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER
My running volume increased, and strength exercises became my warm-up. Main blocks A and B transformed into muscle endurance sessions. It was fantastic. I felt stronger and more capable of running longer distances without any pain in my legs, hips, or ankles.
It was exciting.
During this time, I started using a high-altitude tent at home (link here), which didn't allow for adequate rest. Sleep was critical for my recovery, so it was important.
However, things improved around mid-November and I got into a nice routine with gym, sauna, long endurance running and hypoxic tent sleep.
20kg KB SLDL
Plyometrics, SLDL, single leg split squats, and any other type of squat for that matter was all on the menu during this time.
DECEMBER
Solo training for 4 weeks while Conor was out of the country.
JANUARY
TO BE CONTINUED...
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