By Derrick Kline, MTI Athlete
I just wrapped up the 5-week MTI Alpinist Fitness Assessment Program, completing my post-assessment on March 28. The results speak for themselves—a 66.9% overall improvement, taking my score from “Poor” to “Good.” Here’s the breakdown: Assessment Results Post / Pre – % Change
- Dips: 36 / 30 → +20%
- 40-min Step-ups: 1101 / 685 → +60.7%
- Pull-ups: 28 / 25 → +12%
- 300m Shuttle Run: 64 sec. / 70 sec. → +8.6%
- V-Sum: 14 / 6 → +133%
- 15K Run: 1:04:40 / 1:06:15 → +2.4%
TOTAL SCORE: 131 / 78.5 → +66.9% Key Takeaways
- Biggest Gains: My most significant improvements were in step-ups and V-Sum—no surprise, since these were my weak points going in.
- Step-up Strategy: Success in this event came down to mental prep and pacing. By mid-program, I had a precise rep plan for each 10-minute block, which made a massive difference.
- Uphill Fitness Wake-Up Call: Before this program, my aerobic base and uphill endurance were lacking. I knew I’d improve, but I didn’t expect my body to adapt this quickly. Failures & Wins: There were days I fell short—some sessions I didn’t hit my step-up targets, and some days my mind wasn’t ready for 90 minutes of Zone 2 work after 1000+ step-ups. But I showed up every session and gave it everything I had.
This program left me reinvigorated and ready for more.
Next up: the Backcountry Ski Pre-Season Training Plan, as I’m about 8 weeks out from prime southern hemisphere backcountry skiing.