Coach Buck

Coach Buck Helping people understand training and using it as a metaphor to understand ourselves.

09/10/2026

Strength is a hard thing to build out on the trail, and we need it to create a resilient and durable body for our next mountain adventure.
This is where we must spend time in the gym, learning to strength train and build a strong solid foundation for our next objective.

09/08/2026

Big goals can feel overwhelming, even more so if your leg is broken and you were cut off a cliff into a glacier. But if we can learn anything from Joe Simpson and his account of events in his book Touching the Void, it’s that any goal can be accomplished by breaking it down into bite sized pieces and working, over and over again, to achieve them.

09/04/2026

You wouldn’t split wood with a shovel, or dig a hole with an axe, or try to ice climb with a ball peen hammer. So why wouldn’t you show up for your next big day out without your body is the right shape and function for the task at hand?
Your body is a tool, so make sure to bring the right tool on your next mountain objective or adventure.

Durability is a trending word in outdoor sport and adventure training. What does it really mean, who needs it, and most ...
09/01/2026

Durability is a trending word in outdoor sport and adventure training. What does it really mean, who needs it, and most importantly, how do we become more durable hikers, trail runners, mountaineers, and adventurers?

08/31/2026

Last winter and spring, I really pushed this movement as I felt a very good carry over to the careful, balanced, and powerful way you need to move while climbing (on ice in my case).
Do we need to be this strong to enjoy ourselves in the vertical outdoor world? Absolutely not, but full body exercises, like a Turkish get up, challenge the whole body and mind to work in synergy to get up and down, while there is a somewhat real danger right overhead.
Sounds kind of like climbing without actually being it.

08/27/2026

Outdoor athletes and adventurers, what do you think fitness is?
Some might view it as a byproduct of spending time outside doing the things you love.
I would say, however, that fitness is safety.

Just like buying a parka to keep you warm or paying professional guides like Nature Nomads or Equinox Guiding Service for their expert decision making and skill training, fitness is another part of your preparation and safety.

From hiking to backpacking to climbing and mountaineering, having some extra gas in the tank can be a matter of self rescue vs calling for aid if and when things get serious.

Think about this before you plan your next adventure and add it into the equation.
Fitness is safety.

Recovery and managing fatigue are hot topics for “optimization”The reality is our relationship with fatigue should chang...
08/26/2026

Recovery and managing fatigue are hot topics for “optimization”
The reality is our relationship with fatigue should change depending on our goals.
Building top end speed and strength means you need to show up fresh and recovered.
Building durability for longer events means some sessions should be done intentionally tired, to safely simulate end of race conditions.
Use it wisely as it’s just another tool in the tool box.

08/25/2026

This secret to the way you think about your training, accountability, and who is really invested sounds like tough love, and maybe that’s because it is.
But more most of us it’s a call to pay attention and care more about what we are doing because after all. We are all doing this for health or fun…right?

08/24/2026

Back at the end of 2025, I felt the need to complete some arbitrary internet challenge.
Ended up with a 545lb deadlift (seen here) and a 5:45 mile time (harder to capture in this format)
Seemed fitting to have the numbers line up so well.
At the end of the day, the challenge felt empty, as I didn’t have a strong emotional connection to it and it felt more in the “stupid human tricks” category, but that is ok.
Different things will motivate us for different reason at different times, and coming off a season of invested triathlon and trail running, a stupid human trick is just what I needed.

This dichotomy rules western thought, as well as my mind when planning training.What is the function of this exercise, s...
08/21/2026

This dichotomy rules western thought, as well as my mind when planning training.
What is the function of this exercise, stimulus, or workout? What does that look like, to the person, to me, etc. these two things together determine the quality of the thing in question.

Analytic types like myself tend to prioritize function over form, but at times one should take priority over the other, or they both must be measured.

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