TNF Mountain Athletics

A while ago, Jundel of The North Face (TNF) Philippines invited us to try their Mountain Athletics training. This is a new global campaign of TNF, a workout program geared for mountaineers, trail runners, and outdoor sports enthusiasts, by targeting muscle groups needed for these sports. With 10 days left before we set out for Nepal, this would be our last major workout, and on to the "tapering" period.

We were at Fitness First (TNF's partner gym) even before SM megamall opened. We were allowed to bring in a few UP Mountaineers friends to join the workout, so obviously, we were rowdy in no time. After months of Mountain Rockstar training at a parking lot, all I can say about being in a gym setting is it's nice not to have sand anywhere on my shirt, skin, or hair.

The group was divided into the intermediate workout and the advanced. After much debating who will be in which group, the girls ended up with the intermediate training, while the guys in the advanced. 

It was not a fair division, as the girls were just as strong (all being athletes and training professionals in their own right). They breezed through the intermediate class and wanted more. The good thing about the program is that you can easily progress to more challenging workouts once you get your baseline fitness. The instructors can then adjust according to your baseline and target.

While waiting for the first group to finish, some of us tried the various equipment in the gym. I used the treadmill to warm up, while the others tried to figure out how to use the gym props.

Then came out turn. Aside from the TRX system used by the ladies, we were also asked to use what I can only describe as a mix between a barbell and a bazooka (I think "training log" is the correct term). The set of workouts were a notch more challenging now that weights were involved. Midway, most of us were already grunting and sweating heavily. The workouts which I initially thought were easy were actually painful with enough repetitions. The entire workout took about 30 or so minutes.

While I was happy to throw in the towel after that, the girls were still in for more! Not only did they join in at some point of our workout, they also accepted the invitation of our trainer and joined another hour-long class; while Romi, Henry and I had lunch.

The short, but high intensity interval routine of the Mountain Athletics training will definitely make my muscles ache the following day. We've just seen a preview of the potential of the program; and watching the other workouts online (here are a few), the training possibilities are limited only by what the athlete is willing to endure. 

Our thanks again to the team of The North Face Philippines and Fitness First Megamall for making us sweat on a weekend.