ABOUT PEAK

To apply for this program please email me at coaching@couchtothesummit.com if you are interested in joining the Couch to the Summit Performance Coaching stable of athletes, or if you have any questions or comments.

I am located in Vancouver, Canada and I'm available to chat on +1 778-229-8230. I work with athletes anywhere in the world.

• OBJECTIVE: PEAK is a coaching program designed for athletes who are going all in for an upcoming race or racing season (approximately 6-12 months away) and want to learn the ropes of how to maximise performance and peak their fitness within a short period of time.

  The training approaches used are best practice and science driven, with the goal to emphasize building “top end” fitness by reinforcing maximal speed and power development to race with a strong competitive focus. The program also factors in the specific demands of the goal event, actively and objectively tests your abilities in them, and we work hard on improving identified weaknesses and shortcomings to ensure performance of the highest calibre.

  Athletes must have experience with regular endurance training and novices athletes or athletes who are overestimating their abilities for their upcoming race ambitions will not be accepted and will be offered a position in the FOUNDATION or BUILD programs instead.

• INNOVATION: This program focuses heavily on top-end fitness development using many approaches common in a wide variety of mountain sports including Stair Climbing, Vertical KM, Sky Running, Cycling, Ski-mountaineering, Track and Field, Ultrarunning, Plyometrics, Sprinting and more… The program also includes heavy focus on my FAST-PROTOCOLS training principles relating to Health, Mindset, Power, Skill, Agility and Impact development to elevate your athleticism above your peers and take your performance to a new level.

OBJECTIVE TESTING AND BENCHMARKS TO DISCOVER YOUR READINESS

• Surviving a race peak build is not automatically guaranteed and the athletic history of an athlete – combined with the demands of the goal event – is crucial to determine the risk level for pushing hard and achieving a great race result or season. Endurance sports require many years to master and build performance. Trying to advance the timeframe, usually leads to poor outcomes and setbacks that are very frustrating for the athlete and reflect poorly on the coach.

• Note that simply working with a coach will not guarantee success if you’re overstretching your abilities and the timeframe to improve your weaknesses is not achievable. I advise athletes who wish to push forward in high-risk scenarios to look at the big picture perspective – one race is not worth significant setbacks or damage to your body. It’s OK if you don’t know if you are ready for certain races or not. Some coaches may forge forward and hope for the best, but I test your readiness objectively, so emotion or ego does not sway the decision.

• I have established a set of endurance and biomechanical benchmark tests (matched to the difficulty of your goal events) that establish how ready you are for succeeding with this program. You must pass the minimum thresholds of these tests to gain acceptance into PEAK.

• For athletes with a set of manageable identified weaknesses, you may be able to continue with PEAK while we address those areas of concern in the opening months of the program.

• Athletes who don’t meet the threshold for acceptance into PEAK will be advised on an appropriate course forward and recommended for placement in either my FOUNDATION or BUILD programs where you can build the strengths needed to eventually tackle the challenge you have in mind.

• Each athlete will be considered on their merits, but consistent endurance training in the 12-24 months prior without any significant injury concerns, and an appropriate race history progression to match the upcoming demands of the proposed event, is likely to be the minimum threshold for acceptance, but the objective tests will ultimately tell the final story.

ABOUT THE COACH

Be mentored in your endurance journey with guidance, and specialized coaching from Performance Coach and Endurance Educator James Stewart, a 15-year endurance veteran with experience adventuring and racing all over the world in some of the harshest mountain environments and events. James has coached athletes from all levels (beginner, intermediate and elite) with a mountain sport focus since 2019 and you can learn more about his background here.

PEAK IS APPROPRIATE FOR

• Experienced recreational, intermediate, or elite athletes focused on short-term high performance in endurance events.

  I recommend starting at least six months prior to your event. This ensures the training we implement makes a significant impact as anything shorter might not provide sufficient time to put the necessary strategies in place. Signing up 9 to 12-months before your event is highly recommend.

PEAK INVOLVES THE FOLLOWING

INITIAL ONBOARDING PROCESS

• Answer athlete's initial enquiry/questions about the coaching program. Athlete decides to proceed.

• Athlete fills in an initial questionnaire to provide information on their training history and future goals.

• Athlete conducts various tests across attributes of my FAST-PROTOCOLS training process to determine your strengths and weaknesses as an athlete. Tests include areas relating to Balance, Mobility, Flexibility, Strength, Agility, Skill, Power (and others…) to give a wholistic overview of an athlete’s athleticism and abilities.

• I perform a review based on the results of the questionnaire and tests to determine if an athlete is accepted into PEAK. If I accept you into PEAK, I then construct an appropriate program for you and set you up on the training platform. If an athlete is not accepted, we discuss other options to move forward.

• Athlete is provided educational material to understand results of their review, the plan for moving forward, how the training process works (how to pace your training, pick and plan your training routes etc…) and how to use the training platform.

ONGOING WEEKLY TRAINING

• Athlete fills in their upcoming schedule and availability prior to 6pm on a Sunday for the upcoming week.

• On the training platform, each Sunday you are scheduled your Endurance, Speed and Power training for the upcoming week based off of your previous training outcomes. This will include maintaining or short-term increase of aerobic base, uphill performance, downhill impact resiliency, skill work, Aerobic threshold training, Tempo/Lactate Threshold and VO2 max training, and performance fine-tuning.

• On the training platform, you'll have insights into your functional strengths and weaknesses based on your test results. The platform's intelligent design crafts daily workouts tailored to target areas you need the most improvement, aligned with your available time. If you lag in areas like mobility training - for example - the system proactively reminds you, ensuring you stay on track. The platform adjusts your regimen considering the equipment you have, your weekly schedule, and your recent training consistency. For instance, if you're missing sessions or falling short on time, it recommends a more manageable program until you regain your momentum.

• Regular mentorship, monitoring and emails from Coach James Stewart where applicable based on your training outcomes, questions and so on. Unlimited contact between you and the coach is provided over email. Athlete is offered a maximum of one voice/video call per week for 1-hour as required.

OTHER BENEFITS

• Endurance and Biomechanics Training Library Access: Gain access to an extensive library of training information that you can download and keep for life!

• Discounted Products: If you complete 6-months on PEAK, you will receive a 20% discount off all Couch to the Summit Products and Educational Materials for life.

• Free Ongoing Mentorship*: If you complete 6-months on PEAK, you receive lifetime access to emailing me for training advice/help/mentoring (within reason). The goal of my coaching is to teach you how to train yourself in the future. For any past clients, I'm always available to answer any further questions you have and to ensure some level of mentorship once you're out on your own. This serviced is provided over email only and responses will be provided when time permits.

  *Athletes who don't make it to 6 months in this program are not eligible for lifetime mentoring access but are more than welcome back to the coaching service to try again at any time in the future.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Am I ready for this program? Who do you accept?

I perform a review based on the results of your intake questionnaire and I get you to run through various benchmark tests that objectively measure your ability to perform in your upcoming races to determine if you are accepted into PEAK. If you are not accepted, you will be accepted into other programs that are more suitable for you like FOUNDATION or PEAK. This doesn't mean you cannot do your upcoming race, just that it might be more practical to focus on "survival" over performance.

What if I want to work with you more than one year?

If you have more than one year prior to a key event you are aiming for, I highly recommend you sign up to the BUILD coaching program. This is a more budget friendly program focused on multi-year development to ensure the best possible long-term fitness and performance development. The longer I have to work with you for future events, the best chance you have of substantially improving your performance. Plus, its cheaper and more affordable for you, but requires a longer-term commitment.

Athletes in BUILD go through periodization phases that involve both aerobic base building and peaking fitness using the elements in the PEAK program where appropriate, but at the cheaper loyalty weekly fee. If your race is upcoming, you can still do PEAK first and then switch over to BUILD following your race for focus on development in future years.

What is the difference between PEAK and other programs like FOUNDATION and BUILD?

The difference between PEAK and BUILD/FOUNDATION is that during PEAK, there will be less focus on developing resiliency in your body and aerobic base development, and more focus placed on developing threshold endurance, speed and power as an athlete.

Threshold Endurance, Speed and Power is best developed during a peaking phase in the months leading up to key events if you already have a good base in place. A peaking build will temporarily elevate your fitness by 20-30% off of your current aerobic base for the best race result presuming your body is resilient and there are no substantial setbacks in training, but having a resilient body and bigger base to build off of is what is needed if you wish to be a faster and more successful athlete in the longer term. PEAK is focused on performance in the short-term for athletes with a resilient body and a good base, FOUNDATION/BUILD is focused on performance in the long-term by developing resiliency and aerobic base. Please choose the program most appropriate for your stage of development as an athlete.

Do you have any testimonials from current or past athletes?

Yes I do - please click here to read them

How many hours per week do I need to commit to with this program?

My recommendation is a minimum of 15 hours per week at the low end, but 20+ hours per week is highly recommended for the best results. Most of the training time will be spent on Endurance training, but some of the time will be spent working on other attributes such as strength, mobility, power, agility, balance training etc… either at home or in a gym. Usually, it works best if you can spend 1 hour in the morning and 1-2 hours in the evening during most weekdays, and one day on the weekend where you can spend multiple hours on both days. If the time commitment is a problem, usually it can be addressed through improved scheduling in your daily life, which is often lacking in athletes who fail to thrive. This is one of the key areas we address initially in the program.

Time crunched athletes who cannot train 15 hours a week or more, are accepted into the program, and I do my best to facilitate the most bang for buck from your available time. This may slow your long-term progression however, but this may be acceptable to you based on your other time demands.

What equipment do I need?

I tailor the program to what you have available but I encourage some affordable purchases that may greatly benefit you. Most of the program can be done without any equipment; however, a gym membership or purchase of some home equipment like exercise mat, bands, step up box or bench, some dumbbells will highly benefit an athlete who is serious about building fitness, resiliency and strength. Regular access to mountains/hills, stairs or treadmill is important, but if not available, I can find many approaches to get the required training stimulus.

What is the Onboarding Fee for?

Onboarding fee covers the fee for access to the library of educational materials provided to you upon signing up (this includes PDF training manuals and video tutorials) along with the additional time required by me to understand your training journey and set up your training customised for you personally. A lot of time and thought is put into planning your training progression and getting you ready for the next steps.

What is the Minimum Commitment?

You must pay for the first 10 weeks upfront before beginning this program, but you can exit anytime thereafter without penalty.

COST

I accept payment in virtually any currency. Here are the four most common, but please contact me for rates in other currencies if you cannot pay in CAD, USD, EUR or AUD.

CAD $150 onboard fee (covers initial discovery week(s)) then $55 per week (when training begins) with a 10-week initial commitment.

Upon signing up, an athlete must pay the $150 onboard fee and also the 10-week minimum*, which can be charged as a one-time payment up front of $550 (applicable only via funds transfer).

After the first 10 weeks, you can then pay on a week to week or month to month or lump sum basis and can exit at any time without any further penalty.

*Early exit in the initial 10-weeks incurs a penalty charge of $100 with a refund of the remaining fees that have been paid if a lump sum was paid upfront. This fee is designed to hold you accountable to the process but may be waived in exceptional circumstances after all avenues of keeping you in the program are exhausted.

USD $120 onboard fee (covers initial discovery week(s)) then $45 per week (when training begins) with a six-month initial commitment.

Upon signing up, an athlete must pay the $120 onboard fee and also the 10-week minimum*, which is a one-time payment up front of $450 (applicable only via funds transfer).

After the first 10 weeks, you can then pay on a week to week or month to month or lump sum basis and can exit at any time without any further penalty.

*Early exit in the initial 10-weeks incurs a penalty charge of $80 with a refund of the remaining fees that have been paid if a lump sum was paid upfront. This fee is designed to hold you accountable to the process but may be waived in exceptional circumstances after all avenues of keeping you in the program are exhausted.

EUR €110 onboard fee (covers initial discovery week(s)) then €40 per week (when training begins) with a 10-week initial commitment.

Upon signing up, an athlete must pay the €110 onboard fee and a one-time payment up front of €400 (applicable only via funds transfer).

After the first 10 weeks, you can then pay on a week to week or month to month or lump sum basis and can exit at any time without any further penalty.

*Early exit in the initial 10-weeks incurs a penalty charge of €75 with a refund of the remaining fees that have been paid if a lump sum was paid upfront. This fee is designed to hold you accountable to the process but may be waived in exceptional circumstances after all avenues of keeping you in the program are exhausted.

AUD $175 onboard fee (covers initial discovery week(s)) then $65 per week (when training begins) with a 10-week initial commitment.

Upon signing up, an athlete must pay the $175 onboard fee and a one-time payment up front of $650 (applicable only via funds transfer).

After the first 10 weeks, you can then pay on a week to week or month to month or lump sum basis and can exit at any time without any further penalty.

*Early exit in the initial 6-months incurs a penalty charge of $110 with a refund of the remaining fees that have been paid if a lump sum was paid upfront. This fee is designed to hold you accountable to the process but may be waived in exceptional circumstances after all avenues of keeping you in the program are exhausted.