As a high-achieving professional, you already know that peak performance—in the boardroom or on a project—is as much a mental game as a physical one. A single lapse in focus can derail a high-stakes presentation.
The mountains are no different. In fact, they are the ultimate amplifier.
When you’re on a long, grueling ascent, your mind will wander. You’ll fixate on the discomfort in your legs, the weight of your pack, or the 2,000 feet you still have to climb. This mental “noise” spikes your stress, wastes energy, and can lead to poor decisions.
The pros call this “training your mental game.” A simpler word for it is mindfulness, but not in the soft, passive sense. We’re talking about active, structured mental training to build focus, control, and resilience. This is the foundational skill required to master your physiology.
Here are 6 simple, actionable drills you can practice on your very next training hike to build the mental control necessary for any high-altitude objective.
1. The “Single-Task” Focus Drill
The Problem: Your mind is a “to-do list” of distractions (work emails, family obligations, dinner plans).
The Drill: For the first 10 minutes of your hike, commit to one single-tasking goal. This could be focusing only on the sound of your feet on the trail or the rhythm of your poles. When your mind wanders (and it will), don’t judge it. Simply acknowledge the distraction and bring your focus back. This is a “rep” for your brain, building the muscle of intentional focus.
2. The Systematic Tension Scan
The Problem: Unconscious muscle tension—clenched jaw, raised shoulders, tight grip on your poles—burns precious oxygen and energy.
The Drill: At the top of every hour, do a “top-to-bottom” scan.
- Is your face relaxed?
- Are your shoulders down and back?
- Are your hands loose?
- Are your hips moving fluidly? This active scan teaches you to identify and release these “energy leaks,” making you a far more efficient athlete.
3. The Sensory Grounding “3×3”
The Problem: You get stuck in your own head, ruminating on a past mistake or worrying about the future (“Am I going too slow?”).
The Drill: Pull yourself into the present moment with a “3×3” check-in. Name three things you can see (a specific rock, a distant peak, the cloud pattern), three things you can hear (your footsteps, the wind, a bird), and three things you can feel (the pack on your back, the air on your skin, the ground under your boot). This is a powerful circuit-breaker for negative thought loops.
4. The Breath Awareness Audit (The “Pillar Tease”)
The Problem: Most athletes treat breathing as an automatic process. High-performers treat it as a controllable system.
The Drill: For 5 minutes, turn your full attention to your breath.
- Ask: Am I breathing through my nose or my mouth?
- Ask: Is my breath shallow and in my chest, or deep and diaphragmatic?
- Ask: Is the rhythm chaotic or controlled? You will likely find your breathing is inefficient. This simple awareness is the first step. The next step, which we’ll cover later this week, is Respiratory Muscle Training (RMT)—the “strength training” to fix the inefficiencies you just discovered.
5. The “Fuel & Hydration” Check-In
The Problem: At altitude, your appetite disappears. It’s easy to forget to eat or drink, leading to a performance-crushing energy crash.
The Drill: Set a timer on your watch. Every 45 minutes, the alarm goes off, and you must perform two actions: take a sip of water and eat a small bite of food. This replaces unreliable “hunger cues” with professional, non-negotiable discipline.
6. The Post-Effort Debrief
The Problem: You finish your training hike, throw your gear in the car, and immediately move on, learning nothing.
The Drill: Take 60 seconds at the trailhead. Debrief your performance. What went well? Where did your focus break? When did your breathing feel uncontrolled? This mental debrief turns every training session into valuable data, making your next one even better.
These drills are the “software” for your performance. They teach you to be aware of your body and mind under stress.
But to truly take control, you need to understand your “hardware.”
Your “breath awareness” from Drill #4 is a great start, but what if you could put a hard number on it? What if you could get a real, data-backed score on your breathing efficiency, CO₂ tolerance, and diaphragmatic mechanics?
This is why we created the Recal Breath Assessment.
Before you can train your “hidden limiter,” you have to find it. Take our free, 5-minute assessment to get your personal Recal Breath Index (RBI) score.
This is the data. This is how you move from mindfulness to mastery.