I’ve hear this at almost every tree climbing competition I’ve ever been to, “Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast!” A beautiful sentiment! Always inspiring when I hear it, seeing a friend or colleague move through the tree tops on their way to a top 3 work climb finish. Again, it’s shouted from the crowd, and deep in my mind a repeat it over and over again…

But what does that actually mean?

Efficiency is one of my favorite topics when it comes to anything arboriculture. As a climber, efficiency is extremely important in regards to our physiology as athletes. As climbers and operators in the field, we should have a clear understanding of our aerobic function and how critical it is to not only our durability and longevity in the field, but also our efficiency. When we improve our aerobic system as climbers and industrial athletes, we can produce more output (production) for the same amount of effort. That aerobic improvement comes from directly slowing down our endurance training/work to operate within our maximum aerobic heart rate. By training and working within this slower, more comfortable HR zone, we’re setting up our bodies for less stress and longer careers.

There are two important things I’d like to discuss for exploring this topic.

One is to establish what exactly your maximum aerobic heart rate is. As defined in Primal Endurance, “maximum aerobic heart rate is the point where maximum aerobic benefits occur with minimum amount of anaerobic stimulation,” (Sisson/Kearns, 34). Dr. Phil Maffetone’s general formula for establishing your maximum aerobic hear rate is this: 180 – your age. There are several adjustment factors, like illness, injury and training progression that change that number slightly, but for this discussion I’d like to keep it basic.

The second thing we need to explore is the Maximum Aerobic Function test, otherwise know as an MAF test (Sisson/Kearns, 36). This test, at least from my perspective, translates in a really great way to tree climbing operations, and ground operations as well, and how we look at preparing for them physically and becoming more efficient at them physiologically.

The test can be done through a number of different tree climbing challenges, as long as it’s a fixed circuit: from an ascent to a multiple-bell work climb event. You could probably even load up the arb trolley with a few lumps of Ash and make a course in the driveway. The possibilities are endless. What you’ll also need is a heart rate monitor, a timer and something to write with.

For exemplary purposes, let’s use the situation of a 60′ ascent. Here’s how you would perform the MAF test: set up your ascent and run the station so that you do not exceed your maximum aerobic heart rate. Time the ascent. Do it several times and record each time after you ascend. This is your MAF test, which is a sub-max performance test (Sisson/Kearns, 36) because you remain in the aerobic heart rate zone without breaking the anaerobic threshold. (Hint: This could be a great reason to throw a recreational tree climb with your pals!) It’s not an all out sprint, but rather, a comfortable pace to train at and record metrics. It encourages technique and focus, without the daunting shadow of lasting physical taxation.

Developing the aerobic system specifically is critical to endurance performance on several levels. “The energy to produce an hour-long all-out effort comes 98 percent from the aerobic system. Even a two-hour race is 99 percent aerobic-not to mention anything longer than that…Clearly, all endurance events are sub-max efforts. Ironman winners, for example, usually race around 70 percent of their max efforts; marathoners around 85 percent. So developing the sub-max mechanism-improving your MAF test results-is vital to performance success,” (Sisson/Kearns, 37).

But what are the physiological benefits of training at a slower pace?

Sports cardiologist James O’Keefe says that “the fitness patterns for conferring longevity and robust lifelong cardiovascular health are distinctly different from the patterns that develop peak performance and marathon or superhuman endurance. Extreme endurance training and racing can take a toll on your longterm cardiovascular health. For the daily workout, it may be best to have more fun and endure less suffering in order to attain ideal heart health” (Sisson, 28).

For closely observing aerobic stimulation on the job site, a heart rate monitor does have it’s place if you want to see an improvement on MAF test results. That’s because our basic intuition of what we think we’re operating at could be way off. I’m not trying to make that case for causing a distraction in terms of losing focus of safety on a job site. There is certainly a time and place for everything. But if you have a future objective on your personal radar of aerobic improvement, it’s worth analyzing the aerobic system through intense monitoring. With a heart rate monitor, you will be able to see and monitor very accurately that you are not exceeding the maximum aerobic rate. This is important because of how critical it is to develop and strengthen the aerobic system over time. And of course, big improvements take exactly that: time.

By training and operating within the maximum aerobic heart rate, and of course by properly supporting our body with fuel and rest, MAF test results will eventually improve over time and with the right patience. This is a win on the basic level of the physical efficiency for the industrial athlete in the field, both now and for the future. Stronger aerobic performance over time allows us to physically do more through the same effort. Aerobic strength therefore increases the efficiency of the tree climber aloft; and coupled with wisdom and a respect for safety this efficiency looks effortless.

In other words, slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.