Always Ready vs MTNTOUGH+: which mountain-ready training fits you?

Short answer: MTNTOUGH+ is a large program library built for backcountry hunters, military, and first responders, with mental toughness training included, for $29.99 a month or $239.99 a year after a 14-day free trial. Always Ready is one program that two coaches write every week for adults 35+, with three strength days, two interval sessions, and one easy session, plus coaches you can ask, for $49 a month after a 7-day free trial. If you're getting ready for hunting season or a tactical selection, MTNTOUGH+ is built for that. If you want to stay ready for hikes, trips, and everyday life all year, with a coach who answers, Always Ready fits better.

Two ways to get ready for the mountains

MTNTOUGH Fitness Lab builds programs for people whose job or passion puts them in hard terrain. A membership opens more than 60 programs for the gym, home, or bodyweight, plus daily workouts and monthly challenges. There are heavy pack and sandbag programs, kettlebell programs, a full-gym strength program, and seasonal plans for hunters, including a preseason program for hunters 50 and over. Mental toughness, nutrition, mobility flows, and prehab content are part of the same membership. You pick a program, follow it, and talk with other members and trainers in the community.

Always Ready is narrower. We write one program each week, and everyone trains the same week. It's built for adults 35+ who want to stay capable for whatever comes up, from a day on the trail to carrying a suitcase up three flights of stairs. You don't choose a program. You open the app, the week is planned, and you can ask us about any of it.

Always Ready vs MTNTOUGH+ at a glance

MTNTOUGH+ prices and terms are from mtntough.com, checked October 2, 2026.

How the 3-2-1 week builds mountain fitness

Most mountain days ask for two things at once: legs and lungs that last for hours, and enough strength to carry a pack, step down steep ground, and stay steady when you're tired. The 3-2-1 week trains both.

• 3 strength workouts, 45-60 minutes each, build the strength you need to carry a pack and handle steep descents. They progress in blocks through the year.
• 2 interval sessions, one 45-minute and one shorter, harder 30-minute session, raise your fitness ceiling so climbs feel easier.
• 1 long, easy effort, like a hike, a long walk, or a ride, builds the aerobic base you live on during a long day out. We leave it off the app schedule so you can do it outside, on your terms.

Because the week repeats all year, you don't have to start from zero when a trip comes up. That's what we mean by always ready.

Who should pick MTNTOUGH+ instead

• You hunt in the backcountry and want a season-specific plan with pack and sandbag work.
• You're preparing for a military, fire, or law enforcement fitness standard.
• You want mental toughness and mindset training in the same app.
• You want the lowest price and lots of programs to choose from.
• You want to stream workouts on a TV or download them for a trip with no signal.

Choose Always Ready if

• You're 35 or older, you've lifted before, and you want one program decided for you each week.
• You want strength and conditioning balanced for everyday life and adventures, not a single season.
• You want a coach to look at your form and answer your questions.
• You train with dumbbells at home, in a gym, or both.

Training for one big objective, like the Tour du Mont Blanc, a long trail race, or a summit? A shared program isn't the right tool for a specific date. That's our Custom Coaching, where we build the plan around your trip, usually three to six training days a week and sometimes two. Pricing is set after a free strategy session, so apply and talk to us.

Who's writing your training

We're Mackie and Juliet Root, a married couple who coach together from Boulder, Colorado. We've been coaching since 2010, and each of us brings more than 20 years of strength and conditioning experience. Juliet co-owned and ran gyms in Philadelphia for more than a decade, where Mackie coached too. We still teach cycling and strength classes in person in Boulder. We run ultras, and we've hiked the Tour du Mont Blanc and the Alta Via 1 in the Dolomites. We've prepared clients for the Tour du Mont Blanc, for the strength and conditioning an Italian mountain guide certification asks for, and a client who lives at sea level for the summit of Kilimanjaro.

Comparing more options? See the best online coaching for adults 35+, Always Ready vs Future, and Always Ready vs Functional Bodybuilding.