A SavATree climber in action. All photos and graphics courtesy of Sarah Cusack.

Tree climbing is, by every physiological measure, an endurance sport. The average heart rate of an arborist working in the canopy hovers around 160 beats per minute – nearly identical to that of a marathon runner mid-race. The critical difference is that marathon runners train to sustain a pace for four to five hours, while arborists need to work sustainably for 40 years.

Our bodies don’t distinguish between a workday and a race day. They simply know we’re exercising and pushing the limits of our cardiovascular systems. This is the premise behind the “industrial athlete” – a framework that applies the preparation, fueling and recovery principles of endurance sports to physically demanding work. Drawing from that research, here are six areas of focus that can dramatically extend both performance and career longevity for arborists.

1. Tools & techniques

No elite runner at the finish line of a major marathon is wearing outdated footwear. Carbon-plated shoes that return energy with every stride are the price of entry to be truly competitive. The same philosophy applies to our industry. Modern ascent devices, harnesses that allow for ergonomic positioning, friction savers and headset communication systems are no longer luxuries – they’re critical investments that quickly offset their upfront cost through energy savings and longevity gains.

Research published by Dr. John Ball in his 2013 paper Arborists as Athletes: Energy Expenditures quantified this directly and emphasizes the benefits of using modern climbing techniques. Climbers using Single Rope Technique (SRT) instead of older ascent methods demonstrated significantly reduced heart rates and lower oxygen consumption, amounting to a 20% energy savings across the workday. Over the course of a decades-long career, that efficiency compounds dramatically.

2. Hydration

Hydration is often treated as a seasonal concern, addressed in heat-illness prevention plans in the summer, then forgotten. Chronic, low-level dehydration is actually a year-round performance and safety issue that is frequently misattributed to general fatigue.

Even mild dehydration- as little as 2% of body weight lost, which is common over the course of a workday,- can reduce physical capacity by 10-20% and meaningfully impair cognitive function. Hazard recognition, focus, situational awareness, and reaction time all decline in this state. The next time an incident report cites “lack of situational awareness,” consider whether the real root cause was how much water the crew drank before 8 a.m.

For active outdoor workers, daily water needs are substantial: roughly 2.5 standard – 16 to 20 fluid ounces – water bottles at sedentary baseline, plus approximately six more during an eight-hour workday to account for sweat loss, plus two more for recovery afterward. Electrolytes – sodium, potassium and magnesium – are equally critical, with a target replacement rate of one electrolyte drink or packet for every two to three hours of active work.

3. Nutrition

Endurance athletes often say that ultra marathons are really “eating competitions” – whoever can consume the most calories during the sustained effort wins. Arborists face the same physiological challenge, spread across decades instead of a single day. For those doing demanding physical work, macronutrient ratios are critical. Target these ratios for your daily caloric intake:

• 50-60% carbohydrates for sustained energy and cognitive function.
• 15-25% protein for muscle repair.
• 20-30% healthy fats for joint protection and hormonal balance.

Protein quality deserves specific attention, given the muscular tissue damage that needs to be repaired daily. Proteins act as the raw building materials for muscle- like lumber and bricks on a construction site. An amino acid called leucine, when consumed at a rate of 2.5g per meal, works like a foreman: it tells your body to actually start construction. Without sufficient leucine, the materials just sit idle- which is why protein source matters just as much as macronutrient ratios.

4. Cross training

For arborists interested in increasing physiological capacity outside of work, some types of cross training offer more benefits than others. It might seem intuitive that doing more of the same type of physical work (climbing, bodyweight plyometrics, steady-state exertion) would be the best training. The science says otherwise; there are diminishing returns to steady-state effort, and introducing different physical stimuli creates far better adaptation. Three types of cross training offer the most benefit:

• VO2 Max training: Raise your heart rate into Zone 5 in short bursts (sprints). This lowers your resting and steady-state heart rate.
• Strength training: Lift heavy, eight to 12 reps per set, focusing on the upper legs, shoulders and forearms. This increases muscular capacity and reduces the potential for injury.
• Core and mobility training: Stretching (while warm), yoga and Pilates. These increase your range of motion and stability, reducing the potential for injury.

Also critical: replace cold static stretching with a dynamic warm-up that includes swinging, hinging, and light cardio movements. The key is to keep your body in motion rather than holding a stretch. Do this immediately before climbing (not at the shop before a long drive to the job site) for an immediate reduction in injury potential.

5. Recovery

Many of us are familiar with the key tenets of recovery: getting enough sleep, eating right, hydrating and taking rest days. But why is recovery so critical for athletes? Consider this: physical adaptation to stress doesn’t happen during the hard effort – it happens after it, during the recovery phase. Muscle growth and repair, gains in cardiovascular fitness and joint strength improvements are physiologically impossible without rest.

In the endurance world, there’s a well-known saying: “There is no such thing as overtraining, only under-recovery.” Signs of chronic under-recovery in arborists- grip weakness, persistent soreness, mood changes, poor focus, increased error rates- are often attributed to stress or external distractions. In reality, they may simply be signals that the recovery side of the adaptation cycle has been neglected.

6. Mindset

Cusack running the San Francisco Marathon.

Elite athletes hire sports psychologists for the same reason they hire coaches: the brain is trainable. Research at the intersection of neuroscience and endurance athletics has identified a region of the brain called the “anterior cingulate cortex,” which is responsible for focus, attention, error detection, emotional regulation and pain tolerance. This region grows stronger with repeated, controlled exposure to discomfort (like a tough workout or a mentally challenging work project).

For arborists, cognitive endurance is as critical as physical endurance. “Lack of situational awareness” is among the most-cited root causes in safety incident reports – but it can be trained. Four sports psychology tools translate directly to arborist work:

• Pretask visualization: Before a complex removal or difficult conversation, mentally rehearse it in detail, with the outcome you want.
• Cognitive pacing: Break the workday into 20-minute increments and focus only on the task at hand – in other words, run the mile you’re in.
• Mantras: Short, repeatable phrases (“Slow is smooth, smooth is fast” and “Love the grind”) can anchor focus when conditions get demanding.
• Purpose statements: Reconnect regularly with why you chose this work. Intrinsic motivation sustains effort and resilience over a long career.

Conclusion

Rethinking how we work.

Arborists are athletes. Our bodies deserve and require the same intentional care that recreational runners give theirs. If you’re not sure where to start, choose one area above to improve and let that success build momentum toward the rest. A long, healthy career in tree care is not a matter of luck. Like most other goals we set in our daily work, it is a matter of preparation.

Sarah Cusack, ISA Certified Arborist, CTSP, is the director of learning & development at SavATree. Cusack is an ultra-endurance runner and is passionate about sharing insights from sports-science research with the tree care industry.