Last week the Lazy H Barn was the star of its own film. A big part of launching the Rock Prodigy Training Center is creating a few short videos about the board (describing the key features of the board, how to install it, and how to use it), and Trango decided to use the Lazy…
My training philosophy emphasizes finger strength training above all else. For a number of mostly obvious reasons, I’m convinced that finger strength is the single most important physical factor (as opposed to mental or technical factors) in rock climbing. That said, there are other elements of physical strength that are relevant, and worth training, if…
The initial production run of the Rock Pordigy Training Center was completed last week! Here’s a picture courtesy of my friends at Trango. At this point the actual product is ready for sale, but we’re still finalizing the packaging. We’ve written instructions for installation and put together instructions for an intermediate workout that will be…
Almost like clockwork, every year I find myself struggling to hangboard through the month of August, seemingly the hottest month of the year. In order to be fit in time for prime Fall sending conditions, most of us will need to do some form of training in late summer, when conditions are far from ideal. …
It’s been a nice long summer and as usual I’ve been neglecting my blog. I have some good excuses this time around though. I’ve been really busy the last six months or so working on three exciting projects (well, two really). The first one came to fruition on June 28th, when my second child, Amelie…
I’m heading out to Smith Rock in a few days for a two-week trip. The climbing at Smith is extremely thin and technical — and difficult to prepare for. I believe strongly in taining and I generally feel that using indoor tools is superior to “just climbing” outside (for building strength, power, and endurance). That…
When I built my gym in the Lazy H, I never really put much thought into the angles of the walls. I mocked it up with the joists and basically just eye-balled it. Almost immediately it became clear that my campus board wasn’t quite as steep as it should be, and this has been an…
In late 2009, my friend Ben Schmitt bolted a typical-looking Shelf Road face climb at Cactus Cliff. The line climbs a beautiful white wall of limestone, featuring a brutally hard 5-or-so-move crux right in the middle of the wall. When Ben put the hardware in, I was just finishing off the last of Shelf’s (existing)…
Yesterday afternoon I set a new personal best on the Lazy H campus board. I did a max ladder of 1-8-15 (metolius spacing; 4″ o.c.). I realize this is not a super amazing feat, and has been bettered by countless climbers, but its a landmark for me because my board (and therefore my imagination) only has…
This is part 3 in a three-part series on Campus Training. If you haven’t read Part 1 and Part 2, please do. This training is for the thoroughly healthy. If you have any nagging injuries, particularly finger, elbow or shoulder injuries, DO NOT DO THIS! There are many different ways to use a campus board;…
The Rock Climber's Training Manual 