I permanently installed my Rock Prodigy Training Center last week, and I’ve done my first few hangboard workouts of the new season. To install the RPTC, I took a bunch of measurements of my old, sprawling setup, and used those figures to optimize the spacing of the RPTC. In the end I settled on 4.5″…
The Rock Prodigy Training Center is now available for purchase from Trango’s website! The initial manufacturing run produced a modest number of units, so order right away if you want to be the first climber on your block to have one. This ground-breaking hangboard was designed by me, with help from my brother Mike and Lamont…
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…
This question comes up quite a bit, along with the more specific, ‘when should I start hangboarding?’ Obviously this is a personal decision, and for many climbers (perhaps the vast majority) the answer is ‘never’. For that reason it makes sense to start with the question, why train at all? A few reasons can be…
I’m a strong proponent of hangboarding for increasing finger strength for rock climbing. I’ve tried many different methods, and IME, hangboarding is the most effective. For basic instructions on how to go about hangboarding, check out “The Making of a Rockprodigy”, a training plan my brother Mike & I developed many years ago. I get…
Intensity is simply a matter of how much effort you put into a given training activity. In other words, how “hard” you are trying. You may already be performing the perfect training activity, but if the intensity is wrong, you won’t get the proper results. After observing many climbers in their natural habitat its clear…
The Rock Climber's Training Manual 