- Andrew Hunzicker on Vicious Fish (5.13d), Smith Rock, OR. © Mike Anderson
The hardest thing is to start training; training itself is easier.
– Iker Pou
Training topics include….
RCTM.com Articles related to Training:
- Training Efficiently I think if people realized how little I train (and climb) they would be shocked. I often joke with my wife that I should be quarranteened in a plastic bubble and studied by teams of cruel government scientists (ala E.T.). There is certainly a trend among top climbers to perform massive quantities of training (like, 6+ hours per day, 5 or 6 days per week). That’s not me. First of all, I don’t have that much time, between work and my family. Second (and foremost), I truly believe “less is more” when it comes to climbing training. Even if I had more time to train, I would probably spend much of that time resting anyway. Read more…
- Beating the Heat – Tips on TrainingThrough Summer Temps 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. Some might wonder, why does it matter how warm it is, after all, its only training. The primary reason is that training in warm environs can trash your skin. Nobody wants to start a climbing season with a skin deficit, and in-attention to skin whilst training is a sure way to do just that. Read more…
- On A Mission 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 said, indoor training is far from ideal for developing or polishing technique. For highly technique-dependent climbing, like that at Smith, some amount of outdoor skill practice is essential. Outdoor training can also help prepare your finger skin if its done wisely (in moderation). Read more…
- Smarter, Not Harder Generally speaking, its a good idea to try hard, but what does that really mean? Many years ago my brother Mike had a chance to spend some time with Tommy Caldwell, so Mike asked him what he does to train for climbing, in hopes that they would discuss proper set lengths, number of repetitions, etc. Tommy’s response was, “just try really hard, all the time”. End of discussion. I’ve always thought this was interesting advice to give to a total stranger and it brings to mind a classic legend. An aspiring climber hired a local wunderkind to “coach” him. The coaching session consisted of aforementioned wunderkind yelling “pull harder” throughout the session, right up to the point of catastrophic tendon rupture in the client. Read more…
- When to Start Training for Climbing 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 found here. I’m going to assume that if you are reading this blog you have at least some interest in training (or you are cyber-stalking me, in which case I live in Iowa with my many shotguns and doberman pinschers). Read more…
- Training Intensity 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 prefect 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 that intensity levels vary greatly between climbers. Unlike pure aerobic sports (where a good heart rate monitor or power meter can do the trick), intensity in climbing is difficult to quantify, which makes it very difficult to prescribe. It also makes it very hard to get accurate feedback as to whether the proper intensity has been applied. Read more…
- What’s Right For You? John Steinbeck (author of The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, East of Eden, and many others) has long been one of my favorite authors. His novels paint a vivid picture of the human condition, and in my experience, provide plenty of cunning insight about the way people behave. Hands down my favorite Steinbeck quote is this line from The Winter of Our Discontent: “No one wants advice, only corroboration.” Nowhere is this more true than in the sphere of training advice, and climbers are certainly not exempt from this pitfall. Read more…
- Training at the Crag Nothing beats bouldering if you want to build power while climbing on real rock. Smith has some bouldering, but it tends to be pretty miserable due to the freakishly sharp stone. As a great compromise, I would highly recommend “roped bouldering”. In many ways this can be even more effective than real bouldering, as usually the fall consequence is less serious. The flip side is that it works best with a dedicated partner (although it can be done solo with a rope soloing device and much gear fiddling). Read more…
- What I Know About Training When I started climbing, I was pretty much a regular bumbly. I went through season after season of little to no improvement, without really understanding why. Every time I flirted with a breakthrough I wound up injured and right back where I started. I assumed that all those people climbing 5.12 or harder were simply genetically gifted, born with elite finger strength. I was a pretty decent athlete. I wrestled in high school, and made it to the Quarterfinals of the State Tournament my senior year, so I had a decent amount of upper body strength, good body control and balance. I ran cross country and track in college. I knew how to work hard, and how to follow a training program. Yet when it came to climbing, my ceiling appeared to be mid-5.11. Read more…
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The Rock Climber's Training Manual 