Motivation and Tactics
Watch: Specific Trip Prep
Tags: climbing, climbing trip, in-depth video, Planning, preparation, Steve Bechtel, Tactics
All too often we train extensively for a climbing trip to a new area, have big plans for performing at a high level, and then fall short of our goals. Where do we go wrong in our preparation for these trips? In this video Steve lays out a framework to train in a way that…
Watch: Tension Techniques
Tags: Body Tension, Charlie Manganiello, climbing, in-depth video, Planning, Strength, Tactics, tension
Tension is King. In climbing or strength training the ability to generate tension is critical to perform hard movements or lifts, and avoid injury. Everyone generates tension naturally to some degree while performing difficult movements, but many fail to correctly engage all of the muscles they could through intentional practice. In this video Charlie will…
Watch: Integrated Strength
Tags: climbing, in-depth video, Planning, Program Design, Programming, Recovery, Recovery Weeks, Steve Bechtel, Strength, Tactics
Everything about training for climbing is complicated. It is an exercise in compromise – focus on power and you lose endurance, too much time getting your fingers strong, and your redpoint grade drops. Over the years, there have been many creative solutions proposed to solve this problem. Many programs are more or less stolen from…
Partnership
Tags: climbing, Fitness, Micah Elconin, Practice, Tactics
By Micah Elconin Whether you like it or not, climbing is generally a social activity. Someone has to hold the other end of the rope for those redpoint attempts and my guess is you’d rather have a few extra pads and a spot when topping out that high boulder problem. Finding a climbing partner can…
Watch: Goal Setting Part 2
Tags: climbing, in-depth video, Planning, Program Design, Programming, Recovery, Recovery Weeks, Steve Bechtel, Strength, Tactics
The majority of climbers have goals, but not many have a framework that will lay out a path to succeed at ambitious, long-term objectives – even though almost all of us have them! In this video Alex discusses how to structure your goal setting so you have have a clear pathway to your short term,…
Watch: Goal Setting Part 1
Tags: climbing, in-depth video, Planning, Program Design, Programming, Recovery, Recovery Weeks, Steve Bechtel, Strength, Tactics
The majority of climbers have goals, but not many have a framework that will lay out a path to succeed at ambitious, long-term objectives – even though almost all of us have them! In this video Alex discusses how to structure your goal setting so you have have a clear pathway to your short term,…
Watch: Foundational Mental Skills Part 2
Tags: climbing, in-depth video, Planning, Program Design, Programming, Recovery, Recovery Weeks, Steve Bechtel, Strength, Tactics
Training of mental skills is often overlooked by climbers but they are incredibly important to unlock an athletes full potential, along with cultivating a healthy relationship with your climbing. In this video Alex discusses the final two principles of Foundational Mental Skills: Productive Thinking and Self Confidence. Click here to watch Part 1. Want To…
Watch: Foundational Mental Skills Part 1
Tags: climbing, in-depth video, Planning, Program Design, Programming, Recovery, Recovery Weeks, Steve Bechtel, Strength, Tactics
Training of mental skills is often overlooked by climbers but they are incredibly important to unlock an athletes full potential, along with cultivating a healthy relationship with your climbing. In this video Alex discusses the first two principles of Foundational Mental Skills: Motivation + Drive and Self Awareness. Part 2 will address Productive Thinking and…
Resting on Routes
Tags: Chrissy Vadovszki, climbing, Endurance, Recovery, rest
By Chrissy Vadovszki As a climber transitions into more challenging sport or trad climbs, the need for better habits and tactics around optimal resting on routes arises. These thoughts and ideas can be applied to longer boulders (not to exclude the pebble wrestlers among us), as well as onsighting or flashing climbs. However, we will…
Becoming the Practitioner
Tags: climbing, Fitness, Micah Elconin, Practice, Tactics
By Micah Elconin “What is the difference between practicing and being a practitioner?” Ido Portal poses this question in a recent blog posted to his youtube channel. Ido teaches a system of physical training that he calls “movement culture.” His methods pull from a variety of sources integrating the martial arts, yoga, dance, strength training,…
Active Recovery
Tags: climbing, in-depth video, Planning, Program Design, Programming, Recovery, Recovery Weeks, Steve Bechtel, Strength, Tactics
Sleep and nutrition play the biggest roles in recovering from training or hard climbing, but there are other variables you can leverage to recover more efficiently on a short or long term basis. In this video Steve discusses tools for recovery in between redpoint efforts, on your rest days, and on a larger scale within…
Applying Training Principles to Specific Exercises
Tags: climbing, in-depth video, Planning, Program Design, Programming, Steve Bechtel, Strength, Tactics
Knowing how to apply your training principles to specific exercises is important to see success in your training for climbing. We often see climbers oversimplify a movement and try to simulate it in the weight room – and then wonder why it has such a limited effect. In this video Steve discusses 2 exercises that…