Motivation and Tactics

BLOG: Hold Fast

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  By Steve Bechtel   “How strong is strong enough?” We train strength in the gym to improve performance outside, but it’s indirect. What we’re really doing by getting stronger is reducing the chances of training-related injuries and increasing our capability to do physical work, both of which enable us to do more climbing when…

Watch: First Go With Jonathan Siegrist

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Jonathan Siegrist has spent a lot of time climbing in Wyoming over the years, but had never visited the iconic Strawberry Roan. First explored by Todd Skinner, this cliff is a stunning feature tucked back in the mountains above Lander. This last summer Jonathan paid the Cowboy State another visit, and after ticking off his…

Million Dollar Arms and a Five Cent Head

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  By Steve Bechtel   In every sport, it seems like there is a metric that ties in with great performance, and that athletes tend to fixate on. In endurance sports, it’s the VO2 Max, in golf it might be your drive. In climbing, it’s starting to be our straight-arm finger strength tested on a…

Watch: Progress Your Pull Up

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Pulling strength is a big focus for many climbers, but often we get stuck and its difficult to move the needle forward in our strength gains. In this video Steve shares 3 different ways to progress your pulling strength and break through plateaus. Find this information useful? Subscribe to support the channel. Subscribe to our…

Watch: Do Your First Pull Up

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The pull-up is a popular exercise for climbers and really for anyone looking to build upper body strength. It’s also a great standalone strength goal for anyone who can’t do one, or has lost the ability they previously had to do the pull-up. In this video Steve goes over the progression we use that has…

Better Than Last Year

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  By Steve Bechtel   Dan John once quipped, “The goal of aging should be to make the same mistakes over and over again less often.”  Although we are in the throes of redpoint season across much of North America and Europe, many of us are already assessing what we’re going to do to get…

Watch: Training While Traveling

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Climbers who are committed to consistent training often follow a pretty well structured pattern in their training habits. But what do you do when you are not able to access your normal facility and training tools? Many climbers find it really stressful when their routine gets thrown off, and they are worried that they will…

BLOG: Why is Improving So Hard

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  By Steve Bechtel   Most of us either over-think our preparation for the sport or we don’t think about it enough. Far too often, we end up in the mindset of accepting limits, and decide that this must be our level. Why? Because we have plucked what seems like all the lowest-hanging fruit. Let…

Watch: Core Training

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Core work is more than just making your abs tired. Here’s the thing I see a lot of: Climber swings up the wall between jugs, shaking out at the biggest ones and breathing hard; finally gets to rest stance and the whole body goes slack. Hangs on arms to “rest” but is actually increasing the…

BLOG: The First Step Off A Peak Is Down

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  By Steve Bechtel   I have a stack of notecards in the pack I carry to work every day. On them, I have written some ideas about training for climbing that I think are essential and largely ignored by climbers. I’ve made my career by talking to advanced climbers about advanced concepts, and I…

Watch: The Strength Continuum

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Strength training for rock climbers is often misunderstood. There is lots of confusion around how heavy to lift, how regularly, and how it actually applies to our climbing. In this video Steve dives into the spectrum of different exercises we can program in our strength training, and in what season they might hold the most…

Why and How We Train the Core

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By Steve Bechtel   It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of “abs” in a workout, but I’m not a fan of not having a strong midsection, either. Confused? Me too. The core musculature can, and should, include about anything that is attached to the hips.  We include: The rectus abdominis The transversus abdominis…

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