Programming
More On Periodization
Tags: Bompa, Charlie Francis, Periodization, Planning, Program Design
By Steve Bechtel I remember the first time I learned about classical periodization plans. The whole idea of planning out my training according to easily defined phases which would lead to spectacular results appealed to the eternally plateaued climber in me much the way x-ray specs appealed to me as a nine-year-old. I tried a…
Less is More – One Reason Your Training Plan is Failing
Tags: Focus, Programming, Simplifying Training, Tactics
By Steve Bechtel Some people train so that they can climb better. I am convinced, though, that some people train so that they can make up cool spreadsheets and obsess over numbers. They start to lose touch with the basic rules of training, and add, add, add more stuff until they don’t have any room…
Minimalist Training
Tags: Indoor Climbing, Minimal Training, Planning, Program Design, short workouts
By Steve Bechtel Minimalist training has been around in some form or other for years. And when I talk about minimalist training, I’m not just talking about doing jack shit and calling it good enough. I’m talking about doing the minimum necessary training to see continued progress. Undoubtedly, doing more of a particular thing works…
The Value of a Climbing Coach
Tags: bouldering coach, climbing coach, climbing trainer, coaching, hiring a coach
by Steve Bechtel Thirty years ago, almost none of us had coaches. I remember road tripping down to the front range for some competitions, and climbing against a young kid from Colorado Springs named Kevin Gonzales. He was good, younger than we were, and super strong. Most intimidating of all, though, was that he had…