Programming
Alactic Interval Training – Progression and Transition
Tags: alactic intervals, Intervals, Power Endurance, short intervals
by Steve Bechtel This article is not so much an introduction to short interval training, but a “what to do next” article when you’re already implementing alactic intervals. Alactic intervals are designed to train your highest power system and teach your body to recover quickly from maximal efforts. These sessions also seek to increase the…
“Rolling Focus” Strength Sessions
Tags: Circuits, Strength, Weight Training
by Steve Bechtel One of the most exciting times for me as an athlete was way back in college, training in the weight room. There were always new exercises to learn and it seemed like I got stronger pretty quickly. This is especially true when compared to my training these days, where is is weeks…
Should I Train Today?
Tags: daily training, easy, Planning, Recovery, Training
by Steve Bechtel Well, the obvious answer is, “yes,” but that would make a short article. Let’s go deeper. You love climbing and you desperately want to do it better. Your tendency is to go hard every session because somehow you think that you could give just a little more and something magical will happen…
Three Things I Wish I Would Have Been Told During My First Few Years of Climbing
Tags: Carly Cain, comparison, effort, lessons
by Carly Cain, Performance Climbing Coach, NASM, AMGA RGA 1. Your Climbing Doesn’t Matter Well, it does matter, but not to anyone but you. All of you out there reading this while shaking your head saying, ‘But my partner cares,’ well, you’re wrong. They do not care like you care. No one…
Not Dark Yet
Tags: Aging, Bouldering Training, General Training, integrated strength, Mobility, Steve Bechtel
by Steve Bechtel There is a certain profundity to aging that gnaws at us, and the bites seem to get bigger at the decade marks. Twenty meant moving forward, freedom, and driving my own life. Thirty felt like I should have already sorted out most of the stuff I was working hard to sort out,…
The Gift of Isolation
Tags: bodyweight, COVID-19, Finger Strength, home training
by Steve Bechtel In the spring of 2020 disaster struck the climbing gym industry when COVID-19 swept across the globe. Almost all gyms closed or at the very least had to restrict access. Although some could stay open, most operated at a huge loss. Even with government grants and loan assistance, the gym scene…
Fundamentals of Energy Expenditure
Tags: energy expenditure, Nutrition, Taylor Carr
Taylor Carr, MS Sports Nutrition, MS Strength and Conditioning Energy is something I never seem to have enough of. After I rush to work each morning, I spend 8 hours pushing others to get stronger. Then I come home to make dinner with little motivation. And where does that leave me for my evening training…
Lessons: 2020
Tags: lessons, Steve Bechtel
by Steve Bechtel As the year wraps up and I have time to look back on all that happened in the previous 12 months, I find looking for lessons useful. None of us would say that 2020 was unmemorable, but I feel that despite the difficulty of the year, there were valuable experiences that can…
Are We Assessing the Right Things?
Tags: Assessment, ken klein, testing
by Ken Klein, NASM, PCC This past August we were winding down the Climb Strong training camp in Lander, WY and Steve Bechtel said something that really stuck with me. A participant asked about assessments and Steve replied that if we piled all of our physical assessment numbers together we probably wouldn’t be able…
Controlled Intensity
Tags:
By Jacob Carr – NSCA CPT, MS Strength and Conditioning, MS Sports Nutrition When you workout or climb do you always go for that next grade? Do you always try and get that extra rep? That probably means you have grit, determination, and goals to progress. These are great qualities to have, especially as…