Planning Articles
Climbing is Suffering
Tags: Chrissy Vadovszki, climbing, mental preparation, mindset
By Chrissy Vadovszki The First Noble Truth in Buddhism states that there is suffering. Life is impermanent and fragile. Nothing will last. We will lose it all. We care about and grasp onto much of what will ultimately change. In addition, life and climbing are full of injury, aging, sickness, losing loved ones and death….
Mettle, Steve’s New Book, Launches April 15th
Tags: mettle, new book, Steve Bechtel
METTLE is a collection of articles, essays, and stories of the training process. A climbing coach for over 25 years, Steve Bechtel started writing about training and performance as a way to organize his thoughts around the craft of climbing. In 2007, he launched Climb Strong as a blog, which then grew into a source…
Tactical Periodization
Tags: Periodization, Planning, Recovery, Tactical Periodization
by Steve Bechtel The first time I worked out, I was amazed at how hard repeating a specific move over and over again could feel. I had been in PE class and had played around with other kids my whole life, but when I joined the football team in fifth grade was the first time…
“Quick Questions” and Not-So-Simple Answers
Tags: Hangboard, logical progression, nonlinear, Power Endurance, Q+A
Q: Hey Steve, I just finished listening to your podcast interview (1) and I had a quick question (2) about the workouts in Logical Progression (3). It sounds like the program doesn’t have very much hangboarding (4) and I feel like this is really an important workout for me (5). Then you said something about…
“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…
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…
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…
Skills and Cues in the Gym
Tags: cues, optimizing training, Skills, tension
by Steve Bechtel We prescribe training. We write down a list of exercises, hand them off to climbers, and the climbers go off to the gym and follow the instructions. Some of them come back and are pleased, some are underwhelmed. Some of them get great results, and some stay flat. It’s not necessarily that…
What Does it Mean to Hire a Coach?
Tags: coaching, Planning, Program Design
By Steve Bechtel – I never wanted to be a coach, I only wanted to be better. I wanted so badly to get rid of the fat around my middle and get past the feeling of not being able to hold on any longer, that as a high school student I read every book I…
Pendulum Plans
Tags: Planning, Programming, the pendulum principle
By Steve Bechtel Program design is complex. Figuring out how to arrive at the weekend fresh for climbing is tough enough, let alone building a high peak for a trip or competition. For years, climbers have tested out different versions of periodized programs, mostly stolen from track and field or weightlifting. In typical periodized plans,…