Training
Maybe We’re Approaching Power Wrong
Tags: Bouldering, Campus Board, Power, Steve Bechtel, Strength
By Steve Bechtel It might be semantics, but it might also be a trap. When we throw around the terms we use in training for climbing, the word “power” gets used a lot. The problem is that although power is a performance metric, we struggle to build training that directly addresses it. Thus, when we…
Build Big Endurance With 3:2 Intervals
Tags: aerobic endurance, aerobic power, capacity, Circuits, climbing, Power Endurance, Steve Bechtel, Strength
By Steve Bechtel If you have been training for climbing very long, you’ve probably come across the idea of doing some kind of interval in order to help improve your endurance. Even a person that is totally focused on bouldering is going to need to tap into their ability to endure longer durations of power…
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,…
Sixteen: An Odyssey Into Endurance
Tags: aerobic endurance, aerobic power, capacity, Circuits, climbing, Power Endurance, Steve Bechtel, Strength
By Steve Bechtel Training sessions have a way of being sneaky when we look at them on paper. We look at something like “5×5 at 80%” and it doesn’t seem all that hard. Nor does “4 pitches at 2nd tier.” Nor does “Do five pull-ups. Add two per day for 30 days.” Much like the…
Doing > Talking
Tags: climbing training, execution, Strength, Ty Vineyard
by Ty Vineyard Take inventory of where you are now. This takes a lot of discipline and humility. The amount of accountability required to express true capability without excuses is carried out by few. Be realistic, do not overextend yourself for the sake of appearing more capable than you are. We see it at both…
When Climbing Feels Out of Reach
Tags: climbing training, mental preparation, Phil Sabado, Strength
by Philip Sabado The end of 2019 was a year of great climbing for me. I felt gains in my training with Climb Strong and I was breaking through a long plateau. But when the pandemic hit, all hell broke loose, which forced every single climber to adjust their climbing and training. I grew frustrated…
A Cause to Visualize
Tags: Alex Bridgewater, Performance, Planning, Visualization
“I visualized all the moves the night before. It’s about 400 Moves In total. You have to keep all of that in your mind, add endless footholds. It was no surprise that I didn’t sleep that well that night. I was nervous and certainly felt some pressure.” – Babsi Zangerl The use of visualization…
Periodization – Planning a Realistic Year of Training
Tags: climbing, in-depth video, Planning, Program Design, Programming, Steve Bechtel, Tactics, Training Plans
There is a BIG difference between exercising and training. Exercising is fine, but if you want to see progress as an athlete, training is what you are looking for. Don’t confuse random exercise with training. Proper training involves a plan with progressive overload, leading to new levels of strength and fitness over time. Periodization is…
Velocity Loss Training
Tags: climbing training, Jacob Carr, Planning, Strength, Velocity, Velocity loss training
by Jacob Carr Strength training takes time and effort. And when training pure strength, it can be taxing on the nervous system. What if there was a way to decrease your feelings of fatigue and increase your training efficiency? New research has come out that describes a way to do just that. By paying attention…
Mental/Physical/Technical Framework
Tags: climbing, in-depth video, Planning, Program Design, Programming, Steve Bechtel, Tactics, Training Plans
In this video Steve discusses the Mental/Physical/Technical framework Climb Strong follows. This will be particularly useful for individuals who coach climbers, but any climber interested in progressing their ability will find benefit in this framework. The Mental, Physical, and Technical aspects of rock climbing are all highly important to climbers trying to perform at their…
Atomic (Climbing) Habits
Tags: Habits, Performance, Planning, Ty Mack
By Ty Mack The year I turned 40 I finally learned how to read. Actually that’s a bit misleading, as I have been devouring all sorts of fiction ever since primary school: classics, crime novels, sci-fi, you name it. But non-fiction nearly always left me cold. Sure, I slogged through plenty of it out…