Total Body Strength
Full Combination Strength
Tags: Explosiveness, Isometric, Power, Specific Strength
by Steve Bechtel Strength is fundamental to athletic performance. Many climbers get it, and they hit the weight room regularly. The problem with most weight training is that it only addresses one speed of movement, and most of us select bilateral exercises for most movements. By training in such a narrow path, we miss out…
Weight Training: What it is and is not.
Tags: Strength Training, Weight Training
As humans, we all tend to use categories and observations about groups of things to understand the world.Puppies are cute. Fruits are sweet. Scarpa shoes are awesome. Categories. It gets dangerous. Women are crazy. People with dark skin are dangerous. Liberals are weak. We learn through our culture, our parents, our schools that individual observation…
Advances in Core Training
Tags: abs, Core Strength, Specific Strength
This is not the first article on “core” training I have written, but I felt the need to expand on the previous ones and to highlight what we are doing in our current programs. In general, the way we look at training the midsection has not changed, but over the past couple of years we’ve…
Variations on Integrated Strength
Tags: Circuits, Finger Strength, Hangboard, integrated strength, Strength Training
We’ve been training strength for a long time. For years, I struggled with just how to fit all the hangboard training, general strength training, and supporting exercises in a normal climber’s week. Many of us try to get by without the extra work, opting to just go climbing instead. A look at the big picture,…
So You Started Lifting…Now What?
Tags: Progress, Strength Standards, Training, Weight Training
by Steve Bechtel Over the years, many climbers have started weight training at my urging, but it doesn’t take long before the questions start rolling in. So you started lifting, now what? How much? How heavy? How many exercises? It always depends on the athlete, but we keep coming back to a few guidelines. The…
Strength Session Design Part 2
Tags: Movement Preparation, Progress, Session Design, Strength Standards, Training, Weight Training
by Steve Bechtel I wrote my first article on strength session design a few years back, and I thought it might be useful to update that article with the changes we’ve made to our programs over the past few seasons. In general, climbers agree on the need for climbing – sport specific movement – to…
Pull-Up Progressions: The Rules
Tags: Progress, Pull-Ups, Strength Standards, Weight Training
by Steve Bechtel Sometimes, the simplest movements are the hardest to master. When we look at the value of particular resistance exercises, it’s hard to dispute that a very few movements can make or break a training plan. Working with just a squat, a deadlift, a push-up variant, and pull-ups, you can develop a life-long…
Introduction to System Board Training
Tags: Finger Strength, Rhythm, Specific Strength, System Training, Unilateral Training
By Steve Bechtel The System Board is simply a small climbing wall outfitted with regularly spaced matched pair of holds. Although anything from 2 pair to 10 pairs are common, most companies providing packages of these holds sell them in sets of 6-8. More critical than cool tiles, however, is to set them up with…
Pull-Ups Are a Waste of Time
Tags: Inverted Rows, Pull-Ups, Specificity, Strength Standards, Weight Training
By Steve Bechtel There’s nothing like a title almost everyone disagrees with. It’s a sure-fire way to make people at least look at the article. So, now that you’re looking, I’ll be more clear. If you’re interested in actually improving your climbing ability, you’d be wasting your time if pull-ups were a major part of…
Strength Training for Rock Climbing (Part 3)
Tags: Strength Standards, Strong, Training, Weight Training
By Steve Bechtel There was never supposed to be a third part to this article, but I’ve received a few good questions about what was in the first two parts, and I’d like to elaborate. One of the biggest misconceptions about resistance training is the belief that it can directly improve your sport performance. Resistance…
Improving Arm and Back Strength
Tags: Isometric, Progress, Specificity, Strength Standards, Upper Body Strength, Weight Training
By Steve Bechtel Fingers aren’t the only part of a climber that can be weak. On hard routes and particularly in bouldering, we often see arm and back strength as a limiting factor. The ability to move between holds effectively, to lock off on holds, and the ability to keep your body close to the…
Leg Strength as a Limiting Factor, Revisited
Tags: Force, Leg Strength, Squats, Strength, Weight Training
By Steve Bechtel This is a re-post of my article “Leg Strength as a Limiting Factor” published in 2009. I’ve updated it with a few more ideas and a couple of videos that better illustrate the exercises. — Sure, your fingers peel off the hold and you fall, but is it always the fingers’ fault?…