By Steve Bechtel
Training sessions have a way of being sneaky when we look at them on paper. We look at something like “5x5 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 ancient grains on a chessboard problem, we don’t know what we’re getting into until we’re into it deep. I’ve never felt this more than when I tried to follow through on a complete season of endurance training. I love bouldering. I don’t mind getting pumped on a route at the crag. But day after day of training in that sickening zone of fatigue, well…
One of the surprising things I see when climbers take up “training” is the focus on the details of the individual workout, or the individual exercises (max hangs vs. repeaters, anyone?), and their absolute ignorance of how many times this training needs to be progressively repeated to affect the system. Add to this the fact that most of us have pretty much played out the beginner’s gains, and training for a specific adaptation starts to be a big deal. Is it any wonder that we start to believe we’ve hit our “genetic limits?” Is it any wonder we assume that it’s easier for other people?
Training requires specific movements and intensity. It requires arriving at the training site (crag or gym) in relatively the same fresh condition session-after-session. More than anything, it takes time. The number of times I hear about someone “feeling” the training working after just a couple of weeks could probably fill up a lot of squares on a chess board…yet the number of people I see follow a program to completion is dismally low. There’s a reason that a program takes 2 months or 6 months or 12. And anyone who tells you differently just wants your money.
When you do a hard session of 4x4 boulders, you might be sore and tired. The thought might cross your mind that you’ve improved after that legendary 45 minutes of hard breathing. But when faced with doing it again, maybe fifteen more sessions, most of us buckle. “If I did that kind of training for that long, I’d be forced to change ______.” Yes. Training, by its very essence, is forcing change. There’s no way you could maintain your current 2 days per week on the Moon Board if you began an endurance program. And that is the essence of how a mature athlete becomes elite.
What follows is a personal account of a sixteen-session endurance phase. I think it might help underscore the difficulty, doubt, and most of all how damn long sixteen sessions takes. It should illustrate that the whole plan can go wrong. It takes longer than you wanted. It doesn’t seem to be producing the desired results.
Nov 16.
Day 1, Winter Endurance Build
I've decided to spend the next couple of months building an endurance base. It seems like I am slipping away from being able to hang on at the end of routes and it's taking more than a few weeks for me to ramp up into fitness anymore. I'm going to start each session with some bouldering just to stay sharp but other than that all of my training is going to be aimed at creating greater capacity. I'm going to do 16 total sessions this phase, one focusing on intensification, and one focusing on extending my efforts. hoping for two days a week of these and then some supporting climbing on the weekends.
Intensive 1
RAMP warm-up
8x boulders up to V5, good rests between
Linked Problems
3x V4 into V3 with 5 min btw
Rest 10
3x V3 into V3 with 5 min btw
Rest 10
RT
5-55 Pull-up/DL/BSq/KTE/PU
Today was a grind. I didn't think it would be that hard to link the problems. feeling like 5 minutes might not be enough. I was also a little bit tired coming in to this session since I climbed on sunday. might not be the same next week. 10 minutes rest between seems excessive but I felt really ready for the following sets. this is a really long session and the RT might have to be reduced. I am really worked I think and will be pushing the session for Thursday back one day.
Nov 19.
Day 2, Winter Endurance Build
I am really dragging this morning. going to do a little bit longer warm up and maybe back off a bit on what I had planned to do. Expected this for the first week but still! first day of the extensive build. In these sessions I'm going to stay with fixed loads and sets and try to build longer durations into my efforts.
Extensive 1
RAMP warm-up
8x boulders up to V6, good rests between.
EE Intervals
3 rounds of 6x problems on :90 with open climbing between. (9 min per round) rest 5 min btw
Rest 10 with 5 min rower within at CO pace
3 rounds of 6x problems on :90 with open climbing between. (9 min per round) rest 5 min btw
I planned to use the airbike for a finisher but I was pretty wiped out. I stuck with V1 and V2 problems and it still felt like a whole lot. I am feeling a little bit heavy/sluggish and I feel like drinking a little bit more water early in the day ahead of the session will help. Going to skip climbing tomorrow and hope to climb Sunday a.m.
Nov 21.
Climbing. 6 pitches plus 2 warm-ups, OS to 2T.
Nov. 23.
Day 3, Winter Endurance Build
It’s one of those days you just want to boulder. Not psyched for going hard. Hunted yesterday and I am still tired. Climbed Saturday. Rested longer between WU burns, then had to sit and think about why I am doing this training and if it mattered to me. Once I got straight, the session was OK.
Intensive 2
RAMP warm-up
8x boulders up to V5, good rests between
Linked Problems
3x V4 into V4 with 5 min btw (Failed on #3, problem 2)
Rest 10
3x V4 into V3 with 5 min btw (Maybe more pumped than last week toward end)
Rest 10
RT
Circuit. 10 reps On the Minute [3x]
Pull-Up
Walk Lunge (5+5)
Dips
Cable Pull-Through
GHD Sit-Up
Rest
Nov. 25
Boulder.
Bad weather, tried Sinks with AB and CM, back to gym to boulder. These days always feel rough. ~90 minutes medium/hard. Nothing super special, but did send the compression V6 in the cave that I couldn’t do 2 weeks ago.
Nov. 27
Day 4, Winter Endurance Build
Extensive 2
RAMP warm-up
8x boulders up to V5, good rests between.
EE Intervals
3 rounds of 6x problems on :90 with open climbing between. (9 min per round) rest 5 min btw
Rest 10 with 5 min air bike within at CO pace
3 rounds of 8x problems on :90 with open climbing between. (12 min per round) rest 5 min btw
Felt like I had to go easier on the problems, and even though the goal is “below pump” I still was on the threshold the whole time. Still tired from the weekend? And Monday? And bouldering Wednesday? I might have the volume wrong on this. No way I can sustain this level of low-energy and psych.
Nov 30
Day 5, Winter Endurance Build
Intensive 3
RAMP warm-up
8x boulders up to V4, good rests between
Linked Problems
3x V4 into V4 with 5 min btw
Rest 10
3x V4 into V4 with 5 min btw - pretty good. Not as pumped for sure.
Rest 10
RT
Circuit. 10 reps On the Minute [3x]
Pull-Up
Walk Lunge (5+5)
Dips
Cable Pull-Through
GHD Sit-Up
Rest
OK definitely felt better on the links, and the circuit I did the same as last week with much less fatigue. I wanted to push up to twelve reps per, but somehow made the smart move not to do so. I think that the longevity and long-term results from this program are going to be dependent more on how well I can hold back rather than how hard I can push.
Also, My right shoulder is weird again, probably biceps tendon issue. One of the problems had this high undercling (which I did 6x), and I knew it would be an issue. We’ll see if it’s still a problem tomorrow or for the climbing Saturday.
Dec 1
Climbing 6p
2 warm-ups, 3 pitches at 2t, and then one more lap on Elmo’s (getting cold)
Dec 2
Long hike, 150 min Fairfield loop. Snowy.
Dec 3
Day 6, Winter Endurance Build
Extensive 3
RAMP warm-up
10x boulders up to V6, good rests between.
EE Intervals
3 rounds of 8x problems on :90 with open climbing between. (12 min per round) rest 5 min btw
Rest 12 with 6 min air bike within at CO pace
3 rounds of 8x problems on :90 with open climbing between. (12 min per round) rest 5 min btw
Definitely finding the stride. The capacity feels like it’s there. Again trying to keep from pushing too hard too soon. Ten more sessions to go and it’s already feeling like I am getting worked. Hard, but do-able.
Dec 5
Climbing 7p
2 warm-ups, 1 warm-up+, 3 good burns on P, 1 more lap on warm-up+
This is the first day I got going on P this season. Getting to the first anchor band at 70’ is no big deal, and can do it without rest. I am trying to 1. Climb faster and 2. Climb more relaxed and 3. Not take any shakeouts. I think that any combination of the 3 of these is probably fine, but all three starts to feel really wearing. Only in the first part of the build though. Jack Daniels talked about this in his Running Formula: There is a time to train at race distance and a time to race. This is the time to train.
I think this is one of the traps of climbing at the crag combined with the human ego: we want to send or go to the death every time. Always optimizing for economy and stopping only at the point of destruction. Isn’t it funny we train so hard to be tired by the end of the session but then avoid the same like the plague at the crag?
Dec 7
Day 7, Winter Endurance Build
Intensive 4
RAMP warm-up
5x boulders up to V5, good rests between + Pull-up ladder to 5
Linked Problems
2x V4 into V4 with 5 min btw
1x V5 into V4 - good. More next session.
Rest 10
3x V4 into V4 with 5 min btw
Rest 10
RT
Circuit. 10 reps On the Minute [3x]
Pull-Up
Walk Lunge (5+5)
Dips
Cable Pull-Through
GHD Sit-Up
Rest
Same exact RT as last time, but feeling more fresh. Also slept better and not so overwhelmed by the day planner. 30 min walk PM with Ellen.
Dec 8
Climbing 16p
Snowy day. Climbing on Traxion am.
10d x 4
10b x 4
11d x 4
11a x 4
No one else at crag. Top of Harvest was wet but otherwise decent out.
Dec 10
Day 8, Winter Endurance Build
Extensive 4
RAMP warm-up
5x boulders up to V4, good rests between. Really tired today. Skied Sunday for the first time this year.
EE Intervals
3 rounds of 6x problems on :90 with open climbing between. (9 min per round) rest 5 min btw
Rest 9 with 4 min air bike within at CO pace
3 rounds of 6x problems on :90 with open climbing between. (9 min per round) rest 5 min btw
Going for slightly harder problems, but still at lowest zone. V2-3 max and staying off steepest parts of the wall.
OK the EE was good and felt better with harder problems. The new set on the 30 degree wall made for hard open climbing, but I added a few holds and it changed profoundly. Also on open traversing I am trying to stick with footholds (when possible) smaller than a golf ball. Don’t know why I picked that size but it is an easy rule. Definitely made me climb differently, but still in zone.
Dec 13
Day 9, Winter Endurance Build
Still wrecked today. Skin is getting better but is still screaming at me when I hold a cup of coffee. Down 2# today, must have taken an extra big shit. Also, my left big toe is starting to bug me again.
Intensive 5
RAMP warm-up
7x boulders up to V4, plus some extra shoulder mobility
Linked Problems
1x V4 into V4 with 5 min btw
2x V5 into V4 - can move up to this for sure in coming sessions.
Rest 10
3x V4 into V4 with 5 min btw
Rest 15 - phone call. Rested longer than I wanted, but probably good.
RT
Circuit. 12 reps On the Minute [3x]
Pull-Up
Walk Lunge (6+6) @35#
Dips
Cable Pull-Through @40#
GHD Sit-Up @20#
Rest
Dec 16
Day 10, Winter Endurance Build
Extensive 5
RAMP warm-up
6x boulders up to V5, good rests between. Getting a bit tedious. Doldrums.
EE Intervals
3 rounds of 6x problems on :90 with open climbing between. (9 min per round) rest 5 min btw
Rest 9 with 4 min air bike within at CO pace
3 rounds of 6x problems on :90 with open climbing between. (9 min per round) rest 5 min btw
V3 top end. This is going to be hard to advance. I am wrecked by these even though the zone is light. I am super hungry at the end of these and am feeling kind of achy. What the hell am I doing. Not even sure how to truly measure this. Not sure I can do this the rest of the month.
Missed climbing yesterday because I was so wiped out, though the weather looked shitty anyway.
Dec 18
Climbing 6p
2 warm-ups, 1 warm-up+, 2 attempts on P, 1 more lap on warm-up+
P: 1st go: To horizontal rest at b8, good recovery, then fell at RP crux.
P: 2nd go: Same height, but felt fresher. Surprising.
Dec 20
Day 11, Winter Endurance Build
Intensive 6
RAMP warm-up
5x boulders up to V3, plus pull-ups + dips + finger rolls
Linked Problems
3x V5 into V4 5 min btw
Rest 10
3x V5 into V5 with 5 min btw - Called an audible. Felt good so lapped cave V5 compression prob
Rest 10
RT
Circuit. 12 reps On the Minute [3x]
Pull-Up
Walk Lunge (6+6) @35#
Dips [didn’t do last set, ran out of time]
Cable Pull-Through @40# [didn’t do last set, ran out of time]
GHD Sit-Up @20# [didn’t do last set, ran out of time]
Rest
I wanted so badly to change this session. Would have if I weren’t just hammering myself on following through. So hard to rec. this to athletes…it is more willpower than anything at this point. Starting to dread the training days.
Dec 21
~40 min skate ski, easy.
Dec 23
Leaving for Christmas today - training early am.
Day 12, Winter Endurance Build
Extensive 6
RAMP warm-up
5x boulders up to V4, good rests between. 10 min ski erg / rower wu.
EE Intervals
3 rounds of 6x problems on :90 with open climbing between. (9 min per round) rest 5 min btw
Rest 9 with 4 min air bike within at CO pace
2 rounds of 6x problems on :90 with open climbing between. (9 min per round) rest 5 min btw
Just couldn’t get the last one. Totally burned out on this session.
Dec 24
~60 min skate ski with family.
Dec 26
~45 min skate ski + sledding ~60 min
Dec 28
Pretty fired up for climbing today. Clear weather, should be good climbing this week outside. Feeling light and strong, despite not much activity over the holiday.
Day 13, Winter Endurance Build
Intensive 7
RAMP warm-up
5x boulders up to V3, plus pull-ups + dips + finger rolls [same as last week - like this warm-up]
Linked Problems
3x V5 into V5 5 min btw
Rest 10
3x V5 into V5 with 5 min btw
Rest 12
RT
Circuit. 12 reps On the Minute [3x]
Pull-Up 12,12,11
Walk Lunge (6+6) @35#
Dips @10#
Cable Pull-Through @40#
GHD Sit-Up @20#
Rest
Considered going harder / more reps on RT. Glad I didn’t. “Discipline, 007, discipline.”
Dec 30
Went to Sinks, but super cold and windy, despite the sun. 1x 10d, 1x 12a then home.
Dec 31
Day 14, Winter Endurance Build
Extensive 7
RAMP warm-up
5x boulders up to V4, good rests between.
EE Intervals
3 rounds of 6x problems on :90 with open climbing between. (9 min per round) rest 5 min btw
Rest 9 with 4 min air bike within at CO pace
3 rounds of 6x problems on :90 with open climbing between. (9 min per round) rest 5 min btw
Moved these up to some V4 probs. Have come to terms with the tedium, and remembering that endurance is not just muscles. It feels like I have played this phase out. Maybe 16 is too many sessions? Not sure…never sure. The only thing I can hold to is that I tend to aim for the least difficult when I am tired or stressed, and that just following through for one more week is important, even if I don’t want to do it.
I fall into this stupid “expert mind” where I rationalize quitting based on some quasi expertise and the ridiculous advice of “listening to my body.” My body wants to store fat and sit on the couch.
Jan 1
Ski at golf course, 40 min, medium.
Jan 2
Climbing. 2nd Tier.
3x WU
4 x 2T RPs
2x WD
Felt really good today. Not tired and all routes good. No new climbs, but good solid volume.
Jan 4
Day 15, Winter Endurance Build
Intensive 8
RAMP warm-up
5x boulders up to V4, plus pull-ups + dips + finger rolls
Linked Problems
3x V5 into V5 5 min btw
Rest 10
3x V5 into V5 5 min btw
Rest 10
RT
Circuit. 13 reps On the Minute [3x]
Pull-Up
Walk Lunge (6+7) @35#
Dips @10#
Cable Pull-Through @45#
GHD Sit-Up @20#
Rest
I expected today to be great. Felt so good on Saturday. Full rest yesterday. Felt weaker on the boulders than last week and considered moving down a grade. If I didn’t have them locked in I wouldn't have made it. Up to 13s in the RT which is sneaky in how hard it was.
Jan 6
Climbing at Sinks.
2x WU, 1x WU +
3x att on P
1x 2T
1x WU +
Good day. Tired going in but better performance than anything this winter. Almost sent on 2nd P go, and then almost again on 3. Will send next time, I think. The cold is real when the sun leaves the wall. Maybe 30 min earlier start next time?
Jan 9
Day 16, Winter Endurance Build
Extensive 8
RAMP warm-up
5x boulders up to V4, good rests between.
EE Intervals
3 rounds of 6x problems on :90 with open climbing between. (9 min per round) rest 5 min btw
Rest 9 with 4 min air bike within at CO pace
3 rounds of 6x problems on :90 with open climbing between. (9 min per round) rest 5 min btw
Backed off a bit on some of the boulders. So un-psyched I can’t even say. I had to drink extra coffee, talk to Charlie, and write out all the sets on the whiteboard just to make this happen. Glad I did but a bit embarrassed by what a quitter I feel like. Down another pound this am, but probably just dehydrated!
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Epilogue
Sixteen is a lot of training sessions. It's a lot of time to do basically the same stuff, over and over. Even though I was able to alternate between two different session structures with two different progression styles, I still felt like I was in some kind of crazy hell.
One of the more effective strength training programs we've ever gone through is what we call 40 days of strength. It's a variant on Dan John's easy strength, and it basically is five days a week of strength training for eight weeks. You alternate between doing five sets of two very heavy exercises in, five movements, with two sets of five lighter exercises in the same patterns. There is no super aggressive progression, there is no screaming to finish a set, just plugging away and doing the work.
The more I see climbers trying to perform across all domains of the sport, I find the ones who simply do the work and progress slowly are the ones that see great success over time. The long endurance build is no different. So many times, I hear a climber who has spent the last few years as a boulderer talk about how they have no endurance, and they just can't seem to get there.
Here is the thing: everyone had bad endurance at some point. It's easy to ramp up to your highest current personal potential for fitness in a couple of weeks, but it's much harder to make a phase shift in what kind of climber you are.
The big lesson for me was that it is harder, and takes longer, than my monkey brain would like.
I ended up having my best spring season of my life after this program. I sent seven limit-level routes in January, February, and March of that year, culminating in the hardest endurance redpoint of my life. Although in December, it didn't seem smart—nor worth it—at the end of March, and since then, I am overwhelmingly glad I took the time to spend that much time on one system.
ABOUT STEVE BECHTEL
Steve is the founder of Climb Strong, and is proud to be the worst coach on the Climb Strong team. A climber for more than 35 years, he has traveled to globe bouldering, sport climbing, and doing first ascents of some of the world's biggest walls.
These days, he still finds massive excitement in trying to redpoint routes he usta-could do. Sometimes it takes sixteen sessions, though...
He is cofounder of the Performance Climbing Coach organization, and is the author of several books on training for climbing. He lives in Lander, Wyoming, with his wife Ellen, and children Sam and Anabel.
Tags: aerobic endurance, aerobic power, capacity, Circuits, climbing, Power Endurance, Steve Bechtel, Strength
3 Comments
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Thank you, Steve. It is incredibly helpful to see you open up your training log and especially your internal dialog.
I recently completed your 8:3 Aerobic Capacity Plan and reading your comments were all too relatable. As someone much less accomplished and less experienced than you, it felt nice to be able to relate so directly.
It was a grind. My good days / bad days were not very predictable. It was my first time truly committing to a program of that length. I’m proud to have put in the work.
I’m five weeks out of it, and I feel like my climbing is changed. I feel like I get more high quality burns than I used to. Also, that volume of climbing helped with my technique and movement skill.
I’m planning to do it again later in the year and am already psyched about it and dreading it.
Anyway, thanks for everything you do, and extra thanks for this article.
Best,
Dan
Thanks, Dan. It’s a grind, but as we say “Training endurance is boring, having it is not.”
This was incredibly insightful. I’ve always _tried_ to do endurance training, and for the first time ever am actually doing a proper base phase. It sucks. The days that are good are really cool, but its really hard to find consistent motivation. I’m nearing the end and its been very noticeable outside, but in these last sessions, I find myself badly wanting to give up, maybe do the most “important” part of the session, e.g. the on the wall or hangboard bits, and skip the rest and go home. I think at the beginning of June when I could get out on weekends, it felt easy to keep the motivation, but now with it getting to hot to even be outside (NY summers), its hard.
The logs make me feel like thats normal and not so alone. I actually wish that there more of this kind of content, as everything is very result oriented but no one really talks about the ups and downs of getting there.
I’m really curious about the whiteboard. Is that something you find helps keep you on track? I have my workouts+notes on my phone, and maybe looking at it to remember what’s next is a trapdoor to distractions.