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| Traditional climbing in Unaweep Canyon |
Getting better at rock climbing, every climber want to do it, not everyone knows how. There are some crazy theories out there, some good and some not as good. But if you really want to improve your climbing in the shortest time possible, there are a few tricks that will help you turn that project from a dream into a send. This article is a brief look at some time-tested methods that are guaranteed to make you a better climber.
I will break this article into several sections and end it with a sample one-month workout routine that will help you see results fast.
I. NON-CLIMBING TRAINING
An important aspect of training for climbing is conditioning your body to be in the ultimate shape for rock climbing. But what does this ultimate shape look like? Bulky and ripped with muscles? Lean and slender? The truth is there is a good medium. Too much muscle is as bad as too little, as muscle is heavy and will weigh you down. Consider Ashima Shiraishi, the young climbing prodigy who recently gained notoriety for being the youngest person to climb V13 and 5.14c. Ashima is very small and light, and her strength-to-weight ration allows her to make gymnastic moves on the tiniest holds.
One thing that is for certain, however, is that excess body fat should be your first priority. Unlike muscle it obviously doesn't add to your strength and acts like an anchor while on the wall. When I first started climbing, I was about fifteen pounds over my ideal climbing weight. Losing that extra flab alone allowed me to go from a shaky 5.8 climber to a shaky 5.10 climber. Chances are, you know if you are a little overweight. As a climber you have to be very lean to climb at your peak.
A. Cardio/overall fitness
Cardio fitness is important. It helps you shed excess weight and will help you build stamina. If you are overweight and need to lose some pounds, I recommend a vigorous cardio workout three or four times a week. This could mean a 40 minute run, an hour of hard swimming, or a difficult hike. Anything that gets you breathing hard and sweating and gets your heart rate up into the training range (about 80% of your max) for at least 30 minutes consistently. If you are already at or near an ideal weight, you can reduce this to two times a week and lessen the intensity.
B. Muscle training
Lifting weights has some benefit for climbing, but while building head-turning biceps might be good to impress the ladies (or guys) it does little to help you send that 5.12 project you've been dreaming about. Most of your muscle training should be focused on working muscles that
oppose the most frequently used climbing muscle groups. For example, climbing is a forearm-intensive activity, so working out the extensor muscle group (the muscles opposite the forearm) with exercises such as reverse wrist curls will help keep you from becoming too lopsided and risking injury. Basic muscle exercises, however, like push-ups, sit-ups, wrist curls, lat pulls, etc, can have some benefit if you feel you are lacking in overall strength. Climbing, however, is the best training for climbing, as will be discussed in the next section.
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| The author on Urban Cowboy (5.12a) |
II. ON THE ROCKS
The best way to become the climber you always wanted to be is to climb, and climb a lot. But haphazardly attacking the wall at your local gym, consistently flailing on climbs that are too hard for you, or climbing the same routes over and over, are all ways to slow your progress, and soon you will find yourself plateauing and wondering why you don't seem to get better despite how often you are tying in. Here are a few ideas regarding making the most your actual climbing time.
A. On-sight climbing- One of the quickest ways to find yourself stuck on that proverbial plateau is to consistently climb the same climbs over and over. The cure to this is simple: focus your rock time climbing on-sight! Always find new routes and new areas to spend your time climbing. The more rock you are exposed to, the more adapted to any new rock you encounter you will be. Running laps on climbs you know by heart may be good for endurance, but your muscle memory is locked and you gain very little skill by doing this. Likewise, projecting a climb that is overly difficult for you, one where you make very little progress on any given day, is equally un-productive. Try to spend 2/3rds of your climbing time on rock that is brand new to you. At the gym, try climbing "random" routes where you pick your way as you go. Difficulty is less important than you might think, but exposing your body to new holds, new positions, and new sequences will make your skill level skyrocket.
B. Projecting- Despite what I said in the previous section about focusing on onsight climbing, projecting hard routes has benefits too. For one, having a dream project helps keep you motivated to keep climbing and keep working hard to improve. It also challenges you to force your body to improve. You may discover new types of sequences that you never thought of. As I improved as a climber, I noticed that each number grade level or so introduced me to whole new aspects of climbing I had never considered. At 5.10 I was forced to learn balance. At 5.11 the holds got much more difficult and the sequences more counter-intuitive. At 5.12 I was exposed to gymnastic body positions that made me think about my movement in ways I never had before. The key to projecting is not to become too fixated. Try your project for awhile and move on, but don't focus only on one climb. You may find that stepping aside from a climb for awhile and coming back to it after sending some other great routes will give you new insight to a familiar problem.
C. Downclimbing- A highly neglected aspect of climbing. It is easy to reach the top of a route, feeling tired, as simply yell "ready to lower". If you do this, however, you are missing out on a great opportunity. Downclimbing teaches you balance and makes you think about the rock in ways you may never have thought of. I suggest doing it as often as possible. Just remember while downclimbing to be safe and don't try it on a route that might put you in danger.
D. The Gym- Gym climbing is a good way to build your strength and work on technique in a user-friendly and relatively safe setting. However, the gym is a poor representation of real rock, and spending too much time at the gym can actually hurt your outdoor skills in some ways. Gym climbing is good for bad weather days and the off-season. You can work out hard, get many reps in, and improve your skills. On the other hand, those neon holds and often not very much like what you will really encounter and make route reading far too easy. The best way to get better at real climbing is to climb outside as much as possible, and supplement this with indoor climbing when the outdoors aren't available.
E. Rest days- Another huge mistake many climbers make is to climb too much. You must give yourself plenty of good days of rest. One key to remember is that you don't gain strength during workout days, only while you sleep and rest. If you are climbing hard 5 days a week you are breaking your muscles down and not allowing them time to rebuild. Your strength gains will not be as much as if you climb 3-4 days a week and allow your body time to recover.
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| V4 boulder problem in Western Colorado |
III. MENTAL
There can be no doubt that climbing is almost equally mental as it is physical. So when is your mental state getting in the way? And what can be done to improve it? Here are a few tips to help improve your mental climbing acuity.
A. Fear- All climbing inevitably engages some degree of fear. Fear is good; it stimulates adrenaline which helps you focus and sharpens your body's abilities to perform. This is why we have adrenal glands in the first place. Only a great fool would call themselves a "fearless" climber. Those are the sort of climbers I don't like to partner with. However, excessive fears are debilitating and will ultimately hinder your ability to climb at peak performance. Two types of fears in particular are especially non-productive: fear of failure/embarrassment, and the fear of falling. Both of which are quite common and somewhat easy to remedy.
Fear of Failure- this is perhaps the silliest and easiest type of fear to rid yourself of. Being afraid of looking bad in front of your friends will hurt your performance. Don't hold yourself to the standards of others. While some friendly competition against your friends and/or peers will help keep you motivated, climbing is an individual sport. Measure your success against yourself only. Remembering that you are trying mainly to have fun and not send every climb you attempt the first time is a good way to keep yourself from falling into this trap.
Fear of Falling- this is a common and natural fear, and one that stands in the way of many climbers, especially ones that are at the beginner/intermediate level. While it is important not to ignore the possibility of a dangerous fall, being afraid to fall on well-protected routes is a major hindrance for your climbing. It will keep you from attempting routes at the top-end of your skill level and create a mental block on your climbing progress. This is evident for some climbers who will struggle with a certain move while leading but will fire through the same move when on top-rope. The best way to get over your fear of falling is to fall. Find a good belayer who knows how to perform a safe "soft catch" and take a few lead falls. On a safe climb, start with some short falls in the 5-8 foot range and build up to 15 footers. Soon you will learn to embrace and even enjoy falling and this fear will no longer be present.
B. Focus
Another important aspect of your mental conditioning is learning to focus. There are many techniques for focusing your mind, and you may have to find the ones that work best for you. Most trainers in athletics of all types, however, will teach you a combination of visualization, breathing, and meditation. Instead of staring up at a climb you are about to attempt convincing yourself it is too hard for you and imagining all the things that could go wrong, instead convince yourself that the route is within your ability and you are in the best condition to do it. Picture yourself making the moves in detail. Imagine yourself succeeding, standing at the top of the climb having sent it. And remember that if you don't there is always tomorrow. During the climb, if you find yourself starting to lose your focus, take a moment to breath a few times and re-channel your energy. Most of all, remember that climbing is fun.
IV. NUTRITION
Much can be said about nutrition and sports training, so I would go into too much detail here. Good nutrition, however, is a crucial part to getting your body to perform at its optimum levels and is therefore extremely important if you are training to climb. Eat well before a climb and after and you will find yourself feeling better and performing like you never dreamed. For the sake of this article I will break nutrition down into two categories: things that are good to eat, and things that aren't. For a more detailed nutrition regimen I would suggest seeking out any number of great resources that are already available.
THINGS TO EAT:
-Good carbs (in moderation) such as whole grains, oats, pastas.
-Foods high in healthy fats such as avocados, olive oil, etc. Remember that good fat is good and not all things that are "Low Fat" are healthy. Fat keeps your body satisified longer than carbs, making you feel hungry less often.
-Fruits and vegetables (but everybody knows this). If you struggle with the veggies, I suggest making smoothies or finding a taste for drinks such as V8.
-A high quality protein source is also crucial, lean meats relatively low in fat like chicken or turkey consumed as soon after a hard workout as possible will help your muscles recover and grow stronger. Protein supplements like Whey powder can also be helpful but avoid consuming too much protein, as it can lead to conditions such as gout.
THINGS NOT TO EAT:
-bad carbs high in refined sugars like soda, candy, milk chocolate, cakes, or any sweets. This group of foods is perhaps the worst thing you can consume for your body.
-Excessive amounts of saturated fat such as fatty red meats, butter, etc.
-And avoid excessive amounts of alcohol and drugs, these will certainly NOT help you to send that project!
V. SAMPLE ROUTINE
Here is a sample workout routine that can be customized to suit your particular climbing needs and current physical conditioning. This particular workout lends itself to gym climbing where you can climb a lot of pitches in a short amount of time, as well as mix sport and/or trad with bouldering. However, this routine can be customized based on what you have available at your local climbing areas.
1. Cardio-
A. 40 min jog. 5 min warm-up. 30 min running at a sustainable pace, gradually building in intensity followed by a 5 minute cool down walk. 3-4 times per week.
2. Climbing-
A. 50 feet of easy warm-up climbing 2-3 number grades lower than your hardest redpoint.
B. 250 feet (2-3 single pitch routes of 50-100' length) of onsight climbing from one letter grade to one number grade below your hardest redpoint (i.e. if your hardest redpoint is 5.11b, climb 5.10b to 5.11a onsight).
C. 100 feet of downclimbing
D. 75 feet of a project climb at or near your redpoint level.
E. 5-10 boulder problems at or near your redpoint level
F. 2-5 boulder problems with 15-25 pounds of weight (either in the form of a weight belt or a partially loaded backpack. Could also substitute 50-100 feet of weight routed climbing 2-3 number grades below your redpoint limit. (Avoid strenuous crimps while weighted as they can cause tendon injury. Instead focus on jug holds and other "open" grip positions).
G. 2 sets of 100 foot "sprints", climbing routes that are easy for you (3-4 number grades below your redpoint limit), focusing on moving fast without resting but still maintaining good form.
3. Muscle-
A. Push-ups- 2 sets (enough reps that push your muscles to near failure)
B. Sit-ups- 2 sets
C. Wrist curls- 2 sets (enough weight to cause muscle failure in 20-30 reps).
D. Reverse wrist curls- 2 sets
E. Other- consider your personal weaknesses. For example, if your weakness is pure strength focus on lat pulls, bench press, bicep curls and other strength exercises.
This entire routine should be performed 3-4 times a week for a solid month, at which time re-evaluate and customize your routine for at least another month or for as long as you continue to see results. It is good, however, to take a full week off from a strenuous climbing routine every two months. Gradually increase your reps, aiming for what is known as the "Overload Principal," or increasing at a rate of about 10% per week. For example, if you are doing 20 reps, move up to 22. Or if you are lifting 150 pounds, bump it up to 165 (but don't do both!). Lower weights and higher reps will benefit endurance more, increasing weight will increase strength. Gradually increasing your workout will continually challenge your muscles and stimulate them to grow. Keeping your workout static will only maintain your current conditioning level.
All of this is a very brief and abridged theory about getting better at climbing. If you are serious about improving your climbing ability, I would suggest using this article as only one reference. I recommend reading broadly about the topic. Motivation and passion will go a long way toward helping you reach your climbing goals. If you start to find that climbing is not becoming fun, stop and re-evaluate what you are doing. Be honest and trying to pinpoint the source of your feelings. Although training is not always enjoyable, keep your eyes on the prize and always remember that climbing is supposed to be fun. Be safe and enjoy yourself out there. Climb on!
-Brian Wright
OTHER HOW-TO ARTICLES
Beginner's Guide to Crack Climbing- An introduction to crack climbing sizes and basic crack climbing technique.
Mountaineering 101- A basic look at mountaineering, including recomended gear, training and technical skills and more.
No Trace Ethic- A guide to abiding "No Trace" ethic to preserve the place we like to mountaineer for many years to come.
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