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Hi Eric, I am 17 years old and I can boulder V5s without too much difficulty and V6s with a little work. I am just about to have 8 weeks off for the holidays and I was wandering what would be the best way to improve my bouldering ability throughout this period. I have access to a climbing wall everyday, but I think that would probably be a little foolish! What training approach do you suggest? –Lissie (United Kingdom)
Hello Lissie! Sounds like you are doing great. Progress in climbing (and especially hard bouldering) becomes more difficult with every grade you advance up the scale. Developing strength, power, and the killer instinct (mental strength!) is paramount—so make this your focus during your holiday break! As you aptly point out, however, you must not boulder (nor specifically train) more than 3 or 4 days per week—anymore will eventually lead to overtraining and perhaps injury. On non-climbing days you can do a moderate amount of generalized and antagonist training: exercise that work the core, push muscles (for balance and injury prevention), and even a bit of running, if you like. I would suggest taking one day per week off from all physical activity.
Most important is have fun and not get injury. Chasing grades is a fun part of the game, but it shouldn’t be the total focus—sending a bunch of V4 to V6 climbs will make you better than flailing all over a V7 or V8 for many hours (or days)! Push too hard and rest too little, and you risk injury. You’re a young climber with a ton of potential, so be patient and have fun with the process of becoming a better climber. Good luck, and let me know how it goes!
Eric, I’m designing a stricter training regime to develop more strength overall. My plan is to train power endurance on Tuesday, slow endurance on Thursday, then a hangboard/campus board work out on Friday. Is that too much in one week? I’m mostly worried about the hangboard session at the end of the week—does it tempt injury? Any tips to minimize injury? –Ben (California)
That’s an okay program, Ben, but you may want to consult a climbing coach to develop an even more effective program. A critical factor is how you define (and train) Power endurance, Strength, and Endurance! There’s a lot of different definitions and methods floating around the web (and books)…not all are so good. Anyway, try to really differentiate the sessions in how they stress your muscles and produce fatigue. A true Strength/Power exercise should take you to near failure in 10 – 15 seconds or less, whereas a true aerobic endurance exercise should allow you to climb for a few minutes or more without getting a deep, painful pump. Power endurance is the most tricky to get right—the goal is to do strenuous intervals lasting each lasting only 30 to 90 seconds (max) with rest intervals at least twice as long as the climbing intervals. Of course, don’t forget to work some core at least 3 days per week….and train your antagonists at least twice per week to maintain balance and lower injury risk (shoulders and elbows). Good luck!
Hi Eric – I just bought your HIT stripes and I can barely hang onto the pinchers. I can only do 1 or 2 moves before falling off. Should I do what I can and then move on to the next grip sequence, or should I do some hangs on the pinches in order to build, hopefully, more pinch strength? –Bill (Chicago)
Hey Bill, Yes, the pinches (and the 3rd team two-finger pocket grip) are difficult for many people beginning the HIT System workout. You’ll improve quickly, however, if you get on them twice per week. You’re idea of hanging on the pinches is good—better yet, hang on them and do a few pull-ups! Try to do 5 sets of 3 pinch pull-ups (2 to 3 minute rest between sets). Do this twice per week, you’ll soon improve to being about to do the pinches on the climbing wall! Keep in mind that the footholds you use in the HIT Strip workouts affect the difficulty. I suggest using medium to large foot holds and, also, remember to twist your hips a bit with each hand move. This way you’ll learn to move most efficiently, develop strong fingers (and pinch muscles), and strength your core. Good luck, and let me know how it goes!
Hey Eric, I’m 14 years old and I’ve been climbing for a little over a year now. I’ve been reading your books Maximum Climbing and How to Climb 5.12. I really want to get good at climbing, but the problem is I’ve never had a whole lot of discipline—so it seems I need to focus on mental training. What do you think would be most beneficial for me? –Carter (Canada)
Hi Carter, At age 14, and with only 1 year of climbing experience, you’re #1 priority is to CLIMB! Climbing is a skill sport and it takes most people 1000+ days of actual climbing to become really skillful and efficient moving over the rock. Thus, make climbing 3 to 4 days per week (indoor + outdoor total)…at which rate you’ll reach the 1000 days in another 5 years or so (at which time you should be climbing 5.13 or harder!). Of course, physical and mental training are important, too, but the mental aspects come more into play when pushing into the higher grades. Therefore, you should develop a climbing/training program more like in HTC5.12 book…or in my Training For Climbing book. Developing pulling strength & power, push/antagonist strength, and total core strength is the long-term training goal. Obviously I can’t provide you a detailed program via email….but finding a local coach could help you a lot.
Hey Eric, I’ve been having some issues with skin and was wondering if you could point in the right direction. My tips seem to be pretty thinned out and glossy, and it seems the sweat just seeps through. I’ve been considering using Antihydral to help with the sweating and build up the skin on the tips a bit. But it seems like a warning with Antihyrdal is to not over due in fear of dry skin and glossy skin. So, I’m wondering if glossy tips are usually an issue because of dry skin or if it’s because my skin is too sweaty and just gets torn up easier from the gym. I can’t seem to get my tips back to a good texture and it’s really affecting climbing lately. –Cody (Arizona)
Hey Cody, That’s not an uncommon siuation. Limited Antihydal use (just on the tips) may help a bit if you are climbing exclusively outdoors, however it will make your skin VERY slippery if you are climbing on plastic holds. There are many skin care products you should probably experiment with—I don’t endorse any particular brand, so you’ll need to do your own due diligence. One thing to try is liquid chalk—many people find this a helpful when used before each climb. Ultimately, however, you’ll need to experiment and find out what works best for you.