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Hi Eric! First of all – what an amazing service you provide here and what fantastic resources you’ve created. Thank you! Ok, so I used to climb a lot: roughly 3 times per week for around 5 years, mostly indoors but had some epic outdoor trips. I was leading easy 12s and bouldering V6. Then I moved and started a family and took around 5 years off from climbing. I got back into climbing around 1 year ago and started climbing indoors twice a week. Very quickly I could jump on V5s again, however, I could barely lead 10a. Now I’m leading 10d and I’m not sure why I’m not improving faster since my strength/power seem to be there and I thought endurance would come back easily by simply getting on the wall. What do you think I could do to improve faster? –Greg (California)
Hey Greg, Thanks for the kind words—glad you’re back climbing! Some of your struggles on lead may be local endurance of the pulling muscles—you need to specifically train to regain aerobic endurance in your climbing muscles. Climbing submaximal roped routes twice per week for a month or two will bring about significant improvement. Climb laps on routes 1 to 3 number grades below your limit—you should get moderately pumped, but not get a deep, painful pump that makes you fall off (a sign you’re training anaerobic endurance rather than aerobic endurance). Long term, you want to cycle through training aerobic endurance, strength/power, and anaerobic (power) endurance—all three energy systems are critical to climbing your best.
Of course, lead climbing into the higher grades also demands economic movement. Though you may not sense it, I bet you’re not climbing in the most efficient ways….perhaps muscling moves, over gripping (when stressed), and perhaps climbing too slow through harder sequences. Getting all of this dialed in (and the mental game as well) takes practice at lead climbing outdoors. Many people who mainly boulder (gym and outdoors), do have a period of “struggle” in transitioning their power onto roped routes. Anyway, apply the above info and I bet you’ll be back crushing 5.12a by year’s end!
Hi Eric, I am becoming a fairly solid gym climber of one year. However, when I started to climb outdoors…I’ve discovered that I climb much below my gym level. How can I improve my outdoor climbing? –Tommy (Wisconsin)
Hi Tommy, That’s a very common experience. Don’t worry–you’ll work through this after an adjustment period. Outdoor climbing is very different—sure, the muscles used are the same, but the footwork, holds, tactics and mental skills are much more complex and subtle. Anyway, the simple answer to your question–climb outside as much as possible! Try for one or two days each week, if possible. Also, travel to new crags whenever possible—each area has a unique character and it will develop new/novel movement skills. Ultimately, you need to treat this as a multi-year journey; so be patient. Climbing is a lifelong endeavor, and you have lots of amazing days of outdoor climbing ahead of you!
Hi Eric, It looks like it might be impossible to have NICROS’ HIT Strip System shipped to Italy. Can I build a HIT wall with different holds? –Max (Italy)
Hi Max! Yes, it’s very expensive to ship the HIT System to Europe—we’ve done it, but the shipping costs are far more than the cost of the HIT System itself. But you can kludge a HIT System but mounting pairs of identical full-pad crimp holds, two-finger pockets, and pinches at shoulder width on a 45-degree overhanging wall every 50cm or so. Try to install 5 or 6 pairs up the wall, so you can ladder climbing up and down the holds, HIT System style. Follow the HIT System training protocol described in this article. Good luck, get strong!
Hi Eric, I’ve read your books; Conditioning for Climbing and Training for Climbing. I am now putting together a macrocycle for myself and will begin with your 4-3-2-1 mesocycle training plan. I am confused about whether or not I am suppose to do strength training (finger or pulling) and core during the 4 week “stamina and skill” portion. Should climbing-specific strength exercises only be done in the power and strength weeks or is it that the mesocycle focus simply determines your climbing style and that you always continue with strength and power sport specific exercises throughout the entire macrocycle? Thanks! –Matt
Hi Matt, The 4 weeks of strength and stamina is mostly about climbing for volume (rope routes, if possible) to develop climbing skills and the aerobic energy system (and recovery ability) in your forearms and other muscles. While it wouldn’t hurt to do a little climbing-specific training (fingerboard hangs, etc) at the end of the session, you want to hold off on intensive finger strength and power training until phase 2 (the 3 week phase). As for core training, you can always do core (3 or 4 days per week)! Same with antagonist exercises to strengthen the pushing muscles and rotator cuff (2 days per week). Hope this helps you out. Good luck, and get strong!