Climbing Training | Basic Rock Climbing Training Program
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Climbing Training
Are you just getting started climbing? Do you look around at climbers who seem to do the impossible?
Over the years I’ve taught hundreds of women to climb for the first time.
“I’m not strong enough” is the most common “fear” or concern I hear.
The truth is no climber was strong when they started.
Climbing makes you strong. And, it’s often an advantage not to be a thug because this forces you to learn technique.
Technique gets you further than strength any day. So practice and get some technique coaching first, then add some climbing training to that and you’ll be off to a fantastic start.
Basic Rock Climbing Training Program
WEEK 1
Climb 2 – 3 days a week at first. Most of my gals also need work with flexibility. If you don’t, great! If you do, try to squeeze in a yoga class once a week and do a little on your own. Initially I don’t have new climbers climb on back-to-back days. Eventually this may be productive and if you need to due to schedule then by all means. While, the above schedule is “ideal,” move days around as you need for the “reality” of life.
Try to keep to this schedule for 8 weeks. Along the way make notes of how many routes you climb, what difficulty, etc. You won’t be able to remember where you started and as we often tend to do when starting a training program we loose track of our progress because there are always others better than us.
WEEK 2
Monday: Yoga or an easy walk, jog, bike ride 30 – 60 min, let your muscles recover from the busy weekend.
Tuesday: Climbing – begin with a warm up route at whatever grade you warm up. This is a route that is easy for you and you don’t get terribly pumped doing. Let’s say that’s 5.7. Then try this grouping:
1x 5.7
So that is eight routes peaking at a difficulty that you have to hang to figure it out.
When you are doing this climbing training, pick routes that are your style at first and always go back to the harder route(s) until you can complete it/them. Do not just move on because you couldn’t do the route first try. Instead use the route as a teacher. Try to remember the moves, work all the moves out, then complete the route. This may take more than one gym session but you are building the strength to climb at this grade.
Once you complete your “project” pick a new route or group of routes to accomplish. Start with whatever route difficulties are appropriate for you. Your goal over the next 8 weeks is to complete as many routes that are hard for you as possible and then begin building the number of attempts you make on routes off that difficulty. By the end of this 8-week climbing training program, your gym session might look like this:
1x 5.8
Wednesday:
Strength Training
In the previous chicks newsletters I’ve gone into detail about how to get strong without getting big. Once the athlete understands the lift, the movement, the skill to be performed and the athlete is properly warmed up. We want to focus on a total rep count for that movement of (12 – 25 reps) this can be done in sets and reps as such: 5 x 5, 5 x 3, 8 x 3, 6 x 2. The goal is to find a body weight movement, and external object movement or lift that requires a high muscle output from the athlete where finishing this low number of reps causes near failure (but not failure) on the last rep or two. Failure is that of strength or form, do not let your form go!!
SO:
The first four movements are the focus of your workout, you want to gain strength in these movements, the second set of four are supplemental movements that will help with core strength and stamina and be an oppositional movement for climbing muscles. Helping injury proof the athlete.
Now Let’s Put a Climbing Training Workout Together:
Cool down for 10:00 minutes easy cardio again, foam roller, stretching.
Now you have a framework for your workouts, use the information in previous newsletters to structure your workouts beyond this example. As well, all movements aside from Mtn Climbers, and Weighted Sit Ups which are included here, have been reviewed in previous newsletters.
Mountain Climber
Weighted Sit Ups
Thursday: Climbing, similar structure as Tuesday.
Friday: Rest, yes…do it. Actually rest!
Saturday: If weather permits head outside!! Nothing beats a day outdoors to practice your new sport with friends. Top rope or leading, get as many pitches in as you can and have a huge smile on your face!
Sunday: Head to the gym for your second strength session of the week, formulate it like Wednesday’s session however use different movements. Then get out again, cross training day, hike, ride, run, what ever you love to do with friends, family, your pooch.
Now you’ve got a plan and a program, again keep track of your workouts, pitches climbed, difficulty, so you can track your improvement. This is a huge motivator and most athletes loose track. I keep track for them when they train in my gym and they are always shocked and amazed by the progress they’ve made in such a short period of time.
Happy Climbing!
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