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Climb Training: Climb or Weights and Climb

reboot · · . · Joined Jul 2006 · Points: 125
Aerili wrote:I don't know what "considerable time" means, but the amount of time can vary a lot with what one chooses to do so I wouldn't paint with a broad brush as supplemental training efficacy being only either/or.
I don't have a good definition either, but I was thinking enough to affect your primary sport specific training/practicing time/effort. For climbing, if you have enough time, then "antagonist muscle" workout probably wouldn't affect your recovery enough for actual climbing, but hangboarding/campusing would, even if they take very little time. And I bet squatting probably would too. If you are short on time, then I imagine anything that takes more than ~25% of your time would be "considerable". So "considerable" in the sense you have to replace "considerable" part of sport specific training w/ something else.
John Robinson · · Elk Grove, ca · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 747

I wanted this to be a poll. No theories. Not what other people do, but what you do. Another aspect of this poll is not what you think your climbing level would be if you did more gym strength training or how you would improve if you did 1000 pullups a day. In other words, I just want the facts about what you do. The requirements to participate in this poll are, #1 You have to be a higher level climber (for some, like myself, that don't have much natural ability, this might be 11c, for others, with a high level of natural ability, this would probably be 12c. #2 Your life circumstance allows you to get out climbing at least 3 times a week in the gym or outdoors. Following is a way I might use these results: If 20 people (that meet the 2 requirements) respond to this poll and 15 of them say I do nothing in the gym (except for cardio, Yoga, stretching etc but no strength training) I might loosely conclude that I might not have to be as concerned about strength training. I might conclude that if I get out at least 3 times a week, additional strength training might be overtraining or I am not getting enough rest. Bottom line, I am trying to justify not having to workout at the strength gym and just climb cause I hate the strength training gym but love plastic and outdoors and would love to be a higher level climber. So far the results have tended to support my desire to stay away from the strength training gym.

highaltitudeflatulentexpulsion · · Colorado · Joined Oct 2012 · Points: 35
John Robinson wrote:I wanted this to be a poll.
We don't always get what we want. That ship has sailed, start a poll on Surveymonkey and link to it with a new thread. You're not going to get this one back to your idea.

When creating your criteria, be careful to go with quantitative ideas. It's not useful to say how much better you "think" you might be if you added X amount of training.

I "think" I'd be stronger if I ate 86 marshmallows a day. You can't change what I think. You can design a study to prove me wrong though.
Rui Ferreira · · Boulder, CO · Joined Jul 2003 · Points: 903
John Robinson wrote: Not what other people do, but what you do.
OK, honoring your request and not saying why I do it, in season I normally do two strength workouts a week, each takes about 30 minutes. I also do mobility and other warm-up exercises each time before climbing and before strength training that range from 15 to 30 minutes each (some of this could also be interpreted as strength training).

For strength training I basically follow Bechtel's protocols detailed in his book "Strength: Foundational Training for Rock Climbing".

Day I is
super-set 1: Deadlift, plank pulls, inverted rows; super-set 2: bench press, split squats, knees to elbows or toes to bar. 3 super-sets of each.

Day II is

super-set 1: Back squat, extended plank, kettlebell press; super-set 2: weighed pull-ups, Turkish Get-up, Kettlebell one arm swings

I target about 25% of my exercise/activity time on strength training per week and the rest on climbing (excluding the warm-ups).
SM Ryan · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2008 · Points: 1,090

If you don't like strength training, why do it?
Lots of climbers achieve 5.13 by only climbing.....

personally, I don't like hangboarding so I don't spend much time doing it. Although it is all the rage right now. I spend time working Limit problems on small holds and offset hangs (limited amount) to hopefully achieve finger strength gains.

John Robinson · · Elk Grove, ca · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 747

highaltitudeflatulentexpulsion I like your Idea of surveymonkey however I've never heard of it. Could you rewrite my post, the one directly above your last post, to reflect the changes you suggest please.

John Robinson · · Elk Grove, ca · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 747

Rui Ferreira and SMR. Are you "high end climbers" and are you able to climb at least 3 days a week?

Dark Helmet · · Boulder, CO · Joined Apr 2013 · Points: 995

I've recently moved into your buckets. The weight training I do is 95% preventative in nature (e.g. shoulder press). I do a lot of body weight exercises like front levers (one legged), leg lifts, etc. Recently I've added weighted pullups.

I do use the hangboard frequently. As I've started climbing harder sport routes I've reduced my actual time spent climbing and increased time spent training. If I had three days per week to train and I wanted to sport climb as hard as possible I'd probably start with some type ARC endurance training for a couple of weeks, then move into a rotation of 1 day limit bouldering, 2 days hangboard per week and then flip. Then cycle into and PE through campus board or linked bouldering.

Quinn Baker · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2016 · Points: 1

I climb once or twice a week, and lift weights 3 days a week. I'm not lifting specifically to train for my climbing, but my Back/Bi day definitely helps keep my grip/pulling strength up if I don't get to climb for a while. For example, early last summer, I was not lifting and I did not get to climb for maybe 6 weeks. When I got back to climb, I felt significantly weaker and was climbing well under what I had been. The same type of situation happened at the end of the year, but I had been lifting even though I couldn't go climbing. When I did go back to climb, I felt like I had not lost much strength and was climbing much closer to my normal level.

I'd like to get a hangboard but my living situation makes that a bit hard. I've seen hangboards that can attach to a doorframe like a pull up bar and that type of thing would be great for me. So I guess if I could get one of those, I'd probably add in a hangboard as climbing-specific training.

I wouldn't say I'm a "higher end climber" as I boulder about V5 and climb maybe 5.11ish? (I don't do too much roped climbing, but I've sent multiple 5.10s without feeling like I was at my limit)

Rui Ferreira · · Boulder, CO · Joined Jul 2003 · Points: 903
John Robinson wrote:Rui Ferreira and SMR. Are you "high end climbers" and are you able to climb at least 3 days a week?
I climb from 2 to 5 days a week depending on my work/travel schedule and time of the year. Regarding my climbing level, you can look up my MP profile and make your own assessment.
slim · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2004 · Points: 1,103

i think you need to better define "higher end climbers". one man's hard is another man's flacid...

SM Ryan · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2008 · Points: 1,090

Yes - I climb 3-4 days a week almost year round. My profile stats are up-to-date.. I lift 2 days per week about 35 min per workout.
Note - I I really like to lift weights. So motivation is there to do it.

John Robinson · · Elk Grove, ca · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 747

So I'm trying to do survey monkey

surveymonkey.com/collect/?c…

That didn't work. Don't know how to tie my survey monkey poll to here. I created a poll in surveymonkey but don't know how to link it to a new thread?

John Robinson · · Elk Grove, ca · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 747

I'll try again: Please take the following survey:

surveymonkey.com/r/H2RL7BF

Quinn Baker · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2016 · Points: 1

Took your survey. I think you may want to revise that first question. There are people who are above average athletic ability who don't redpoint 5.11d. If you consider that "average athletic ability" is "maybe I can run a mile without stopping, but have never rock climbed before." Or do you mean average CLIMBING ability (assuming the population in question is just climbers) rather than just all-around athletic ability?

slim · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2004 · Points: 1,103

really weird survey. the available answer choices are way too specific. i honestly didn't know how to answer them, given that none of the answers accurately described how/what/when i train for climbing, etc. i don't think you are going to get results that really have any value.

reboot · · . · Joined Jul 2006 · Points: 125

Took the survey, but yeah, not sure what you are going to get. Question 1 is conflating 2 things together, while question 3 misses other choices. This is what happens when you have too strong a preconceived notion about something, you miss the opportunity to discover things you didn't think are relevant.

Brendan N · · Salt Lake City, Utah · Joined Oct 2006 · Points: 405

That was a very confusing survey. I don't think it captured what I do to advance my climbing or general fitness.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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