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Is Climbing the Best Training for Climbing? A Survey

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

Please take the following survey. I will post the results.

surveymonkey.com/r/H2RL7BF

ScoJo · · Boulder, CO · Joined Jun 2014 · Points: 481

I don't think there are enough pertinent questions to answer the question in the topic title.

MalcolmX · · Munich, Germany · Joined Oct 2014 · Points: 0

I took the survey but the questions a rather strange. In my case, most of my training is climbing, with supplementeray non climbing exercises (mostly core workout, cardio and hangboarding).

steverett · · Boston, MA · Joined Feb 2012 · Points: 105

I can't even answer question #1; I'd say I'm average athletic ability, and can redpoint 10a (trad), so none of these answers apply to me.

Dobson · · Butte, MT · Joined Oct 2011 · Points: 215

I couldn't answer these questions either.

Where's the category for us weaklings who can somehow redpoint 5.12 or lead WI-whatever, and don't do any training other than climbing?

In any case, a survey isn't really the appropriate way to answer this sort of scientific question. Why not collect actual fitness and training data? Or just go with the obvious "yes" for the answer. Ever watch an athletic non-climber on a route? It's ugly.

nathanael · · Riverside, CA · Joined May 2011 · Points: 525

These questions are pretty lackluster.

Em Cos · · Boulder, CO · Joined Apr 2010 · Points: 5

So, you expect all climbers to divide into 11b, 11d, or 12b? That's an extremely narrow range, and I'm not sure it helps you answer the question.

John Robinson · · Elk Grove, ca · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 747
ScoJo wrote:I don't think there are enough pertinent questions to answer the question in the topic title.
ScoJo Read the post I made (John Robinson) on the following thread (it is about 17 posts down): mountainproject.com/v/climb…

I attempted to explain what I was getting at
John Robinson · · Elk Grove, ca · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 747
steverett wrote:I can't even answer question #1; I'd say I'm average athletic ability, and can redpoint 10a (trad), so none of these answers apply to me.
steverette: My intention was to question "high level climbers" by my defination, you are not a high level climber. Read what I said to ScoJo
grog m · · Saltlakecity · Joined Aug 2012 · Points: 70

hey guys, offer some questions he could put on his survey

Steve Marshall · · Concord NH · Joined Jul 2014 · Points: 45
grog m wrote:hey guys, offer some questions he could put on his survey
1. What is your highest sport redpoint grade?
less than 5.10
5.10
5.11
5.12
5.13
higher than 5.13

2. How often per week do you climb, including gym and outdoors sessions?
<1x per week
1x per week
2x
3x
4x
5x
more than 5x

3. What type of training do you do other than climbing? (check all that apply)
Stretching
Yoga
Running or other cardio
Strength Training (weight lifting, bodyweight strength training, gymnastics, etc)
Bodybuilding
Martial Arts
Team/Ball Sports

4. What do your climbing sessions include? (check all that apply)
ARC training or other endurance climbing
bouldering
lead climbing
hangboard
campus board

5. Do you feel that your non-climbing training helps your climbing, detracts from your climbing, or is neutral?
Helps
Detracts
Neutral

6. Do you do most of your non-climbing activities for fun, or to train specifically for climbing?
For Fun
To Train for Climbing Harder

7. Are your climbing workouts structured, or do you "just go climb"?
Structured workouts
just climb

and even then it would still miss the point... might be an interesting data set though
nathanael · · Riverside, CA · Joined May 2011 · Points: 525
grog m wrote:hey guys, offer some questions he could put on his survey
size of dick

max 1 rep bicep curl

max cheesesteaks in one sitting
Steve Marshall · · Concord NH · Joined Jul 2014 · Points: 45

2.7
900 lbs
all of them

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

There were 100 people that participated in the survey. (The survey was free if I kept the participants under 100). Following are the requirements to participate in the survey: You must be a higher level climber. You climb at least 3 days a week either on plastic or outdoors. Now the two questions are:

#1 Is your training for climbing just climbing (you may also do Stretching, Yoga, Cardio but you do no strength, endurance or weight training)?

#2 Your training for climbing may include all the above but also includes Strength/Endurance/Weight Training?

Results: (both of the following may include Stretching, Yoga, Cardio etc)
Only Climbing 36%
Climbing and Strength/Endurance/Weight Training 64%

For you people that thought my survey sucked (and it may have) do these results provide you insight into why I made the survey the way I did. I think I got the information I was looking for.

Kent Richards · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2009 · Points: 81
John Robinson wrote:You climb at least 3 days a week either on plastic or outdoors.
And for those of us who can redpoint 11d but only climb 2x per week?
Brendan N · · Salt Lake City, Utah · Joined Oct 2006 · Points: 405
John Robinson wrote:Now the two questions are: #1 Is your training for climbing just climbing (you may also do Stretching, Yoga, Cardio but you do no strength, endurance or weight training)? #2 Your training for climbing may include all the above but also includes Strength/Endurance/Weight Training? Results: . . . .
Your results reference weight training but your survey makes no mention of it.

Survey
Stagg54 Taggart · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2006 · Points: 10
John Robinson wrote:Please take the following survey. I will post the results. surveymonkey.com/r/H2RL7BF
I didn't realize 5.11b was below average athletic ability... Maybe I'm hanging around with the wrong crowd.
Ken Noyce · · Layton, UT · Joined Aug 2010 · Points: 2,648
Stagg54 wrote: I didn't realize 5.11b was below average athletic ability... Maybe I'm hanging around with the wrong crowd.
Yep you are, go to spain, you'll find that average in that crowd is around 5.13-
reboot · · . · Joined Jul 2006 · Points: 125

Who knows what the OP mean by "athletic ability", but I typically interpret it as strength, power, endurance, coordination, agility, etc similar to NFL combine tests or performance of many traditional sports (with the exception of perhaps golf, baseball, etc). Climbers can be pretty "unathletic" even if they climb hard.

John Robinson · · Elk Grove, ca · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 747
Brendan N. (grayhghost) wrote: Your results reference weight training but your survey makes no mention of it.
I figured Power and Endurance would include weights.
John Robinson · · Elk Grove, ca · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 747

All you people bring up excellent points and I don't have answers to all of your questions. Let me try to take it another way: If I wanted to get insights into how good boxers train I would first find good boxers. Next, I would look for boxers that train a lot, then I would ask them what they do to train. To find a good boxer I need to differentiate between boxers. I would look at how much natural talent/athletic ability they have and see how well they do with that talent. If they have below average talent/athletic ability but won a lot of amateur bouts, I would consider them a good boxer. If they had average talent/athletic ability and they won a lot of semi pro bouts, I would consider them a good boxer. If they had above average talent/athletic ability and won a lot of pro bouts, I would consider them a good boxer. Most likely a below average boxer would not win a lot of professional bouts but he could still be considered a good boxer. Now if an above average boxer were to win only amateur bouts I wouldn't consider them a good boxer. (I am hoping you can see how this might correlate to my assigning a below athletic ability climber a 5.11b etc) Like I said, I wanted to get insights into how a good climber trains. I could have used just the criteria I described above and figured if you are a good boxer you probably trained quite a bit but I also thought it might be useful to define how much you train so I came up with a minimum of 3 days a week training. So now I have selected good boxers who train a lot. Now I want to find out what they do to train. Is the most common training just going out and boxing 3 days a week or is it the most common training to box and strength/weight/endurance train 3 days a week. Notice I didn't say the best way to train but what is the most common way to train to be a good boxer. Does anyone see what I am trying to get at. I really don't know if there is any other way to describe what I am trying to do. Maybe I am all wet and the results I am getting mean nothing, but at least I tried.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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