Developing a Training Plan


When I decided to make a serious commitment to rock climbing, one of my first steps was to devise a training plan. These are the steps I took – and continue to take, since this an ongoing process. Over time I came to understand how much this process connected me to my climbing community.  

Now, it is worth noting that climbing is still a developing sport, and the “best” way to train for climbing has not been researched as extensively as for other sports. It is also true that different exercises and methods of training work for different people. In fact, this was the first thing I learned – one should not copy or imitate someone else’s training plan just because they can climb the hardest grades. My approach was to go around and ask lots of different people about the exercises they found helpful in their development as a climber. I like to pick and choose the activities and protocols I find beneficial rather than following any particular plan. In this way, over time, I built a portfolio of many exercises I found beneficial. When I began doing this, I started to feel much more connected to my community of climbers. Once I had a solid portfolio, I began sharing my exercises with fellow climbers who were looking enhance their portfolios. Knowledge is power, friendships, and community!

Books were (and are) also an important part of my process. I believe it is important to be well read with respect to training for climbing and how it has evolved. As I talk to people about training tips, I always come away from the conversation with books and other resources to add to my list, be it information on hardcore training or just some old-school climbing literature. This, again, has helped me form a deeper connection to my climbing community.

Here are a few of the books and resources I have found most helpful so far:

• Training For Climbing by Eric Hörst

• Lattice Training website: https://latticetraining.com 

• The Rock Warriors Way by Arno Ilgner and The Warriors Way website: https://warriorsway.com 

• Climbing Gold podcast with Alex Honnold (https://www.climbinggold.com) I found the episode “Risk, Intensity, Complexity” especially good for gym climbers.

• Climber’s Choice edited by Pat Ament (This is a collection of essays from old school climbers.)


 

Location: Washington, DC, USA

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