Spring is here and it's time to get out of the climbing gym start pulling on real rock! I like hanging out with climbers who are fun, positive, want to improve and train hard. I also am always searching for information that I can use to get better.
“About 12 years ago, I recall a day in Utah with my friend Dave Graham, a
phenom climber who was making quick work of all the hardest routes in Hell
Cave, including Ice Cream, 5.14c (8c-8c+). When we climbed at the gym in
the evenings, a group of us would begin doing fun campus problems, big
moves between medium sized holds. Although I could not touch the crux of
Ice Cream, I could for whatever reason do these problems, so could all
our friends. Everyone except Dave. I’m not trying to single him
out, he’s one of the best rock climbers to touch stone, I was merely shocked
that he could not lock off with one arm long enough to reach the next
hold, yet, he can climb V12 like it’s no big deal. So what’s
his secret? Is he weak? Are we strong? No AND Not
necessarily. What I realized is that Dave is not only light, which helps
a little, but he’s also very, very strong in the right places to climb hard
rocks. Core, fingers and mind.
I love climbing hard as much as anybody, but it’s hard work to climb
hard. I mostly go rock climbing outside these days because it’s my real
passion, and I try hard when I get the chance, but if we are going to invest
any precious time or energy into specific training to climb harder,
what’s the best use of that time? Well, here’s a little secret,
don’t train one arm chin ups.
The worlds most accomplished sport climber and boulderer Adam Ondra has
recently completed his first one arm chin up according to Planet
Mountain.com. This fact only reinforces what I (and dozens of other
climbers and coaches) have said for years, the key to climbing hard is not in
the arms at all. It’s mostly in the fingers and core. Adam Ondra
has onsighted more 5.14c’s (8c-8c+) than any human being EVER, climbed a
handful of 5.15b’s (9a+-9b), and he’s just recently climbed a 5.14d (8c+-9a) on
his very first try (though not technically a flash, he’s on his way to being
the first person to do so). In the bouldering field he’s equally as
strong, having flashed V14, and climbed V16. It seems if it can be done
by anyone, it can be repeated by Ondra, and there’s no telling what he’s still
capable of. Especially considering he’s only 18.
I think, if you’re going to train specifically for climbing, keep it
simple. Here’s a few tips I’ve picked up over the years.
1) Focus on your strength to weight ratio, which means, stronger, leaner
muscles. Overall fitness is great, just as long as you’re not bulking up
unnecessarily, unless you’re into that sort of thing. More lean vitamin
rich foods, and less Krispy Kreme donuts, more veggies, more protein, and more
cardio exercise won’t hurt either. Just add water, electrolites and
antioxidants. It’s all very simple and basic, no need to do any
sort of rigid regime here, just use common sense and a touch of will
power. No sweat.
2) Focus on your core . If your core is weak it will tire quickly on
steeper routes, and your body will sag, if you sag, you’re further away from
the wall then you want to be, thus further from the holds you want to be
grabbing. If you’re strong, you’ll be tighter to the wall making moves
feel easier and closer.
3) Stress your fingers. If you don’t stress your fingers regularly,
then they’ll forget how to dig into small holds, it’s a neurological
connection. Stress your fingers, crimp with thumb, half crimp, and open
hand. If you start doing funky things like one finger hangs I think it’s
not very sustainable and you may end up getting injured, if you must
train one fingers for those 5.14d’s (9a) in the Frank, then do them for a period of
time then lay off again for a little while to let them recover. I
personally prefer to keep it all very simple, most if not all the holds I
grab (even on really hard routes) are not often tweaky or one digit, they
usually involve three or four fingers, but they are just hard to grab, so
strengthen my fingers is still pretty crucial. If you’re getting
too strong for your finger board, don’t walk away, add a little bit of weight,
but that doesn’t mean over do it. Be sensible. Again, this is very
basic stuff, but it works if you actually do it, and don’t get carried away.
4) Climb as much as you can, as often as you can. Sport climbing is
not as hard on the body as bouldering, so get out, move the body around, get
the blood flowing, get pumped, have fun, be nice to your fellow climbers and be
thankful that you have the ability to do this. If you have a local crag,
be thankful for that too, some people live in Kansas
you know.
5) Stay psyched. Remember why you fell in love with climbing in the
first place, Climbing is like the coolest thing ever, it’s physical,
beautiful and a wonderful mental exercise. Achieving a new level is like
discovering a different part of yourself. Climb with people who force you
to get outside, to expand your world, to keep you curious, and people that make
you feel good about yourself and who laugh and don’t bitch about why the world
is out to get them. Mean people suck and climbing rocks doesn’t.”
If you don’t know the site
topoguide.de, you should. Volker Roth and his partner have collected a
wealth of information about alpine, sport and all types of multi-pitch rock
climbing in addition to their excellent topo guide books.
The article “Der Weg zum 10.
Grad... „ (8a), in their quarterly on-line magazine (
http://www.topoguide.de/topoguide-Magazin/Der_10._Grad.pdf)
was the inspiration for me to finally confront and do something about the
biggest thing holding me back as a sport climber: body composition.
There is a lot of practical information in regards to training in the topoguide-Magazin
section of the site, and you can also subscribe to the on-line newsletter.
And lastly, the best book ever written about improving your sport climbing
is now avalible in a German translation.
Dave MacLeod’s “
9 out of 10 climbers make the same mistakes” should be
required reading for anyone who has ambitions about getting better on rock. You can buy the German version through the
topoguide.de website,
http://www.topoguide.de/Tourenliste/Neuzugange/9von10/9von10.html.