Do you ever feel like your life is a mix of tasks to get done, and you just jump back and forth between tasks all day, feeling like you never get ahead? Maybe you wake up in the morning and have an idea of what needs to get done for work that day, but as soon as you sit down to start your day, you are overwhelmed by the myriad of thongs to do. Read More…

When I’m not out actually climbing, I spend a lot of time training for climbing, and talking to others about training for climbing. I love helping others excel in this amazing sport. One thing that I often run into is that sometimes people don’t understand that training needs to be specific to the climbing discipline that you wish to excel at. Read More…

I’ve spent a decent amount of time writing about training for climbing. However, it always involves giving new ways of training in the climbing gym and/or at the cliff. Well, what if you don’t have a climbing gym near you, and/or you don’t have a cliff nearby? I thought it would be helpful to give you all some advice on how to train for climbing in a typical fitness gym. Below you will find ways to use weights to train for stamina, power/strength, and anaerobic endurance. Of course, climbing is always the best training, but weight training when climbing isn’t possible is of utmost importance (this is in addition to antagonist push muscle training that every climber should be doing 2 times per week). Read More…

Recently I began learning more about nutrition and the essential role it plays not only in general health but in physical fitness as well. Fortunately, I have for a long time been a fan of eating healthy, such as eating organic foods, eating a ton of vegetables and fruits every day, etc. But as I learned more, I realized that I needed to learn what my body needs in order to stay fit, and most importantly in order to be a strong climber. When coupled with a solid training program, eating properly can help you make significant performance gains. Read More…

I thought it would be helpful to share some quick ideas this morning on how to squeeze in climbing training into a busy schedule. Ideally, all climbers would be able to climb 4 days a week, workout most days, etc. But in reality, for most climbers life is too busy to make that a reality. I thought I’d share some quick ideas on how to fit training into your schedule. For the sake of keeping this article short, refer to TrainingForClimbing.com, and PodClimber.com to get details on what some of the workouts I refer to are. Read More…

I read a Tech Tip on Climbing Magazine’s website this morning on Silent Feet. It is a technique they describe that helps train and improve footwork while climbing. Check it out here:

Silent Feet Technique

I’m going to give it a try  and see how it improves my footwork! Let me know if you try it and what your results are!

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This morning I was browsing the internet reading various articles on training for climbing, and I quickly came to realize that no one out there is stressing the importance of training technically for climbing. All the emphasis is on the physical side of training. I am included in that group! I always write about physical training, but rarely do I stress the importance of technical training. While it is a routine part of my weekly schedule, I always forget to teach that principle to others. So I wanted to write this morning to suggest adding the following things to your weekly routine: Read More…

My weekly training schedule usually consists of 3-4 days climbing and training at the climbing gym, and 3-4 days of aerobic workouts (usually running). However, as I sit here this morning reviewing my calendar, I realize that this is one of those weeks where I will have no time at all to go to the climbing gym. But I do have time to run, and there are some great forms of running that actually translate directly into improved climbing performance. Interval Training is the best way to run to train for climbing. This is because interval training trains your body to remove lactic acid from your muscles faster and more efficiently. Lactic acid is what gives you that “Pumped” feeling when climbing. Training your body to remove the lactic acid faster will improve your climbing anaerobic endurance!

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We’ve had great response from people who have signed up for our “10 Free Climbing Training Tips” guide, so I thought I’d share a bit more on some specific workouts for people to try. I of course realize that not everyone has the time or opportunity to spend 4 or even 3 sessions at the climbing gym each week, so I wanted to provide you with a quick workout that includes a flexibility exercise, a power and strength exercise, and an anaerobic endurance excercise. Read More…

As I reflected more today on the article I read this morning on News and Observer (If There’s a Mountain Climb It), I began thinking about how climbing helped me to start my business. (Granted, my business revolves around climbing….which definitely helps!)

I wanted to share, over the next few days, what some of the lessons I learned from climbing are.

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